Latest news

The nuclear weapons of the major powers  

Putin: Modernization of Russian nuclear weapons soon complete 

 

95 percent of Russia's nuclear forces have been modernized, the country's president, Vladimir Putin, said in a statement.  

 

The Air Force is also said to have ordered four new supersonic planes that can carry nuclear weapons. 

 

On Thursday, Vladimir Putin flew in one of Russia's modernized strategic bombers, also with the possibility of nuclear armament. According to CNBC, the purpose of the flight is likely to "send a signal to the West" about the country's nuclear weapons capabilities. 

 

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Political situation in Austria  

Austria's former leader Kurz is convicted of perjury 

 

Austria's former chancellor Sebastian Kurz is sentenced to an eight-month suspended sentence for perjury, AP reports.  

 

According to the verdict, Kurz gave false information about the appointment of a management position at a state-owned company, and played down his own role. It is the first trial against a former Austrian chancellor in 30 years. Kurz, who maintains that he is innocent and that the sentence is politically motivated, is expected to appeal.

 

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The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh  

Armenia distances itself from Russia's "mini-NATO"  

 

Armenia has "frozen" its participation in the Russian-led military alliance Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which is made up of a number of post-Soviet states, according to several media outlets.  

 

Russia has not "fulfilled its security obligations" towards Armenia, says Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in an interview with France 24. The Kremlin states that it was not informed of the decision, and says that contacts should be made with Armenia to clarify the issue. 

 

Like NATO, the CSTO has a mutual defense guarantee, and the alliance is often described as Putin's "mini-NATO," according to Newsweek.  

 

Armenia and Russia's relationship has gradually soured, especially after the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Instead, Armenia has moved ever closer to the West - on Friday it signed an arms agreement with France. 

 

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Suspicious balloon in the US - the military is investigating  

 

An unknown balloon has been spotted at high altitude over the United States, government sources told CBS News.  

 

Military aircraft that examined the balloon have determined it poses no threat, but its origin and purpose remain unclear.  

 

It comes a year after a Chinese balloon carrying spy equipment was spotted and shot down in US airspace, sparking diplomatic tensions.

 

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Missing MH370  

Ten years since MH370 disappeared - few measures in place  

 

It has now been a decade since MH370 disappeared without a trace during a night flight between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing. But the industry has taken few steps to prevent something like this from happening again, writes Bloomberg.  

 

For example, the tracking system required by the UN agency ICAO has only been installed in a fraction of the aircraft used by major operators such as Air France, Korean Air and Japan Airlines.  

 

At the same time, certain measures have been taken. For example, larger passenger planes are now tracked at least once a quarter when they are over the open sea. 

 

- I am not saying that the probability is zero, but it is so much less today than it was ten years ago, says IATA head General Willie Walsh to Bloomberg.

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