Author: Russell Bradley Francis

Are you curious how to embrace the spirit of the holiday season, a time for giving and tradition, without facing the stress of overspending? Between the many gifts, travel plans, festive meals and activities, the holidays often bring higher expenses, and the amount of money expected during this time can put pressure on your budget. Gift-giving is a vital aspect of the holiday season, but Christmas is also a time to spend with loved ones, enjoy delicious food and experience holiday traditions. By practicing frugal living, you can avoid unnecessary costs, focus on what truly matters and start the new…

If you were guaranteed a white Christmas, but it meant working thousands of miles away from your family and friends in a freezing wilderness, would you relish the opportunity? This is what the festive season holds for the hundreds of scientists, researchers and support staff living at remote stations in Antarctica this year. Almost 300 members of the Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are spending Christmas at five research stations and on board the vessel, the Harwich-based RRS Sir David Attenborough. Although it is the busiest time of the year (with almost 24 hours of sunlight), many, who are not…

Yoon Suk Yeol subjected to travel ban after his party’s boycott of impeachment vote condemned by opposition South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been banned from leaving the country, as opposition politicians accused his party of staging a “second coup” by refusing to impeach him over his botched declaration of martial law last week. Bae Sang-up, an immigration services commissioner at the justice ministry, confirmed during a parliamentary hearing on Monday that Yoon was the subject of a travel ban. Yoon’s attempt to end civilian rule last Tuesday lasted just six hours after lawmakers scuffled with soldiers in the…

Several major missile systems are expected to be stationed across Europe and Asia, within concerning ranges to Moscow. The United States is boosting efforts to increase deployment of intermediate and short-range missiles, including basing hypersonic weapons across Europe and Asia, RT reported. Production and deployment of such systems have accelerated within the US in recent years. According to RT, production includes that of Dark Typhon, a multi-rocket launcher, expected to be able to fire Standard-6 missiles with a 500 km range and Tomahawk cruise missiles with a 2,400 km range, alongside a hypersonic missile that is still being developed. The system is expected to…

The Union of Shopping Centres (STTs) estimates that half of the country’s shopping centres are facing high debt burdens. Many have taken out loans with floating rates, which creates a risk of widespread bankruptcies. Marina Malakhatko, a senior director at the consulting firm CORE.XP, told the Russian media outlet Kommersant that at least 200 shopping malls will be at risk of bankruptcy in 2025. She said some owners are already looking to sell their assets. Debt servicing has become even tougher after Russia‘s Central Bank was forced to hike interest rates to 21 percent – the highest level in over 20 years. The…

As a potential TikTok ban looms, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) gave her response in a unique way: by posting her first video on the social media platform. “This is not only my first TikTok, but it is a TikTok about TikTok,” Ocasio-Cortez said in her introduction, adding “Do I believe TikTok should be banned? No.” The New York Democrat said banning the popular video-sharing app would be an “unprecedented” move. “I think it’s important to discuss how unprecedented of a move this would be. The United States has never before banned a social media company from existence, from operating in our borders,”…

The successful phasing-out of gas imports from Russia risks making Europe dependent on liquified natural gas (LNG) imports, according to a report published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) today (June 24). Between 2021 and 2022, LNG imports increased from 80 billion cubic meters (bcm) to 120 bcm — reflecting an increase from 22% to 34% of total gas imports including from Russia and pipeline — according to the ECA. By 2023, the largest LNG global exporters to the EU were Norway (30%), the US (19.4%) and North Africa (14.1%), Russia was still responsible for 6.1% of LNG imports alongside 8.7% via pipeline,…

Kiev (8/6 – 17). The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s announcement about the personnel losses suffered by Moscow in May underscores the toll the conflict has taken on the Russian side. The reported figure of 38,940 personnel losses for Moscow as stated by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, indicates a significant escalation in the conflict’s intensity. Such a high monthly casualty count underscores the severity of the situation and the toll it’s taking on the Russian side. Ellie Cook’s report in Newsweek highlights a critical aspect of conflict reporting the difficulty in accurately determining battlefield casualties. Analysts often caution against…

A former U.S. Navy chief petty officer has been court-martialed and sentenced to 18 years in a military prison for attempted espionage and violating orders, according to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). It is the latest in a series of high-profile spying cases involving Navy personnel, and by far the most serious prison sentence. In January, Chief Fire Controlman (Aegis) Bryce Steven Pedicini was charged with multiple counts of attempted espionage for mishandling or disclosing classified information. Pedicini was a former destroyer crewmember who worked on the Aegis combat system, the Navy’s premier integrated radar and weapons control platform.…

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested by police in Louisville on Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship, with stunning images showing him handcuffed as he was led to a police car and charged with assaulting an officer after allegedly attempting to drive around traffic backed up from a pedestrian fatality investigation. Scheffler was released later in the morning and continued competing in the tournament. Police said Scheffler was booked for second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. In a statement to CBS News, Scheffler’s attorney Steve Romines said…