Using an Indian-made launcher, India claims to have lifted the heaviest satellite ever from the nation. The largest commercial communications satellite in orbit, the BlueBird Block-2, is designed to provide smartphones with space-based cellular broadband.
Published On 24 Dec 2025
Captain Ben Stokes said protecting England players’ welfare was his top concern amid claims of excessive drinking on a mid-Ashes beach break, without directly addressing the allegations.
Stokes was peppered with questions on Wednesday ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne about the team’s behaviour at Noosa between the second and third Tests after British media reports compared it with a “stag-do”.
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Unverified social media footage appeared to show opener Ben Duckett drunk and disoriented.
Their disastrous five-Test tour, which has seen Australia take an unassailable 3-0 lead, took another hit on Wednesday when pace spearhead Jofra Archer was ruled out of the rest of the series with a side strain.
England cricket chief Rob Key on Tuesday pledged to investigate the drinking claims, while the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement it was intent on establishing the facts.
Stokes, whose team have already lost the Ashes, said his main concern was the players’ mental welfare and to ensure they were ready for the Melbourne Test starting Friday.
“I’m obviously aware of the reports and everything circulating around right now,” Stokes said.
“My main concern is my players, and how I handle this moment is the most important thing to me.
“The welfare of everyone in there, and probably some certain individuals as well, is the most important thing to me right now as England captain.
“It’s never a nice place to be in when not only the media world, but also the social media world, is piling on top of you,” he added.
“It’s a very tough place to be in as an individual. As an individual, when you know you’ve got the support of the people who are sort of leaders, in a sense, it’s very good to know that you’ve got that support.”
Asked directly whether his teammates had “done anything wrong in Noosa”, Stokes replied: “I’ve just answered everything there.”
England went to Queensland tourist resort Noosa after losing the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane heavily.
They spent several days on the sand and around restaurants and bars before travelling to Adelaide, where they lost the third Test as Australia retained the Ashes.
Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported that “after drowning their sorrows after the Brisbane Test, it is no exaggeration to say some, certainly not all, players drank for five or six days”.
It added that players “did nothing outrageous in Noosa” but there was concern over the level of drinking, with England’s professionalism already under the microscope after their limited preparations.
Stokes conceded that when a side was losing, there would be scrutiny, and “rightly so”.
“When you are 3-0 down you don’t really have a leg to stand on but we’ve got two games of cricket to play. That’s what we have to focus on,” he said.
“We haven’t won a game in Australia for a long, long time.”
England have gone 18 Tests since winning a match in Australia, dating back to their last series victory there in 2010-11.
Their capitulation in this series in 11 days of play is the joint second quickest in more than a century, since the 1921 Ashes was completed in eight days.
Making matters worse, Archer will take no further part in the tour, with Gus Atkinson replacing him in Melbourne.
The under-performing Ollie Pope paid for his poor form at number three, with Jacob Bethell taking over in the only other change.
Bowling with the wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps can bruise a fast bowler’s ego, but Australia paceman Scott Boland said Alex Carey’s stellar glovework in the ongoing Ashes series has helped him grow comfortable with it.
Carey’s wicketkeeping masterclass has been a key factor in Australia’s unassailable lead in the five-match series, and the 34-year-old was particularly impressive in the second Test at the Gabba, where he stood up to Boland and Michael Neser.
With the wicketkeeper breathing down their necks, English batters were pretty much confined to the crease, which meant the home bowlers did not really need to vary their length.
“I’ve just never really bowled to the keeper up to the stumps before,” Boland told reporters ahead of the fourth Test.
“Everyone wants to be a fast bowler, and you don’t really like the keeper up to the stumps.
“But I’ve seen over the last month how effective it is and how still I can keep their batters by Alex being up to the stumps.”
Wicketkeepers typically stand farther back from the stumps when facing fast bowlers to give themselves more time to react to the high speed and bounce of the ball, reducing the risk of missed catches.
Even from close range, Carey showed tremendous reflexes to pouch a thick edge from Ben Stokes after the England captain had nicked a Neser delivery in the second innings.
Dismissals like that gave confidence to Boland that he could continue bowling his edge-inducing length balls regardless of where Carey stood.
“I just need to trust that the length balls I bowl to try and nick guys off is the same length I bowl when he’s up to the stumps or back,” the 36-year-old said.
“The Gabba was pretty bouncy and he was up to the stumps for a bit of it and catching balls above waist-high and I bowled a bouncer and he caught that, so I have full trust in him up there.”
Nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded a meeting with US counterpart Donald Trump to discuss “sensitive issues.”
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Zelenskyy claimed that negotiators from the US and Ukraine had come to an agreement on several issues aimed at ending the war, but that issues like territorial control of Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland remained unresolved.
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“We are prepared to hold a meeting with the leaders of the United States to discuss contentious issues.” The leaders’ level should be deliberating issues like territorial ones, according to the Ukrainian leader in remarks made on Wednesday by his office.
