British Museum reportedly close to deal for return of Parthenon Marbles to Greece
The Parthenon Marbles could soon be returned from the British Museum to Greece as part of a “cultural exchange” being negotiated with Athens, according to reports.
International
China travel to resume as Beijing drops Covid restrictions
China has ended quarantine for travellers arriving from overseas and dropped limits on international flights as the country abandons the “zero-Covid” policy that kept its borders closed for most of the past three years.
India begins countdown to blast astronauts into space in 2024
India has announced it’s ready to launch its first human space flight in 2024 almost a year after making yet another attempt to land a rover on the surface of the moon.
India readies for surge in Covid infections from China
As the number of Covid-19 cases in China continues to surge, India has stepped up efforts to prepare for a similar explosion of the infection rate. Measures including ramping up the genome sequencing of Covid-positive samples to identify variants.
L3Harris Gets Contract To Provide Ukrainian Forces With VAMPIRE Defense System
L3Harris Technologies [LHX] last Friday said it has received a $40 million Pentagon contract to provide its 14 of its VAMPIRE weapon systems to Ukraine this year, with the first four units delivered by mid-2023. The Vehicular Agnostic Modular Palletize…
U.S. Approves $2.85 Billion Arms Package For Ukraine, $907 Million In Military Aid For European Partners
The Biden administration on Friday detailed its largest security aid deal to date for Ukraine, to include a $2.85 billion weapons package with 50 Bradley fighting vehicles as well as $225 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) funds “to build the …
Raytheon Wins $209 Million Contract For Romanian NSM Coastal Defense System
Naval Sea Systems Command recently awarded Raytheon Technologies [RTX] a $209 million Foreign Military Sales contract for a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Coastal Defense System for Romania. The contract was awarded on Dec. 22 but the Defense Department an…
U.S. To Supply Ukraine With Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Germany Providing Patriot Battery
The U.S. is planning to supply Ukraine with Bradley fighting vehicles to assist in its ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion, the White House said Thursday. The announcement was included in a statement on President Biden’s call with German Chancellor…
Poland Signs $1.4 Billion Deal With U.S. For 116 M1A1 Abrams Tanks
Poland on Wednesday signed a $1.4 billion deal with the U.S. to officially buy 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks, with deliveries set to begin this year. The Polish Ministry of Defence said $200 million of the latest Abrams contract is financed by the U.S. through…
Amazon to lay off more than 18,000 staff, including in Europe
The online retail giant Amazon has announced plans to cut more than 18,000 jobs from its workforce, citing the “uncertain economy” and the fact it hired rapidly during the Covid pandemic.