Articles from ‘Independent News Roundup’ in ‘World News’

Fighting intensifies in Yemen as Saudi-backed government forces push to reclaim Houthi-held territory and secure the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait. We examine the Houthis’ rise from a religious movement to a regional power. The Kremlin dismisses reports of a supposed plague outbreak in eastern Russia as “false information.” Meanwhile, Malian troops, backed by Russia’s Africa Corps, retake the strategic northern city of Kidal from separatist…

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Ukrainian membership of NATO is "not on the table" as Washington concentrates on ending the war. But the apparent closing of one potential route towards direct NATO-Russia confrontation comes as another flashpoint is emerging around Kaliningrad, where Moscow has warned that any attempt to isolate the Russian exclave could provoke an extreme military response. INR Report: Based on reporting by RT HERE, with…

The death of British financial whistleblower Simon Andriesz has prompted demands for an independent examination of how Britain's Financial Conduct Authority treated him during a years-long battle over alleged misconduct at his former employer. His death also comes after he helped uncover previously undisclosed business dealings involving Jeffrey Epstein and current US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, although Andriesz's family says there is…

The arrest of former German intelligence chief August Hanning has opened an extraordinary investigation into how highly classified information allegedly continued flowing to one of Germany's most senior former security officials years after he left government. The case also intersects with a separate kidnapping investigation involving private intelligence operators and former Israeli security officials, although those allegations remain…

One of Russia’s most prominent foreign-policy strategists says nuclear deterrence has lost credibility and must be restored by convincing European governments that Moscow is genuinely prepared to use its arsenal. His argument exposes a much larger danger: Russia and NATO increasingly appear to be relying on the same proposition, that peace depends upon convincing the other side that nuclear retaliation is credible INR Report: Based on an…

Three people are wounded in Saudi Arabia after Yemen’s Houthis launch a barrage of attacks on the Kingdom’s airports as regional tensions escalate. Saudi-backed forces claim to have retaken a strategic Red Sea port overlooking the Bab al-Mandab strait, a claim disputed by a senior Houthi official. Meanwhile, Turkiye and Pakistan announce troop deployments to Saudi Arabia under their collective security pact, while South Korea threatens Ukraine…

Thousands of sexual offences involving children have been reported at or near schools in England and Wales, with police recording at least 8,500 offences against children aged 12 and under between 2021 and 2025. The figures expose not only the scale of alleged abuse, but a difficult safeguarding problem in which many identified alleged offenders are themselves children INR Report: Based on reporting by The Guardian and RT. · Police recorded an…

Estonia is moving combat forces closer to its Russian border while acquiring long-range missile systems capable of striking targets hundreds of kilometres inside Russia. The change forms part of a new "active defence" strategy intended to confront a Russian attack immediately rather than surrender territory while waiting for NATO reinforcements INR Report: Based on reporting by the Financial Times, RT and official Estonian defence sources. ·…

Following Vladimir Zelensky’s threat to intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries, Moscow ramps up strikes across Ukraine, targeting bridges critical to Kiev’s war effort. Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, despite rock-bottom approval ratings at home, visits Kiev and pledges more than a billion euros in additional support. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Saudi-backed authorities launch military operations aimed at retaking Houthi-held territory, as the…

Russia’s Defence Ministry says it is stepping up strikes on Ukrainian military sites in response to Vladimir Zelensky’s threats against Russian oil refineries. Yemen’s Saudi-backed authorities announce plans to retake Houthi-held territory, as the Sanaa-based group claims a strike on a major Riyadh oil refinery complex. Iran says it will resist further aggression but remains open to diplomacy, offering to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if…