Articles from ‘Independent News Roundup’

Spiders don’t normally create such large colonies, so no need to fear finding one in your basement · Credit: Getty  Ezzy Pearson - BBC Science Focus · Arachnophobes best look away now, because a group of scientists have found what could be the biggest spider colony in the world. · The web is 106 square metres (1,140 square feet) in size and is thought to be home to up to 111,000 spiders. That’s roughly half the size of a tennis court. ·…

Parents naturally want their children to feel special – but showering them with praise can sometimes do more harm than good · Tom Howarth · When most of us think of personality disorders, we imagine them springing from difficult childhoods – abuse, neglect or harsh environments. But narcissism is different. · A growing body of research suggests that children can develop narcissistic traits at the other extreme of upbringing: when…

This final “Line of Effort” underpins the preceding three regarding the Western Hemisphere, the Indo-Pacific, and burden-sharing, all of which are being pursued in furtherance of Trump 2.0’s grand strategic goal of restoring the US’ predominant position over the world, including over China and Russia. · Andrew Korybko · Trump 2.0 just released its National Defense Strategy (NDS) two months after its National Security Strategy (NSS), and as…

Central banks have been buying bullion at a record clip because holding dollars has become a losing proposition · In the German writer Ernst Junger’s macabre vignette ‘Violet Endives’, a man walks into a gourmet shop where the salesman speaks in matter-of-fact fashion about the delicacies on display – human flesh – and embarks upon a long explanation about the art of preparation. The story is a commentary on a society that accepts…

The amount sought by a right-wing German MP matches what Warsaw demands from Berlin for damages suffered during World War II · RT: FILE PHOTO. ©  Global Look Press / XinHua / The Swedish Coast Guard · Poland should compensate Germany for “complicity” in the 2022 explosions that put the Nord Stream gas pipelines out of operation, a right-wing German politician has claimed. · The amount cited by Kay Gottschalk, an MP from the…

The Ukrainian leader has sparked a wave of international backlash and accusations of being unfair and ungrateful to Kiev’s Western backers · RT: FILE PHOTO. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky. © Getty Images / Paula Bronstein · Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is facing severe backlash from key international partners after a combative speech at Davos, where he went on a tirade accusing Europe of “indecisiveness” toward Russia…

Pro-independence lawmaker Kuno Fencker told RT that sovereignty is an absolute red line for the islanders · RT: People hold Greenlandic flags and placards as they gather outside the US Consulate in Nuuk to protest President Donald Trump’s intention to acquire Greenland, January 17, 2026. © Sean Gallup/Getty Images · Greenland and its population are not up for grabs, a pro-independence lawmaker from the island, has told RT, in response to…

The Culture Ministry has accused the artists of promoting Russian culture by performing ‘Swan Lake’ during a European tour · RT: Ukrainian ballerina Natalia Matsak performing Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake' on November 26, 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland. © Getty Images / Lionel FLUSIN;  Gamma-Rapho · Two principal dancers with the National Opera of Ukraine reportedly face dismissal for…

The closed-door negotiations are aimed at resolving territorial disputes between Moscow and Kiev · RT: Russian, American, and Ukrainian officials have sat down to the first round of trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed. After a week of public diplomacy in Davos, the talks are taking place behind closed doors. · In a statement on Friday, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al…

The Sino-Indo rapprochement is still in its infancy, their territorial disputes remain unresolved, and India is under lots of pressure from the US nowadays. · Andrew Korybko · Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared during his first press conference of the year that Moscow wants to revive the Russia-India-China (RIC) format. In his words, “[RIC] still exists – though it has not convened in some time – but has not been…