Latest news with #IronCurtain
NDTV
3 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom 4 Mission Creates History For 3 Countries
New Delhi: The Axiom 4 launch, a commercial human spaceflight mission involving Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX, has scripted history in more ways than one. Not only has it been a historic moment for India, Poland, and Hungary, which have sent astronauts to space for the first time in nearly half a century, it has had symbolic significance for Europe and Asia. At the time of this report, the four astronauts onboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule are orbiting Earth, notching up speed to be in-sync with the International Space Station - their destination for the next 15 days. As they whirl around the 'Pale Blue Dot' close to 16 times per day, India's Shubhanshu Shukla, Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungary's Tibor Kapu see a world that is vastly different from when the last explorers from their countries ventured into Space. The last time India, Poland, or Hungary sent people to space, their current crop of astronauts had not yet been born - and back then they were called cosmonauts, as they all flew on Soviet missions, with the Iron Curtain still intact, diving Europe in two. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the world was still in the midst of the Cold War. The last Indian to look down at planet Earth from the dark, enveloping space surrounding it, was Rakesh Sharma, an Indian Air Force pilot who traveled to the Salyut 7 space station in 1984 as part of a Soviet-led initiative to help friendly nations access Space. Similarly, the last Polish person in Space was Miroslaw Hermaszewski, who traveled to the Salyut 6 space station aboard the Soyuz 30 capsule in 1978. While the last Hungarian national in Space was Bertalan Farkasm who also went to the Salyut 6 space station, aboard the Soyuz 36 in 1980. But this mission, especially for India, is no longer a one-off. India's space agency, ISRO, sees the Axiom 4 mission as a key stepping stone toward its own maiden crewed mission, planned for 2027 under the Gaganyaan programme, meaning "sky craft". India also plans to set up its own space station over the next decade. In his first words after the lift-off, Shubhanshu Shukla said, "What a fantastic ride" in Hindi."This isn't just the start of my journey to the International Space Station - it is the beginning of India's human space programme." Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the successful launch on X, saying, "He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. Wish him and other astronauts all the success!" For SpaceX too, The Axiom 4 mission was historic in a way, as the mission marks the debut of the fifth and final Crew Dragon vehicle, which was named 'Grace' after it reached orbit joining Endeavour, Resilience, Endurance, and Freedom in the active fleet. SpaceX ultimately plans to phase out its current vehicles in the 2030s in favour of 'Starship', its giant next-generation rocket currently in development. The astronauts are scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on Thursday, at approximately 1100 hrs GMT (1630 hrs IST). It will remain docked for two weeks before bring the astronauts back to planet Earth. Praising it, mission commander Peggy Whitson, who is leading the crew, said, "It reflects the elegance with which we move through space against the backdrop of Earth." She added that "It speaks to the refinement of our mission, the harmony of science and spirit and the unmerited favor we carry with humility." SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which placed the Crew Dragon capsule in low Earth orbit, returned to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida 8 minutes later. The lift-off happened at 2:31 am local time (0631 hrs GMT, 1201 hrs IST).
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
What conscription could look like as Keir Starmer warns UK 'must prepare'
A newly published National Security Strategy has raised questions about bringing back conscription in the UK. An expert has revealed how conscription could work on home soil as an alarming government dossier warns that Brits "must actively prepare" for war. The expert has explained that a "well-trained resourceful UK land army of young and spirited Brits will deter Putin where nukes fear to tread", reports the Mirror. According to the newly published National Security Strategy report, facing the danger of nuclear weapons will be "more complex than it was even in the Cold War" - a prospect that will no doubt send a shudder down the spine of those who lived through these uncertain times. Some of the dossier's references date back even further than the days of the Iron Curtain, harking back to the famed Blitz spirit of World War II. Describing the nation as being in a period of "radical uncertainty", Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to spend five per cent of GDP on national security within a decade, in a bid to bring together civilian and military priorities "in a way not seen since 1945". Although national conscription was not mentioned in the document, Brits are now asking important questions as the threat to national security feels closer than ever. Reflecting on this newly published strategy, Professor Anthony Glees, an expert on European affairs from The University of Buckingham, said: "It's revealing and depressing that the National Security Strategy outlines, correctly, the grave danger the UK now faces, but does not mention 'conscription' once. Not once. "It tells us, correctly, that we 'need to actually prepare for the UK Homeland coming under direct threat in a wartime scenario'. We need, it says, to 'strengthen our approach to domestic security, restore security to our borders'. "It describes the threat to us here in the UK posed by Russia and Iran in particular - and outlines our need to 'gain the upper hand' when confronting their frequent cyber attacks, their landgrabbing tactics in Europe and beyond, their intrusion into outer space, cyberspace (ie