Russia-Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will undoubtedly achieve its goals in the war with Ukraine, no matter whether NATO is using almost all of its potential against Moscow. Putin made the remark while addressing a group of top Russian military commanders. He said Russia will shore up its military capabilities, adding the country will continue developing its combat readiness of nuclear forces. Putin blamed Ukraine and its allies for the conflict in Ukraine, which he described as a shared tragedy. Russia has already pointed its finger at NATO and its expansionist policies in Eastern Europe for propelling the country into launching its military operation in Ukraine.
UK strikes
Thousands of ambulance workers, including paramedics and call handlers, stage a strike in the UK over pay, increasing pressure on the government a day after a similar move by nurses. Despite the industrial action, unions said all life-threatening cases will be answered by healthcare workers. Still, the government slammed the strike as deeply regrettable. The strikers demand a pay rise above inflation which rose to a 40-year-high of 10.7% last month. The UK has been hit by a wave of strikes as its inflation has fueled the country’s cost-of-living crisis. More strikes are planned by ambulance workers as well as transport workers around Christmas.
Rohingya refugees plight
Relatives and activists say at least 100 Rohingya are stranded and many are feared dead in a boat off India’s northeastern coast. The director of an activist group Arakan Project says at least 20 people may have died from hunger, thirst, or after they jumped overboard in desperation. Other refugee rights advocates say the situation on the damaged boat is getting worse. Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network says the group of Rohingya had been adrift for more than two weeks. Meanwhile, relatives of the stranded refugees are calling on the international community for help. Each year, many Rohingya risk their lives to escape violence in Myanmar and dilapidated refugee camps in Bangladesh. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh after Myanmar’s army launched a deadly crackdown in 2017 amid harrowing reports of murder, rape and arson.