Roland Oliphant
@rolandoliphant.bsky.social
📤 1383
📥 272
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Chief Foreign Something
@telegraph.co.uk
reposted by
Roland Oliphant
Raven Books
2 days ago
"You have to put a lot of effort into not going mad." -
@rolandoliphant.bsky.social
relaying a message from his friend in Kyiv
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Roland Oliphant
Kate from Kharkiv
10 days ago
Explosion in Kharkiv ‼️ our city is under russian drone attack right now ‼️
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D Blair and I spent the week trying to understand how Europe could defend itself without America. Here's our answer:
www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...
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What Europe must do to survive militarily without America
Trump has turned an unthinkable question into an urgent one. Can Nato still deter Russia without a superpower ally?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/23/what-europe-nato-must-do-to-survive-without-america/
10 days ago
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New Battlelines on the Nato civil war, King Trump versus Carney Cromwell(?), James Rothwell on sunsets in Greenland, David Blair on how he saved the West
www.youtube.com/watch?v=seHW...
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Battle for the West: Trump, Greenland and Canada's fightback
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seHWycN4AlU&list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk&index=1
10 days ago
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Rest easy old friend. Adam Dobby, former SAS man who helped journalists cover the wars in Syria and Ukraine
www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2...
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Adam Dobby, former SAS man who helped journalists cover the wars in Syria and Ukraine
In Syria he slept with an AK on the roof of a house recently abandoned by ISIS to protect reporters under siege
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2025/12/22/adam-dobby-sas-war-syria-ukraine-afghanistan/
about 1 month ago
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Roland Oliphant
Justin Bronk
about 2 months ago
I enjoyed writing this for Foreign Affairs on why the US Military’s most serious Chinese capability problems in the Indo-Pacific cannot be solved with “cheap massed drones”:
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
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America’s Drone Delusion
Why the lessons of Ukraine don’t apply to a conflict with China.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/americas-drone-delusion
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Former HMA Washington Kim Darroch on Trump's new national security strategy: a rejection of 70 years of foreign policy, but which should not surprise anyone.
youtu.be/zXm8smIIrQw?...
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More Russia, less China and no Europe: Trump’s new security strategy unveiled
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://youtu.be/zXm8smIIrQw?si=UxOHR3nnVaeBFsII
about 2 months ago
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"It's not a tank!"
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about 2 months ago
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Very tank nerdy episode of Battlelines: if Britain can't fix Ajax, can it still fight. With the Tel's Dom Nicholls and Ben Barry of IISS. Yes I know I know when is a tank not a tank etc
share.google/xrGNBbcExnNE...
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Why can't Britain build a decent tank?
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
https://share.google/xrGNBbcExnNEYBW1S
about 2 months ago
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I've met estate agents like this.
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
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Allies worry US demands Ukraine deal before security guarantees
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told European allies that President Donald Trump will negotiate long-term assurances for Ukraine’s safety.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/26/us-demands-peace-deal-before-security-guarantees-for-ukraine-00670210
2 months ago
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Um..
add a skeleton here at some point
2 months ago
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reposted by
Roland Oliphant
Iryna Voichuk
2 months ago
❗️Russian drone struck a residential building in Zaporizhzhia.
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Roland Oliphant
Ian Bond
2 months ago
"Europe’s problem is not that it lacks options. It is that it refuses to use them". Jade McGlynn skewers both the Dmitriev/Witkoff plan for Ukraine's destruction, & Europe's refusal to act decisively enough to prevent disaster.
open.substack.com/pub/smalldee...
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Circus
Amidst the absolute chaos of a Witkoff-stamped Russian psyop-as-peace plan, discussion is filled with anger at Washington and at Moscow.
https://open.substack.com/pub/smalldeedsbigwar/p/circus?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6ewjin
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Xi Jinping is purging the CCP leadership. So we spoke to
@josephtorigian.bsky.social
about how the Xi family's own purge-trauma informs how he runs China - and covets Taiwan.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLxa...
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China bosses vanishing as Xi Jinping’s childhood traumas trigger Mao style purge
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLxanP3MO-8&list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk&index=2
2 months ago
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reposted by
Roland Oliphant
Joseph Torigian
2 months ago
For the
@telegraph.co.uk
podcast Battle Lines, I talked to
@rolandoliphant.bsky.social
about my book "The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping"
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/c...
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China bosses vanishing as Xi Jinping’s childhood traumas trigger Mao style purge
Podcast Episode · Battle Lines · 24/11/2025 · 33m
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/china-bosses-vanishing-as-xi-jinpings-childhood-traumas/id1712903296?i=1000738154769
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reposted by
Roland Oliphant
Kevin Rothrock
2 months ago
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is in Abu Dhabi to meet with Russian officials, who will presumably tell him that Europe's revised 28-point plan is a nonstarter and it's the original Dmitriev–Witkoff document to get things moving or nothing.
www.cbsnews.com/news/army-se...