undersea data-carrying cables)." "But one of the most important and cheapest ways we have of countering and addressing these myriad real threats to our way of life, increasing the size of our armed forces through some form of conscription, is totally ignored." For decades, the topic of National Service has been floated in public discussions; however, successive governments have repeatedly ruled out the possibility of military conscription, the main argument here being that armed forces are best staffed by those who have volunteered to put themselves forward to defend the country, with all the skills and training such a rigorous task. However, in recent years, the security situation has changed significantly, and there are those who believe National Service is now "absolutely vital". This includes Professor Glees, who expressed concerns that the government"self-evidently does not believe that increasing the size of our armed forces has anything to do with the stated aims of the Strategy." He warned: "This is totally reckless, particularly given the widely reported view of General Sir Richard Shirreff, a former NATO deputy supreme commander, Europe, just a few months ago, that we should immediately begin to conscript 30,000 young Brits each year to bring our army up to the crucial 100,000 mark. "I've often said in the past that, as an academic, this seems absolutely vital to me. A well-trained, resourceful UK land army of young and spirited Brits will deter Putin where nukes fear to tread, because as his attack on Ukraine shows, our nukes do not deter him, any more than his nukes deter Ukraine." Expressing his thoughts on how such a scheme could work in 21st-century Britain, the expert said: "I favour conscription for national service for everyone capable of it. Not everyone should undergo military training as in weapons training; cyber skills, for example, for offensive and defensive purposes, are a form of weapons training. But those who are up for proper military training should be given it. "The EU, the UK and Norway have a population of 523m, more than four times as large as Russia with 144m. Our joint GDP is $24tr compared with Russia's $2tr." Highlighting some of the potential incentives such a scheme could introduce, amid a backdrop of rising living costs, he added: "We can afford to offer our young people fabulous inducements to commit to a year's national service, for example, cheap loans for mortgages, free university and college places. "In the National Security Strategy, the Prime Minister says we need to 'unleash a defence dividend, to use national security to strengthen our country'. Exactly so. That dividend is not simply AI and IT; it is our young people who need to understand that their future liberty relies on their willingness to serve. That is where conscription comes in." While fears over the potential for nuclear warfare are rife, Professor Glees believes any future European War "will be fought with conventional means, not nukes", which he emphasises "are last resort weapons". In this regard, "a strong land army" will be far more important than a formidable nuclear arsenal. He added: " Putin knows that if we were to use them to prevent him from taking over our country, we could destroy Russia in the bat of an eyelid. But he also knows that we would be committing suicide in doing so. That is why conventional strength is real strength. "A future war in Europe (just like the current war in Ukraine or the war between Israel and Iran) will be fought with conventional means, not nukes. Nukes are last resort weapons, but leave plenty of space for conventional forces to go past them, like the Maginot Line, which was meant to defend France from the Germans, but they simply went over the top of it. "Until recently, we've put just about all our defence eggs in our Vanguard-class Trident -carrying submarines. In fact, we need a strong land army to keep our shores safe, not least from the very things the Review outlines, which include the key demand that we properly protect our borders, which we are not doing at the moment." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. 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Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
What UK conscription would really look like as Brits warned they 'must prepare'
A newly published National Security Strategy has raised questions about bringing back conscription in the UK, and now an expert has warned this measure could be 'absolutely vital' As an alarming government dossier warns that Brits "must actively prepare" for war, many have have been left wondering what modern day combat would really mean for the UK. Now, an expert has revealed how conscription could work on home soil, explaining that a "well-trained resourceful UK land army of young and spirited Brits will deter Putin where nukes fear to tread." According to the newly published National Security Strategy report, facing the danger of nuclear weapons will be "more complex than it was even in the Cold War" - a prospect that will no doubt send a shudder down the spine of those who lived through these uncertain times. Some of the dossier's references date back even further than the days of the Iron Curtain, harking back to the famed Blitz spirit of World War II. Describing the nation as being in a period of "radical uncertainty", Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to spend five per cent of GDP on national security within a decade, in a bid to bring together civilian and military priorities "in a way not seen since 1945". Although national conscription was not mentioned in the document, Brits are now asking important questions as the threat to national security feels closer than ever. Reflecting on this newly published strategy, Professor Anthony Glees, an expert on European affairs from The University of Buckingham, told the Mirror: "It's revealing and depressing that the National Security Strategy outlines, correctly, the grave danger the UK now faces, but does not mention 'conscription' once. Not once. "It tells us, correctly, that we 'need to