As Russia reviewed the most recent draft, Zelenskyy’s briefing came after marathon discussions on the 20-point plan in the US state of Florida. Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to the Kremlin on Wednesday, and Moscow was developing a plan.
Kiev has been pressing Washington to change Trump’s peace plan, which had initially been criticized as a Kremlin wish list, including demands that Ukraine cede more territory, halt its military might, and forbid joining the NATO military alliance.
With Ukraine maintaining its current 800, 000 military at peacetime and additional documents agreed with US and European allies providing robust security guarantees, Zelenskyy claimed the most recent 20-point framework draft was a significant improvement over the earlier plan.
Despite the advancements, Ukraine and the US still struggle to reach agreement on territorial issues, particularly those relating to the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions’ disputed territorial claims. Zelenskyy called this “the most challenging point.”
Moscow wants to withdraw troops from the entire eastern Donetsk region despite Kyiv’s plea to “to stay where we are” and put an end to fighting at the current battle lines. About a quarter of the area is still under Ukrainian control, and it has rejected demands to renounce it.
The US has proposed a compromise agreement that would create free economic zones as the Kremlin’s maximalist territorial demands are unlikely to abate. Any arrangement must be conditioned on a referendum, according to Ukraine.
Additionally, Zelenskyy noted that there is still no consensus regarding the nuclear power plant’s fate. Near the front line, near the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, is located the country’s largest nuclear power plant under the control of the Russian military. According to the president, Kyiv proposed creating a small economic zone there.
We are saying that we will reach an agreement if all of the regions are included and we stay where we are, Zelenskyy said. There are two options, however, if we choose to stay where we are: Either the war will continue, or a decision will need to be made regarding all potential economic zones.
Additionally, the agreement calls for the Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions to be withdrawn from the country, and international troops are stationed along the contact line to monitor the progress made.
The Russian contact line is becoming a de facto free economic zone because there is no faith in them, and they have repeatedly broken their promises, Zelenskyy said. International forces should be present to avert anyone from entering there under any pretense.
According to Audrey MacAlpine, a reporter from Kyiv, the key territorial question still appears to be “on the table,” adding that “there hasn’t been anything fully developed regarding exactly how to answer that question.”
She continued, “What it provides is a little more color in the form of sub-clauses of how peace might be achieved.”
They suggest things like a front-line surveillance system, for instance. There have always been issues over how to monitor ceasefire infractions between Russia and Ukraine, so this has historically been a source of contention if we look back at the Minsk agreements from around 2015.
He added that “he]Zelenskyy[/quote] also said that there are some things Russia is probably not ready for, specifically Ukraine, and that he is certain that both sides may need to make concessions on these crucial issues.
Additionally, the draft makes sure Ukraine receives “strong” security guarantees in line with NATO’s Article 5, which requires Ukraine’s partners to take action if a Russian assault is to occur again.
These guarantees will be included in a separate bilateral agreement with the US, according to Zelenskyy. A mechanism to follow the ceasefire will be established in this agreement, along with more information about the requirements for security to be provided. To ensure efficient oversight and quick response capabilities, the mechanism will use early warning systems and satellite technology.
The United States of America is in the mood that this is a first-hand diplomatic response to Ukraine. They think they are providing solid security guarantees, he said.
Other provisions of the draft include accelerating a free trade agreement with the US, allowing Ukraine to join the European Union at a specific time, holding elections following the signing of the deal, and accelerating elections.
Funds for economic investment and reconstruction are also included.
A video shows the incident in which a plane carrying the military chief of Libya crashed outside of Ankara. Mohammed al-Haddad was speaking at a high level in Turkiye. He played a significant part in the country’s ongoing UN-backed effort to unify the nation.
Published On 24 Dec 2025
As the first talks between the parties since the most recent outbreak of violence come to an end, Thailand and Cambodia have reported new fighting in their ongoing border conflict.
According to Thai media reports, Thai forces responded to Cambodian BM-21 rocket attacks with artillery, tank fire, and drones in clashes in the border provinces Sisaket and Surin.
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Prior to Thai forces firing on more than 19 Cambodian military targets, one Thai soldier was hurt in Sisaket province’s Pha Mo I Daeng–Huai Ta Maria region, according to the Thai army.
A civilian residential area was hit with four bombs as a result of Thai forces’ air attacks on Banan district in the northwestern border province of Battambang, according to Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense.
A video of the Cambodian government’s ministry of education claiming to show scenes of panic at a provincial school, where students fled as the air raid was carried out, was also released.
Further, according to the Khmer Times, the ministry claimed that Thai shelling in Banteay Meanchey province had injured two civilians.
The most recent fighting occurred just before a defense officials’ meeting at the border crossing between the nations, Ban Pakkad and Pailin, on Wednesday.
According to official counts, the talks are the first between the parties since more than 40 new clashes broke out on December 7 that left about a million people dead and displaced.
Following a regional push to put an end to the fighting, the two parties agreed on Monday to hold the talks within the framework of a current bilateral border committee, the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee.