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Army Secretary Driscoll meeting with Russians in UAE as Trump administration presses for Ukraine peace deal
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is in Abu Dhabi to meet with Russian officials, two U.S. officials and two diplomatic sources who were not authorized to speak publicly told CBS News.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/army-secretary-driscoll-meeting-with-russians-in-uae-as-trump-administration-presses-for-ukraine-peace-deal/
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The Witkoff-Dmitriev peace plan was lunacy. But the European/Ukrainian counter offer is very sensible: here's why.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/24/end-to-russia-ukraine-war-in-sight/
2 months ago
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Roland Oliphant
Iryna Voichuk
3 months ago
Russia struck an apartment building in Ternopil with an X-101 missile, killing 16 people, including a child. More than 60 people were injured, among them 14 children. Rescuers are still searching through the debris.
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reposted by
Roland Oliphant
Iryna Voichuk
3 months ago
The death toll from the russian missile attack on Ternopil has risen to 19. More than 65 people were injured, including 16 children.
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Donald Trump's admin is full of War on Terror vets - and this week he welcomed one from the other side. Friday's battlelines looks at Ahmed al Sharaa: Why the West is betting on a millenial ex-Al Qaeda commander to fix Syria.
youtube.com/watch?v=xf0x...
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Trump and the ex-terrorist: why the West needs Syria to work
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://youtube.com/watch?v=xf0xicMXeps&si=awXzJqoXQqKwsKB0
3 months ago
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Here's our piece on Iran's drought. Really fascinating - and a lesson for everyone about ignoring the creeping crisis of climate change.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/12/evacuate-tehran-the-catastrophe-threatening-iran/
3 months ago
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Roland Oliphant
Scott Rose
3 months ago
Great piece for Russia watchers, from Roman Badanin
www.proekt.media/en/guide-en/...
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Society with no memory
Editor-in-chief of Proekt Media in conclusion of genealogical study of Russian authorities 'Fathers and Grandfathers'
https://www.proekt.media/en/guide-en/fathers-and-grandfathers/roman-badanin/
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I've been lucky enough to report from Iran a couple of times over the years. Each time I was there, water was an issue on people's minds, including officials I spoke to. But if everyone knew there was a problem, how did Tehran end up on the brink of running dry?
youtu.be/zlP2If9uzV4?...
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'Worse than war with Israel': Why Iran's regime is on edge
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://youtu.be/zlP2If9uzV4?si=ZAnA5M13GNzYWbQB
3 months ago
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Fridays battlelines on El Fasher
youtu.be/uPWsrH5XdDg?...
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How a Middle Eastern superpower is fuelling the Sudan war
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://youtu.be/uPWsrH5XdDg?si=TfgcQShUcAuAcXy4
3 months ago
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The Telegraph cannot keep its credibility if it is not transparently independent
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/01/the-telegraph-cannot-keep-its-credibility-if-it-is-not-tran/
3 months ago
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reposted by
Roland Oliphant
Eliot Higgins
3 months ago
Verification asks: can we reliably establish what is true? Deliberation asks: can we debate and decide fairly together? Accountability asks: can we hold power to account? If one or more of those breaks down, democracy doesn’t just wobble, it hollows out.
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Roland Oliphant
Sam Greene
4 months ago
Reupping this article from February — because nothing has changed. Putin is still being allowed to fight at the table for what he can’t win on the ground. Trump is still pursuing normalisation at the expense of Ukraine. Europe is still prostrate.
www.newstatesman.com/world/europe...
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This is Europe’s war now
The continent’s future depends on outflanking America. British troops in Ukraine is the first step.
https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/ukraine/2025/02/ukraine-russia-europe-war-now
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This old chestnut gets wheeled out every decade or so. Might as well build a tunnel on the moon. Would be as useful/feasible/viable
add a skeleton here at some point
4 months ago
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Tomorrow evening: Giants of journalism
@andreisoldatov.bsky.social
, Irina Borogan and Catherine Belton on what Putin did to Russia. No one can tell the story better, so come along:
www.theconduit.com/upcoming-eve...
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Inside Russia - The Conduit
Tue 14 Oct, 6pm - 7:30pm How do you understand a country where the truth itself is under siege?
https://www.theconduit.com/upcoming-events/inside-russia-with-andrei-soldatov-and-irina-borogan/
4 months ago
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reposted by
Roland Oliphant
Telegraph Global Health Security
4 months ago
🚨Almost nine in 10 clinics in war-ravaged DRC run low on medicines
@icrc.org
warns that health centres in the eastern region face a dire situation amid a mass exodus of medical staff
@benfarmerdt.bsky.social
has the latest
www.telegraph.co.uk/global-healt...
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/almost-nine-in-10-clinics-in-drc-run-low-on-medicines/
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Taking questions on this topic in the comment thread from 1500. Ask away:
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10...
add a skeleton here at some point
4 months ago
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How China Spies: or why Beijing's way of espionage is a bit different to the Western (and even Russian) way
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10...
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/08/why-chinese-spying-is-different/
4 months ago
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In 1916 it was the tank. In 2025, it is lasers and stuff. How the war in Ukraine is sending us hurtling into the grim darkness for fully automated robot war. Taking questions this afternoon: post in the comments and lets chat about techno distopia
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10...
