Europe


  • Ukraine: Mine clearance and tracking down criminals, four-legged “guardsmen” decorated for their dedicated service

    May 20, 2023

    Animals, as well as people, do defend the country in times of war. The four service dogs, Dzhuki, Irbis, Antei and Odin, have been decorated with medals for their loyal service. They belong to the Eastern Operational and Territorial Unit, as the National Guard of Ukraine reported “In the challenging times of war, when the nation’s ...

  • Ukraine: Man injured in Kharkiv region, attempting to neutralize explosive device

    May 19, 2023

    In the village of Snizhkivka, Izyum district, the Kharkiv region, a man detonated himself on his own yard while attempting to neutralize an explosive object. Oleh Syniuhubov, the Chief of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. Read more… Source:  Ukrinform  

  • UK aid budget cuts have halted vital programmes in Afghanistan

    May 18, 2023

    The UK’s aid watchdog has raised concerns over cuts to the humanitarian assistance budget that have led to vital projects in Afghanistan being halted or delayed. In its report, published on Thursday, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact highlighted that reductions to the UK’s funding commitment for 2022-23 have resulted in programmes for polio vaccinations and ...

  • Crimea Railway Blast Derails Russian Train

    May 18, 2023

    A Russian freight train carrying grain derailed in annexed Crimea early Thursday in what some media accounts described as an explosion. According to the Baza Telegram channel, which is believed to have links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, five railroad cars tipped over at around 8:00 a.m. Moscow time near the south-central Crimean city of Simferopol. Read ...

  • UK: Doorman planted fake bomb in popular pub and alerts police so he could ‘play the hero’

    May 18, 2023

    In November 2021, Stephen Edward Oliphant claimed he found a suspicious device in a toilet basin at Wetherspoons pub The Hat and Feathers, in Seaham, County Durham. After raising the alarm and alerting police, the pub was evacuated and a specialist bomb disposal unit arrived at the scene. Read more… Source: The Scotsman  

  • Spain: Explosion linked to ‘gender-based violence’ kills two near playground in Gipuzkoa province

    May 16, 2023

    An explosion has killed two people in Spain, with authorities suspecting the blast was linked to “gender-based violence”. The blast happened near a children’s playground in the town of Orio in the north of the country on Tuesday, according to local officials. The man and woman were killed at around 5.30pm local time in the fishing ...

  • Estonia: Unmanned aviation to be developed in Tartu

    May 15, 2023

    The Estonian Transport Administration has decided to establish a testing area for unmanned aviation (drones) in Tartu, which is home to the research institutions and infrastructure necessary for aviation innovation. According to the Transport Administration, the establishment of a test facility in Tartu will create opportunities for broad-based development and deployment of unmanned aviation technologies. This ...

  • Northern Ireland: Pipe bomb defused in Co Down security alert

    May 13, 2023

    A pipe bomb has been recovered as a security alert ended in Newtownards on Saturday morning. The security alert began on Friday night in the Ardmillan Crescent area with the discovery of the suspicious object. The explosive was diffused by an ATO team before residents were allowed to return to their homes. Read more… Source: BelfastLive  

  • UK: Burglars using explosives to blow church safes and steal ‘irreplaceable’ silver

    May 12, 2023

    A gang of thieves are using explosives to blast open church safes and steal silver worth tens of thousands of pounds. They are believed to have broken into four churches so far, making off with chalices, candlesticks, crucifixes and plates that had been locked away in safe storage. In one raid, 25 pieces of communion silver, including ...

  • UK: Foreign Affairs Committee launches counter-terrorism inquiry

    May 12, 2023

    Today the Foreign Affairs Committee launches a new inquiry into the UK’s efforts to tackle terrorism globally. The inquiry will develop an understanding of the motivations, locations, tactics, ambitions and organisation of the most pressing terrorist threats and consider how the threat from terrorist actors and groups may evolve in the next decade. Read more… Source: Parliament UK  

  • UK: Far-right extremist given eight-year term for firearm and explosives offences

    May 11, 2023

    A gun-making far-right extremist who said minorities “should be shot” and accidentally blew up his kitchen while experimenting with explosives has been ordered to be detained for eight-and-a-half years. Vaughn Dolphin was convicted last month of six offences of possessing terrorist information, two of recklessly disseminating a terrorist publication, two of having an explosive substance and ...

  • UK: Controlled explosion carried out after bombs found in Strathpeffer

    May 11, 2023

    A controlled explosion has taken place after two bombs were found in a Ross-shire village. The bomb squad were called to the Ben Wyvis Hotel in Strathpeffer yesterday afternoon. Explosives were found while contractors were working on a Biomass unit on the hotel’s grounds Read more… Source: Planet Radio  

  • Germany: Police and firefighters hurt in blast at high-rise block in the western town of Ratingen

    May 11, 2023

    Police officers and firefighters have been injured, some seriously, in an explosion in the western German town of Ratingen, police say. Inside the flat they found a fire in one of the rooms and a man then used a device to set off an explosion, the regional interior minister said. Read more…  Source: BBC News  

  • Tunisian officers showcase EOD skills at Ravens Challenge

    May 10, 2023

    VICENZA, Italy — The U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa counter-IED program sponsored participation of two Tunisian army soldiers in Raven’s Challenge at Camp Dodge, Iowa. Raven’s Challenge is an annual, interagency, counter-IED exercise that incorporates scenarios focused on interoperability capabilities between public safety bomb squads and military explosive ordnance disposal units in operational environments. Read ...

  • Ireland training Ukrainian troops in Cyprus in bomb disposal, demining

    May 10, 2023

    Irish troops have started training Ukrainian forces in bomb disposal and demining techniques in Cyprus, Ireland’s Defence chief-of-staff said on Tuesday. According to the Irish Times, Ireland has pledged the deployment of up to 30 skilled personnel, specialising in areas such as ordnance disposal and combat medicine. Read more… Source: In-Cyprus News  

  • Ukraine launches new policy on humanitarian demining

    May 10, 2023

    Ukraine is launching a new state policy on humanitarian demining, which envisages the update of mine action standards, the government press service reported Wednesday. The new policy stipulates implementing a national mine action program and creating a market for demining services with the involvement of international operators, said a statement on the government website. Read more… Source: Xinhua ...

  • UK: Boy, 10, finds bomb while walking on Dartmoor

    May 8, 2023

    A ten-year-old boy made an explosive discovery while out walking on Dartmoor that prompted a call to police and the bomb disposal squad. Joe Baker, 10, was out walking on Okehampton Army Range on the edge of Dartmoor yesterday (May 7) with his dad when he noticed something strange in the bushes. Upon closer inspection he ...

  • Russia: Detainee for attempt on writer Prilepin’s life charged with terrorism

    May 8, 2023

    Russia’s investigative committee has charged Alexander Permyakov, detained for an attempt on the life of the writer Zakhar Prilepin, with terrorism and is petitioning for his arrest, the committee’s press service told reporters on Monday. “The Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee, as part of the criminal investigation into the explosion of Zakhar Prilepin’s car, ...