Two Baltic undersea cables were sabotaged within days—Latvia and Finland have launched criminal probes. Investigators say both strikes target European critical infrastructure. ISW calls it part of Russia’s “Phase Zero” hybrid war. euromaidanpress.com/2026/01/06/t...

🇺🇦🇫🇷🇬🇧 Ukraine, France, and the UK signed a declaration of intent to deploy multinational forces in Ukraine post-war. Macron stressed Russia violated all its peace deals in the past 15 years, calling for real guarantees. Ukraine's army will remain key to defense, 800,000 strong, backed by partners.

Zelensky said Ukrainian, French and British militaries have worked in detail on where and how multinational forces could be stationed, what numbers, weapons and units would be needed. He noted clarity on what each Coalition partner can offer and thanked every leader committed to a peaceful solution.

Still in place! STV as well (Peter Smith)

NEW: A Palestine activist on remand in a UK prison is suffering muscle spasms and difficulty breathing, as her hunger strike passes the 60-day mark

Fact of the day: The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, found that 66% of Scotland’s water bodies are in good ecological status, compared with 16.1% in England and 29.9% in Wales. Thank goodness Scottish Water is not privatised.

Today's statistics show we're making real progress in reducing waiting times for patients across Scotland. Long waits are down for the sixth month in a row, and inpatient and outpatient procedures are up. More to do, but it's encouraging to see sustained improvement in our NHS.

This is where we are. Read this joint statement by France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Denmark on Greenland: "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."

Beijing sounds deeply worried when someone tries to hold a regime accountable. But China shows no real concern that Russia has been killing Ukrainians every day for a fourth year. China is not concerned that Chinese-made components keep showing up in Russian weapons.👇

"Farage’s shtick is to pose as a champion of the working man, fighting against out-of-touch elites and corrupt institutions. But . . Reform isn’t a grassroots rebellion; it’s a vehicle bankrolled by the financiers who crashed the economy in 2008 . . " writesbright.substack.com/p/new-resear...

😡 #voteSNP #Scottishindependence

Up in the morning’s no for me, Up in the morning early; When a’ the hills are cover’d wi’ snaw, I’m sure it’s winter fairly… —“Up in the Morning Early”, by Robert Burns – poet of the people 🫡 #poem #poetry #C18th www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/morning...

A DISGRACE to our Saltire,this lying crook utterly HATES it,these unionist quisling eunuchs,are desperate for the ermine,if liebour get control,then you LOSE everything,pension,welfare,ALL SNP free list,rights,SNHS,NO HR,colonists,of a genocide enabling corrupt English nationalist govt on a loop

At midnight on the last day of each year the world sings a song written in Scotland toasted with a drink made in Scotland. Yet we’re not allowed to decide if we can be an independent nation because our neighbour won’t permit us to. #Scotland #IndependenceIsNormal #GE2026

“I’m now at the point where I think if Scotland goes again for a referendum, they should go independent.” David Tennant, Actor #Scotland #IndependenceIsNormal indyposterboy.scot/david-tennant/

“Scots voted to stay in Europe, and if the only way for us to do that is to become independent from England, that may just be the way to go.” Billy Connolly #Scotland #IndependenceIsNormal indyposterboy.scot/billy-connol...

We can’t go on like this. In just two days, the average FTSE 100 CEO has made a median workers full time annual salary. The right calls this “wealth creation”. It’s wealth extraction. Time to tax the rich. @highpaycentre.bsky.social highpaycentre.org/fat-cat-day-...

Thousands of people followed the bus's route, and at the border in Chop, border guards were already aware of it and invited Rocco for a "cultural conversation." Ultimately, he was denied entry to Ukraine, and then banned from entering for three years.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, he was detained by Russian forces and transferred to a pre-trial detention center in Taganrog. There, the man died, allegedly as a result of torture. Poland is demanding explanations.

Ukraine’s Budanov, Umerov, and Arahamia were seen in conversation with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff ahead of the "Coalition of the Willing" summit in Paris.

Did you know? The previous editor of BBC Reporting Scotland once said ‘only if Scottish Government fails a target does it get reported, anything else isn’t ‘news’’. He later deleted the post.