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/01/superweapon-ukraine-robot-war/
4 months ago
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Taking questions on this piece now. Post in the comments on the homepage and I'll try to reply
www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/30/why-russia-is-testing-nato-now/
4 months ago
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reposted by
Roland Oliphant
Kevin Rothrock
5 months ago
Russia dropped a bomb on a Ukrainian village yesterday that murdered at least 23 elderly people.
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Roland Oliphant
Iryna Voichuk
5 months ago
Russia hit a village in Donetsk Oblast with an aerial bomb as locals were receiving their pensions, killing 20 people and wounding 20 others.
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Just finished this film about Kharkiv. Made me feel ashamed at how numbed I have come to the news from that wonderful city. Watch:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
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Eye Investigations - Kharkiv War Diaries
Video diaries from people who chose to stay in Ukraine’s frontline city. Filmed over a year, and shared with BBC Eye, the film captures human stories from the aftermath of Trump’s new style diplomacy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002jl11/eye-investigations-kharkiv-war-diaries
5 months ago
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Roland Oliphant
Ian Bond
5 months ago
In other words, the coalition of the willing is unwilling to help until Ukraine doesn't need its help. Surely at some point someone has to realise that this approach just incentivises Putin to keep the war going?
add a skeleton here at some point
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David Blair on why talk of leaving the Refugee Convention - "a painstaking and entirely reasonable attempt to strike a balance between humanitarian compassion and national sovereignty" - is half witted.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09...
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/04/reform-thinks-the-refugee-convention-is-the-problem/
5 months ago
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North Korea analysts are a very thoughtful bunch, which made reporting this a fascinating and enjoyable job. On the Kim dynasty's succession plans:
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09...
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/04/kim-jong-un-daughter-kim-ju-ae/
5 months ago
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reposted by
Roland Oliphant
Olena Halushka
5 months ago
The clearing of the rubble in a Kyiv high-rise house bombed by russia — which claimed 25 lives — has just ended, and already a new swarm of russian drones fills our skies, with Tu jets preparing for takeoff and the launch of cruise missiles. This is a never-ending 9/11.
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They asked me to write about Donbas so I wrote about the rivers. Again. In maps: Why the entire peace deal hangs on this small strip of Ukraine
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08...
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In maps: Why the entire peace deal hangs on this small strip of Ukraine
Vladimir Putin has made it clear he wants the entire Donetsk region as a price for peace. Here’s why Ukraine refuses to give it up
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/18/maps-why-entire-peace-deal-hangs-on-small-strip-ukraine/
6 months ago
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Roland Oliphant
Mark MacKinnon
6 months ago
Major development in Ukraine, which for more than three years has seen all sides largely put politics aside to focus on the war against Russia…
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Really privileged to have the great Irina Borogan and
@andreisoldatov.bsky.social
on Ukraine the latest today, talking about Our Dear Friends in Moscow
www.youtube.com/watch?v=brWk...
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Ukrainian hackers 'wipe databases' in major cyberattack | Ukraine: The Latest
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brWk6DC-Xig
7 months ago
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Was in the chair for Ukraine: the Latest on Friday. Highly recommend Jade McGlynn’s insights on understanding Russia and the mad way so many people project their own obsessions on it
youtu.be/E2FQ7h81ERc?...
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Unmasked: The Russian spies who targeted Europe on Putin’s orders | Ukraine: The Latest
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://youtu.be/E2FQ7h81ERc?feature=shared
7 months ago
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On Patriot missiles and zooming around the sky in het fighters. Unfortunately missed the bit when he sang the praises of the Mosquito.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlfd...
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'If it flies it dies': Why America's ever-evolving Patriot missiles are so popular
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlfdXfDJxAY&list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk&index=1&pp=iAQB
7 months ago
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Very pleased to see the word "battleships" is still annoying people.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07...
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Battle Lines: Trump wants a new armada. Can America still build one?
Tom Sharpe on Warships, Warnings, and What’s Really Going On
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/03/trump-wants-a-new-armada-can-america-still-build-one/
7 months ago
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Found this conversation utterly fascinating. The Dalai Lama, China, and the politics of reincarnation. It's another experiment with video. Hope everyone enjoys nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8egFEk2uVr4
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Dalai Lama takes on China
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8egFEk2uVr4
7 months ago
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A 7/7 survivor and her rescuer speak to Tel photographer Heathcliffe O'Malley about 20 years of recovery...
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07...
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I almost died in the London bombings. I looked down and saw that half my body was gone
Twenty years on, a survivor and her rescuer share their memories of the devastating July 7 attacks
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/05/7-7-bombings-survivor-and-her-rescuer/
7 months ago
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Rare filmed edition of Battle Lines about Jack Aubrey and other things nautical and warry.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSgY...
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Trump wants a new armada. Can America still build one?
YouTube video by The Telegraph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSgY5JV5ebg&list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk&index=1
7 months ago
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