Thursday, August 28

Day: August 28, 2025

German cabinet backs voluntary military service, opening door to conscription

Christian Mang/Getty Images The government wants an 80,000 increase in soldier numbers by 80,000 by the early 2030s Germany's cabinet has passed a draft bill which will introduce voluntary military service. The bill could also lead to conscription if more troops are needed. It's part of a move to boost German national defences, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Compulsory military service in Germany was ended in 2011 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made boosting Germany's military a priority given the threat from Russia and said "we are now back on the path to a military service army". He summed up his thinking earlier this year saying: "We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we don't have to defend our...

Denmark apologises to Greenland’s forced contraception victims

Reuters Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the government could not change what had happened but could take responsbility Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has issued a long-awaited apology to the Greenlandic women and their families affected by what she called "systematic discrimination" during a contraceptive campaign. During the 1960s and 70s thousands of Inuit women and girls as young as 12 were fitted with contraceptive devices, as part of a birth-control programme administered by Danish doctors. "We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility," Frederiksen said of the scandal. "On behalf of Denmark, I would like to say sorry," she said, acknowledging that victims had "experienced both physical and psychological harm". The sc...

What difference will marriage make to Taylor Swift’s music?

Getty Images Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have announced their engagement after two years of dating Every fairytale needs a happy ending, and after 11 albums of love, heartbreak and shattered dreams, Taylor Swift has found her Prince Charming. But after she announced her engagement to Travis Kelce, what will Swift's newfound happiness mean for her music? Swift's greatest gift as a lyricist is the way she weaves her own story into her songs, balancing intricate, specific detail with universal themes of love, hope, heartbreak and betrayal. And from the very beginning, the musician's love life has been the connective tissue of her writing. Her debut single, Tim McGraw, written during a school maths class, was all about her then-boyfriend, Drew Dunlap. Believing they'd b...

European leaders boost Moldova in face of ‘relentless’ Russia

Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images Leaders from France, Germany and Poland have travelled to Moldova to show support for the country's accession to the EU and warn of Russia's "relentless" efforts to undermine that ambition. The visit comes as Moldova marks 34 years of independence from Moscow, declared as the Soviet Union fell apart. But it is also taking place a month before critical parliamentary elections in which the EU and the Moldovan government fear pro-Russian elements could gain ground. Flanked by European heads of state, Moldova's pro-Western President Maia Sandu told her country that it proved EU membership was "not a distant dream, but a project we are working on", one that is vital as a guarantee of security. "The merciless war that Russia wages again...
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