actually prepare for the UK Homeland coming under direct threat in a wartime scenario'. We need, it says, to 'strengthen our approach to domestic security, restore security to our borders'. "It describes the threat to us here in the UK posed by Russia and Iran in particular - and outlines our need to 'gain the upper hand' when confronting their frequent cyber attacks, their landgrabbing tactics in Europe and beyond, their intrusion into outer space, cyberspace (ie undersea data-carrying cables)." "But one of the most important and cheapest ways we have of countering and addressing these myriad real threats to our way of life, increasing the size of our armed forces through some form of conscription, is totally ignored." For decades, the topic of National Service has been floated in public discussions; however, successive governments have repeatedly ruled out the possibility of military conscription, the main argument here being that armed forces are best staffed by those who have volunteered to put themselves forward to defend the country, with all the skills and training such a rigorous task. However, in recent years, the security situation has changed significantly, and there are those who believe National Service is now "absolutely vital". This includes Professor Glees, who expressed concerns that the government "self-evidently does not believe that increasing the size of our armed forces has anything to do with the stated aims of the Strategy." He warned: "This is totally reckless, particularly given the widely reported view of General Sir Richard Shirreff, a former NATO deputy supreme commander, Europe, just a few months ago, that we should immediately begin to conscript 30,000 young Brits each year to bring our army up to the crucial 100,000 mark. "I've often said in the past that, as an academic, this seems absolutely vital to me. A well-trained, resourceful UK land army of young and spirited Brits will deter Putin where nukes fear to tread, because as his attack on Ukraine shows, our nukes do not deter him, any more than his nukes deter Ukraine." But what would conscription actually look like in our modern age? And would all those participating be expected to fight? Expressing his thoughts on how such a scheme could work in 21st-century Britain, the expert said: "I favour conscription for national service for everyone capable of it. Not everyone should undergo military training as in weapons training; cyber skills, for example, for offensive and defensive purposes, are a form of weapons training. But those who are up for proper military training should be given it. "The EU, the UK and Norway have a population of 523m, more than times as large as Russia with 144m. Our joint GDP is $24tr compared with Russia's $2tr." Highlighting some of the potential incentives such a scheme could introduce, amid a backdrop of rising living costs, he added: "We can afford to offer our young people fabulous inducements to commit to a year's national service, for example, cheap loans for mortgages, free university and college places. "In the National Security Strategy, the Prime Minister says we need to 'unleash a defence dividend, to use national security to strengthen our country'. Exactly so. That dividend is not simply AI and IT; it is our young people who need to understand that their future liberty relies on their willingness to serve. That is where conscription comes in." While fears over the potential for nuclear warfare are rife, Professor Glees believes any future European War "will be fought with conventional means, not nukes", which he emphasises "are last resort weapons". In this regard, "a strong land army" will be far more important than a formidable nuclear arsenal. He added: "Putin knows that if we were to use them to prevent him from taking over our country, we could destroy Russia in the bat of an eyelid. But he also knows that we would be committing suicide in doing so. That is why conventional strength is real strength. "A future war in Europe (just like the current war in Ukraine or the war between Israel and Iran) will be fought with conventional means, not nukes. Nukes are last resort weapons, but leave plenty of space for conventional forces to go past them, like the Maginot Line, which was meant to defend France from the Germans, but they simply went over the top of it. "Until recently, we've put just about all our defence eggs in our Vanguard-class Trident-carrying submarines. In fact, we need a strong land army to keep our shores safe, not least from the very things the Review outlines, which include the key demand that we properly protect our borders, which we are not doing at the moment." Brits first underwent conscription during what would later become known as World War I. Prior to this point, this sort of compulsion hadn't been applied to regular army recruitment since the early 18th century, when vagrants and those in debt were briefly affected by an early form of conscription, as per the Official Public Record. Then, the seismic events of the 20th century would change everything. Passed in January 1916, the Military Service Act 1916 imposed conscription on all single men aged between 18 and 41 unless they were exempt. This was extended to 50 in April 1918. Two years later, in 1920, conscription would be abolished, but not for long. Those who celebrated their 18th birthday in 1945 will now be 98 years old. Those still living may well remember leaving their hometown behind to fight the Nazis, or waving goodbye to friends, family members and neighbours. On September 3, 1939, the same day that Britain declared war on Germany, Parliament passed The National Service (Armed Forces) Act, which ordered that all men between the ages of 18 and 41 had to register for service. Exemptions were afforded to those determined to be medically unfit, as well as those who worked in key sectors such as farming, engineering and medicine. Any conscientious objectors had to argue their case before a tribunal. A second National Service Act was passed in December 1941, this time meaning that all unmarried women and childless widows between the ages of 20 and 30 were liable to be called up, while men under the age of 60 had to participate in some form of National Service. This included military service for men under the age of 51. Even after the war ended in 1945, National Service continued in the UK right up until the 1960s, to address manpower shortages, with the last servicemen being discharged in 1963.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Interview Martina Navratilova: 'Women are still judged by a different metric than men'