Swedish media SVT reports that Russian fishing boats were caught spying in Norwegian waters near Kirkenes. The border has been closed since the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

I think how the US taking Greenland would affect the EU is a very good question, that can produce some very uncomfortable answers too.

Berlin blackout, Steglitz-Zehlendorf: Ukrainians opened a “resilience hub” for local neighbors — a warm place to charge phones, drink hot tea, and help families get through the outage. Resilience learned under Russian strikes, shared in Berlin.

The fact that European states would simply roll over and accept a US seizure of Greenland (and they would), shows how little they have adjusted to the new world.

🇩🇪🇺🇦 Ukrainian refugees, who have experience of living during blackouts, have opened a shelter in the Berlin area, where a blackout has been going on for four days due to arson of electrical cables, — Radio Liberty.

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Whatever Xi and Putin have told Trump their overall target is to break and destroy the U.S. Venezuela might turn into an embarrassment for the U.S. very soon.

🇩🇪🇺🇦 Ukraine is on the verge of a humanitarian energy crisis, and Putin is only intensifying attacks, - Merz He stated that Putin does not seek peace in the fourth winter of the war, but on the contrary - he orders the most serious attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine.

Xi Jinping would be ready to sacrifice Chinese influence in Venezuela, if in return Beijing received a free hand regarding Taiwan, and Russia would make a similar agreement regarding Ukraine.

Interesting to hear the thoughts of @calumkerr.bsky.social, my local SNP candidate for the May 7th election, on our First Minister's rousing speech in Glasgow today... Are you ready for the Scotland we want? youtube.com/shorts/v5Ien...

Labour’s favourite union and funder, the GMB, where bullying, misogyny, cronyism, and sexism is rife but BBC Scotland still don’t want you to hear of it talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/01/05/l...

Most Scots believe Nigel Farage is a racist, an exclusive poll for The National has found Read here: www.thenational.scot/news/2...

NEW: Activists have gathered in Glasgow for an emergency demonstration over the large-scale strike by the United States on Venezuela

Zelensky condemned new Russian strikes across Ukraine, noting civilian targets were hit in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kherson. “Russia isn’t serious about diplomacy,” he said. “Their goal remains to cause as much harm as possible. Our response, defending life, will only grow stronger.”

Well fellow scots listen to this!!! German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul re Trump:"Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. And since Denmark is a member of NATO, Greenland will, in principle, also be subject to NATO defence” Soooo, it must follow that Scotland is only "in principle" in NATO

Mark your calendars. I am proposing making Monday 15 June an extra bank holiday in Scotland, to mark our return to the World Cup after 28 years. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

LATEST: John Swinney is at odds with Keir Starmer over the large-scale strike by the United States on Venezuela, saying he 'cannot see how international law has been respected' Read here: www.thenational.scot/news/2...

The entire world should unite in saying that the only people who have a right to determine Greenland’s future are the people of Greenland. 🇬🇱

Statement on the ongoing situation in Venezuela.

This winter, The Kyiv Independent joined Vertep Garden on its trip through Sumy Oblast, a region living under constant shelling and still recovering from Russian occupation. Photos: Anastasiia Verzun / The Kyiv Independent.

⚡️Ukraine war latest live: Russian drones attack Dnipro, damage US-owned oil plant.

🇺🇦 Zelensky: We discussed the formats of changes that Mykhailo Fedorov is preparing to implement as Minister of Defense of Ukraine. In a week, Mykhailo will present draft decisions that are needed. I expect that the parliament will support such strengthening.

When oil and tech CEOs are in the loop about his plans to invade a sovereign nation and Congress isn’t, that’s all you need to know about the legitimacy of his actions.

BBC journalists have been banned from describing the kidnapped Venezuelan leader as having been kidnapped. The BBC News Editor has sent this to BBC journalists.

Funny how Keir Starmer needs to 'establish all the facts' when Trump illegally kidnaps the leader of another country but was quick to defend Israel's 'right' to cut off water and electricity to Gaza after October 7.

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🇺🇦🇨🇦 Today, appointed Chrystia Freeland as Economic Development Advisor, - Zelensky She is a Canadian politician of Ukrainian origin, journalist, and writer who served as Deputy PM and Minister of Finance of Canada, and later became Canada's Special Representative for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.