Assed Baig, a reporter from Phnom Penh, in the capital of Cambodia, reported that the meeting was taking place, with ASEAN nations acting as observers, but no significant developments were anticipated.
It’s crucial to be clear about what this meeting is and isn’t. He claimed that the conflict is between military and political figures, not politicians.
A ceasefire can not be agreed upon or signed in this forum.
He claimed that the discussions would primarily be about “stabilizing the situation, clarifying incidents between the parties, and maintaining those lines of communication open.”
According to him, any agreement on a ceasefire would need to be reached with Bangkok and Phnom Penh’s political leaders, and that is where outside pressure comes in.
Both China and the US had been speaking to each other to demand a resolution of the conflict.
He continued, “both sides are still locked in the blame game,” adding that this was true.
Following the collapse of a truce brokered by the United States and Malaysia that put an end to five days of fighting in July, Thailand and Cambodia have been fighting each other daily along their 817 km (508-mile) land border.
The conflict is brought on by a territorial dispute over the border’s 800 km (500 km) boundary’s colonial-era demarcation and a remnant of the border’s ancient temple ruins.
Both sides have disputed the legitimacy of the renewed fighting by blaming one another for self-defense, making similar claims about attacks on civilians.
A Cambodian official has also criticized Thailand for destroying a Hindu statue in a disputed border region, condemning the destruction of religiously significant things.
The statue of Vishnu, which was constructed in 2014, was destroyed on Monday by Thai forces, according to Kim Chanpanha, a government spokesman in the border province of Preah Vihear.
We condemn the destruction of ancient statues and temples that Buddhist and Hindu devotees revere.
On social media, videos of the statue’s demolition were popular.
The Thai military has not commented on the incident, but it did retract Cambodia’s claim that it was using cluster bombs to harm civilians in a statement.
According to the statement, cluster munitions were dual-purpose artillery shells fired at military targets, in accordance with the definitions of “military necessity” and “proportionality.”
Because neither Thailand nor Cambodia were parties to the agreement, the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), which forbids signatories from using such weapons, was not applicable.
The UN Security Council earlier this week received a positive report from Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris, according to Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary-general of the Arab League.
The 22-member league praised its “highly significant political, humanitarian, and security messages” and demanded “positive engagement” with the plan, according to Gheit on Wednesday.
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Idris, the transitional civilian government in Sudan, had earlier told the UNSC on Monday that the government’s proposal was “homemade,” rather than “imposed on us,” in an indirect reference to the so-called Quad, which includes the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
He told the UNSC’s 15 members that a truce would have “no chance of success” unless the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were confined to camps and disarmed, and that the group had been in conflict with the military since April 2023.
Al-Basha Tibiq, an adviser to the RSF commander, rejected Idris’ plan, saying that the idea of the group withdrawing was “closer to fantasy than politics.” The RSF agreed to the request for a humanitarian truce back in November.
Tibiq was quoted as saying in an RSF statement that the plan was “nothing more than a recycling of outdated exclusionary rhetoric” that was unintelligible from General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan’s position in an RSF statement posted on Facebook.
Al-Burhan had previously rejected the Quad’s request for a humanitarian truce, claiming that UAE involvement meant the plan was biased and favored the paramilitaries over the army.
The UAE has long refuted claims that it funds and arms the RSF. It called the Sudanese decision to bring a case against it to the International Court of Justice a “cynical publicity stunt” in March.
The conflict, which involved the army chief al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, erupted after a power struggle between the army chief al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and caused about 14 million people to flee.
After an 18-month siege that had been held there for an entire year, the RSF  finally took control of the city of el-Fasher in the western Darfur region in October.
In its takeover of the city, the paramilitary group is accused of carrying out numerous sexual assaults, kidnappings, and mass murders.
As fighting continued, Idris proposed a solution, with the RSF claiming that Alouba, a strategic town in the Kordofan region, had regained control of the town.
1,700 people had fled Sudan’s White Nile state, east of the Kordofan region, according to Sudanese officials, many of whom were heading to Kosti.
According to Mohamed Vall, a journalist from Kosti, the city was already home to about 2 million refugees and internally displaced people and was currently “under incredible, huge stress” trying to accommodate the new arrivals.
The authorities are urging the international community and any other local or international organizations to help with this situation, particularly [given] the severe cuts in funding for the UN organizations specialized in providing] aid in Sudan, Vall said.
The Sudanese army and its allies seized the areas of Abu Qamra and Ambro, which the RSF claimed had advanced in North Darfur, in addition to other developments.
The Sudanese army, for its part, claimed to have shelled two Kadugli, South Kordofan areas and that it had destroyed an RSF convoy in North Darfur state.
General Muawiya Hamad, the commander of the army’s 22nd Brigade, was killed in Babnusa earlier this month, according to a source from the army.
US deputy ambassador to the UN, Jeffrey Bartos, pleaded with “both belligerents” to accept the Quad’s request for a humanitarian truce as the fighting escalated on Monday in preparation for an UNSC meeting with Idris.