Ukraine / Russia: prisoner exchange
04 Jan 2024
On 3 January Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, in the biggest such swap since Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned to…
Denmark: the first Australian to become a Queen
04 Jan 2024
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's surprise abdication in favour of her son Crown Prince Frederik has marked a historic moment globally, but it has also made Princess Mary the first-ever Australian to become a Queen Consort.…
Prague: shock after gunman kills 14
21 Dec 2023
A gunman has killed at least 14 people and injured another 25 at a university in the historic city centre of Prague. It was the deadliest attack in modern Czech history. Staff and students barricaded themselves…
Iceland: volcano finally erupts
21 Dec 2023
On 18 December a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland finally erupted, spewing glowing orange jets of lava surrounded by billowing clouds of red smoke. The population of Grindavík, a small fishing town nearby,…
On 20 December, a major drone attack by Russia was stopped by Ukraine, whose air force claimed to have shot down 34 out of 35 of the Iranian devices. The drones were sent over in several…
Ukraine war to continue - Putin
14 Dec 2023
On 12 December Vladimir Putin asserted that peace will elude Ukraine until Russia achieves its unchanging objectives, despite nearly two years of heightened tensions with the West due to the ongoing conflict. During a lengthy year-end…