- Northern Ireland: Omagh bomb questions can ‘only be fully answered with tandem public inquiries’
August 18, 2023
All questions around the Omagh bomb atrocity can only be answered by holding a public inquiry on both sides of the Irish border, a lawyer representing some bereaved families has said. John McBurney urged the Irish Government to “reconsider” its position after a minister indicated this week that there is no new evidence which would ...
- One Thing May Save Ukraine From Russia’s Mine Warfare Nightmare: Spider Boots
August 18, 2023
“Spider boots” may sound like one of the cool magic items you can find in fantasy games, but this specially-designed four-legged footwear exists in real life, and is literally a matter of saving life and limb. A recent news segment posted by Reuters highlights how combat engineers of Ukraine’s 128th ‘Transcarpathia’ Mountain Assault brigade are using ...
- Sweden raises terrorist alert level after Koran burnings
August 17, 2023
Sweden raised its terrorist alert to the second highest level on Thursday, saying it had thwarted attacks after Koran burnings and other acts against Islam’s holiest text outraged Muslims and triggered threats from jihadists. Anti-Islam activists have damaged several copies of the Koran in recent months in Sweden and also in Denmark, two of the most ...
- Ukraine’s counteroffensive inches forward, with the help of cluster bombs
August 17, 2023
Ukrainian marines have advanced for the second time in two weeks on the southeastern frontlines, towards the key port city of Mariupol, with the recapture of the village of Urozhaine appearing to have been partially aided by the Ukrainian use of controversial cluster munitions. Drone footage of the intense fight for the village has emerged in ...
- Finland: Construction of Europe’s Largest Doomsday Stockpile Quietly Gets Underway
August 17, 2023
Finland is stockpiling emergency supplies to help prepare for a potential nuclear catastrophe, in an EU-funded project spurred by the threat posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Finnish interior ministry said on Wednesday that the stockpile would include protective gear, measurement equipment, medicines and vaccines for an emergency involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) ...
- UK: Dangerous phosphorus flare exploded on Lowestoft beach
August 17, 2023
A bomb squad was tasked with exploding a “highly dangerous” flare after it was brought to land from an offshore wind farm. HM Coastguard Lowestoft was called to receive a “spent flare” at Hamilton Dock after it was brought in by boat from a nearby wind farm. But it was quickly discovered to be a live ...
- Ukrainian troops use thermal cameras for demining
August 16, 2023
Ukrainian troops are using experimental thermal imaging equipment to detect Russian mines, CNN reported on Aug.15. In the village of Robotyne, located in the southeastern part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, According to the report, the new drone technique works best during periods with limited sunlight. Mines tend to retain the heat of the sun while the ground ...
- ATF hosts explosive training at Ramstein AB
August 16, 2023
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives held a post-blast training course for U.S. Air Force Airmen and other NATO allies at Ramstein Air Base, Aug. 7-11, 2023. The week-long course trains students in explosives identification, effects of explosions, recognizing improvised explosive devices, and collecting evidence from explosions. “The training ...
- Romania: Sea mine explodes near seaside resort village of Costinesti
August 15, 2023
A sea mine exploded in the Black Sea near Romania’s seaside resort village of Costinesti, local media reported Monday. The blast, which occurred near a pier of a hotel, caused no casualties, said the state-run Agerpres news agency. Later in the day, a second mine was detected nearby and eventually neutralized, the agency reported. In a ...
- Gibraltar: 17th century cannonballs found in construction site
August 14, 2023
Two cannonballs were found this afternoon on Devil’s Tower Road in a construction site nearby Filomena House. The Royal Gibraltar Police closed off Devil’s Tower Road after a report of a bomb sighting, and the MoD bomb squad attended the scene. While the findings were being ascertained by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Filomena House and ...
- Dissident republicans: Why Northern Ireland police are still a target
August 14, 2023
The February shooting of Det Ch Insp John Caldwell in Omagh, County Tyrone was a reminder of the threat still faced by police officers in Northern Ireland. During almost 30 years of violence known as the Troubles, 302 police officers were killed. Since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 ended the worst of the violence, the ...
- Russia is expanding its use of landmines in Ukraine but removing them is proving difficult
August 14, 2023
One of crucial themes of the war in Ukraine has been the adaptation battle between the Ukrainians and Russians. Both sides have learned and adapted their tactics, technology and military organisations in order to improve their battlefield performance. The most important recent adaptation for the trajectory of the war has been Russia’s strategic shift to employing ...
- Poland: 14,000 people evacuated after unexploded bomb found in Poland’s Lublin
August 11, 2023
Nearly 14,000 people living in the eastern Polish city of Lublin have been evacuated after an unexploded bomb was found in the city. Authorities on Thursday told residents to leave their homes on Friday and make their way to a meeting point. A construction worker on Thursday stumbled upon the bomb while doing ground work and ...
- IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine – Update 178
August 10, 2023
On 8 August, the team visited the unit 2 main control room, emergency control room and other safety-related rooms. They did not observe any mines or unusual objects in these areas. However, in the turbine hall of unit 2, the team noted the presence of a number of military trucks parked in an area reserved for ...
- Russia: Nine people reported missing after blast at Sergiyev Posad plant
August 10, 2023
Nine people are reported missing after the explosion in Sergiev Posad, the emergency services told TASS. “As of now, we have no information about nine people,” the spokesperson said. On Wednesday morning, an explosion at a fireworks warehouse owned by the Piro-ross company rocked the city of Sergiyev Posad, some 60 kilometers northeast of Moscow. Read more… Source: ...
- Finland: Man loads 12 kilos of dynamite into friend’s cars, tells police it was a prank
August 9, 2023
A man living in the village of Kållby in the Ostrobothnian municipality of Pedersöre in the west of Finland, found 12 kilograms of dynamite in two cars he owned on Thursday last week. The dynamite had been stored in the cars by an acquaintance of the man, also from Pedersöre. Tony Rauma, Detective Chief Inspector with ...
- Germany: 13,000 evacuated in Düsseldorf after WWII bomb found
August 8, 2023
Around 13,000 people have been told to temporarily leave their homes in the western German city of Düsseldorf after a Second World War-era US bomb was found, firefighters said Monday. The one-ton United States-made bomb was to be defused overnight after it was discovered during work in the area near the city zoo, the fire brigade ...
- UK: Bomb disposal team called in and 80 evacuated after ‘hazardous materials’ found in Glasgow flat
August 8, 2023
Around 80 people were evacuated and a bomb disposal team called in after “hazardous material” was found in a flat in east Glasgow, Police Scotland said. Police arrived at the flat in Shettleston shortly after 5pm on Monday and remained onsite well into Tuesday morning. “Operations Control mobilised a number of resources to the scene, including ...