'Women are still judged by a different metric than men' Amol Rajan speaks to Martina Navratilova, one of the greatest-ever tennis players, about her life and career. The story of her rise to the top of the game is as remarkable as the number of tournaments she managed to win. Born behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia in 1956, she was 11-years-old when she watched Soviet tanks roll in to the country as Moscow sought to reassert control and quash political reform. Navratilova, who played in her first tennis tournament when she was eight, rose to both national and international prominence in the years that followed. But in 1975, following the Czech government's efforts to control her tennis career, she defected. Aged 18, Navratilova sought asylum in the United States, where she later became an American citizen. During the late 1970s and 1980s she dominated the international tennis circuit, and by the time she retired, she'd won 59 major singles and doubles titles. But throughout her life, Navratilova has generated headlines on the front pages of newspapers, as well as the back. She came out as being gay in 1981, a rare thing for high-profile athletes to do at the time, and quickly became a prominent figure in the gay rights movement. More recently, however, she's found herself at odds with some groups due to her views on transgender athletes. She's also battled cancer on two separate occasions. Thank you to the Amol Rajan Interviews team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producers: Ben Cooper, Joel Mapp Sound: Dave O'Neill Editor: Nick Holland Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@ and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Martina Navratilova. Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty)
The Journal
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Sinn Féin MEP calls on EU commissioner to withdraw 'deeply inaccurate' remarks about Ireland
SINN FÉIN MEP Kathleen Funchion has called on the EU's foreign commissioner to her withdraw remarks on Ireland's neutrality. During a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday on the upcoming Nato summit next week, Funchion criticised the EU's inaction on dealing with Israel's military operations in the Gaza, Iran and other parts of the Middle East. The Ireland South MEP later noted the sovereign right of each member state to choose its own foreign policies and if they participate in military alliances such as Nato. She said that the EU hopes it recognises Ireland's right to maintain its historical neutral stance. 'We in Ireland have a proud history and tradition of UN peacekeeping, and long may that continue,' Funchion said, adding that it was 'important to reference the creeping militarisation into EU politics'. 'This debate has been a combination of maddening and depressing for the past two hours, listening to the vast majority of speakers. I would also remind people that, at its core, the EU is supposed to be a peace project, and we should not move away from this' Other members also voiced concern over the fulfilment of international law obligations in the conflict during the debate and called for a renewed effort to achieve peace in the Middle East and in Ukraine. 'Peace does not mark end of suffering' During her closing remarks, the European Commission Vice President and foreign affairs Commissioner Kaja Kallas said that peace can only be achieved in Ukraine when the aggressor, Russia, is willing to negotiate. She addressed Funchion's remarks and claimed that Ireland had the chance for 'prosperity' in the years following the World War II, while the rest of Europe experienced 'atrocities'. She said, in that context, that a negotiated peace through surrender would not benefit countries under siege by others. Advertisement 'I want to address our Irish colleagues,' Kallas said. 'Peace doesn't mean the human suffering will stop. If you surrender, you [still] have the aggressor. [If] you say, 'Take all that you want', it doesn't mean that human suffering will stop. 'In our experience behind the Iron Curtain [the border between the Soviet Union and Europe during the Cold War] after World War II, countries like Ireland got to build up their prosperity, but for us, it meant atrocities, mass deportations, suppression of our culture and language. 'This is what happens, it is peace – but not freedom. It's not freedom of choice for people. And that is what the EU is all about and that's what we're fighting for.' 'Ill-advised remarks should be withdrawn' The remarks have been criticised as 'deeply inaccurate' by MEP Funchion, who said the vice-president was dismissive of the post-war experience of people on the island of Ireland. Funchion said Kallas' comments were 'ill-advised and deeply insensitive to the experiences of Irish communities still seeking justice to this day'. She added: 'Ireland too endured atrocities, from the Ballymurphy massacre to Bloody Sunday, where innocent civilians were shot and killed by British soldiers. Our people suffered internment without trial, and widespread discrimination in housing and employment, particularly in the North. 'Furthermore, the suppression of Irish language and culture has been an ongoing battle, as evidenced by the decades-long campaign for an Irish Language Act in the North. She added: 'I have written to the vice-president asking her to withdraw her remarks and to acknowledge the reality of Ireland's past.' Kallas' office has been contacted for comment. Includes reporting by Press Association Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
