Ukraine / Russia: prisoner exchange
On 3 January Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, in the biggest such swap since Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned to…
Denmark: the first Australian to become a Queen
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's surprise abdication in favour of her son Crown Prince Frederik has marked a historic moment globally, but it has also made Princess Mary the first-ever Australian to become a Queen Consort.…
Prague: shock after gunman kills 14
A gunman has killed at least 14 people and injured another 25 at a university in the historic city centre of Prague. It was the deadliest attack in modern Czech history. Staff and students barricaded themselves…
Iceland: volcano finally erupts
On 18 December a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland finally erupted, spewing glowing orange jets of lava surrounded by billowing clouds of red smoke. The population of Grindavík, a small fishing town nearby,…
