 
As Christmas draws closer, Ukrainians say they are facing relentless Russian strikes, both on the battlefield and inside their homes. Heavy attacks have plunged cities into darkness, damaged rail lines, and made the fighting even more volatile. Amid this escalation, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would pursue its goals in Ukraine through military means if Ukraine and its backers abandon dialogue. 

Russia-Ukraine War: Heavy Russian Strikes, Intense Battles Destroy Ukraine's Christmas 

History books tell us that the First World War started in 1914 and went on till 1918. But what if this was not the first such war to be fought on Earth? A study has revealed that the first war to be fought on such a massive scale took place some 32 centuries ago.&nbsp;

It comprised a series of conflicts across much of Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East. Two strong armies from two different parts of Europe engaged in a battle just south of the Baltic Sea. At least 400 miles of land separated their homes - &nbsp;with one coming from Bavaria (current Czech Republic) and a northern one from what is now north-east Germany.

Over 2,000 soldiers fought the epic war which was triggered by a series of conflicts and crises. There was chaos in several parts of the world and everything, from Scandinavia to the Sahara and from Western Europe to today's Iraq, was affected.&nbsp;

The new findings have been published in the UK-based academic journal, Antiquity.

It was fought in the valley of the River Tollense around 1250 BC.

The period was fraught with political turmoil with several major empires reaching their demise.&nbsp;

This included the fall of the first great Greek civilisation (the Mycenaeans) from around 1230 BC, the collapse of the Middle East’s Hittite empire in the 1190s BC, the weakening of ancient Egypt from around 1180 BC, and the decline of Babylon by 1155 BC.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/120-million-year-old-part-of-earth-lost-since-break-up-of-pangea-discovered-760618">120-million-year-old part of Earth lost since break up of Pangea discovered</a>

This is also when the final 13th century BC collapse of the Indus Valley civilisation happened. Major political centres in Romania, Hungary and northern Serbia also declined in the 12th century.&nbsp;

<h2>Proof of the war</h2>

A likely proof of the major conflict is the construction of defensive ramparts in Bavaria, Austria, Bohemia, and as far west as Ireland in the 13th century.&nbsp;

Archaeologists have found proof that the battle was not only the earliest known major battle in Europe but was fought on a much larger scale than previously thought. The remains of 160 warriors have been found so far, despite only a tiny fraction of the battlefield being excavated.&nbsp;

Around 54 bronze arrowheads have also been found, which align with the injuries on the bodies of the soldiers as most of them are believed to have been killed by them.

Another proof of the war was the two types of arrows found - one from north-east Germany, the other from southern Germany or from Bohemia or Moravia in what is now the Czech Republic.

“Our study of this battlefield completely changes our understanding of Bronze Age society,” prehistorian Professor Thomas Terberger of the University of Göttingen, a co-author of today’s Antiquity paper, said.

“Our investigations have been revealing the unexpected scale and level of military and political organisation in that period,” he added.

History books tell us that the First World War started in 1914 and went on till 1918. But what if this was not the first such war to be fought on Earth? A study has revealed that the first war to be fought on such a massive scale took place some 32 centuries ago.

History books tell us that the First World War started in 1914 and went on till 1918. But what if this was not the first such war to be fought on Earth? A study has revealed that the first war to be fought on such a massive scale took place some 32 centuries ago. It comprised a series of conflicts across much of Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East. Two strong armies from two different parts of Europe engaged in a battle just south of the Baltic Sea. At least 400 miles of land separated their homes - with one coming from Bavaria (current Czech Republic) and a northern one from what is now north-east Germany. Over 2,000 soldiers fought the epic war which was triggered by a series of conflicts and crises. There was chaos in several parts of the world and everything, from Scandinavia to the Sahara and from Western Europe to today's Iraq, was affected. The new findings have been published in the UK-based academic journal, Antiquity. It was fought in the valley of the River Tollense around 1250 BC. The period was fraught with political turmoil with several major empires reaching their demise. This included the fall of the first great Greek civilisation (the Mycenaeans) from around 1230 BC, the collapse of the Middle East’s Hittite empire in the 1190s BC, the weakening of ancient Egypt from around 1180 BC, and the decline of Babylon by 1155 BC. Also Read: 120-million-year-old part of Earth lost since break up of Pangea discovered This is also when the final 13th century BC collapse of the Indus Valley civilisation happened. Major political centres in Romania, Hungary and northern Serbia also declined in the 12th century. Proof of the war A likely proof of the major conflict is the construction of defensive ramparts in Bavaria, Austria, Bohemia, and as far west as Ireland in the 13th century. Archaeologists have found proof that the battle was not only the earliest known major battle in Europe but was fought on a much larger scale than previously thought. The remains of 160 warriors have been found so far, despite only a tiny fraction of the battlefield being excavated. Around 54 bronze arrowheads have also been found, which align with the injuries on the bodies of the soldiers as most of them are believed to have been killed by them. Another proof of the war was the two types of arrows found - one from north-east Germany, the other from southern Germany or from Bohemia or Moravia in what is now the Czech Republic. “Our study of this battlefield completely changes our understanding of Bronze Age society,” prehistorian Professor Thomas Terberger of the University of Göttingen, a co-author of today’s Antiquity paper, said. “Our investigations have been revealing the unexpected scale and level of military and political organisation in that period,” he added.

First real World War was fought not in 1914 but way back in 1250 BC

Since China rescinded its Zero-COVID policy, it has been fighting a different kind of pandemic: A misinformation pandemic. From unfounded rumours about medicine to super fruits. @PriyankaSh25 tells you more.

WION Fineprint | China battles COVID Myths

The Russia-Ukraine war has made drones the new normal on the battlefield. Now, when you think of any country’s military arsenal, you don't just think artillery, fighter jets, tanks, missiles but also, combat drones. Why are drones being preferred over missiles? Have drones become deciders of war outcome? And are drone-strikes making extrajudicial killings more frequent? A detailed report by Shivan Chanana.

Drones over missiles | Have drones become game-changers in the battlefield?

Britain's National Health Service, which provides free healthcare funded from general taxation and welfare contributions, is one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan employers.

But the NHS -- which listed 211 nationalities in England alone in 2020 -- faces chronic staff shortages.

By 2029, the state-run service in England will face a shortfall of 108,000 nurses, according to the Health Foundation think-tank.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/johnson-pledges-transformed-economy-for-uk-418731">Johnson pledges transformed economy for UK</a>

Now there are fears the crisis will further deepen due to a combination of shocks depleting its substantial foreign workforce: retirement, the coronavirus pandemic, Brexit and tougher immigration rules.

Migration has long been a "stopgap solution" as Britain suffered "recurring crises" for 40 years, said Mark Dayan, policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust health think-tank.

'No chance'

Retired doctor Iftikhar Ali Syed left Pakistan for Britain in 1960 and spent 45 years working in Burnley, a northern English town defined by factory chimneys belching black smoke.

Syed, 86, belonged to a generation of medical professionals from ex-British colonies who filled labour shortages after World War II.

They were directed to poorer regions -- often ex-industrial heartlands like northern England and south Wales -- where recruitment was hardest and health needs greatest.

Even today, the life expectancy gap between deprived areas of northern England and the more affluent southeast is more than 10 years.

Also Read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-quarantine-for-fully-vaccinated-indians-in-uk-from-october-11-british-envoy-418989">&nbsp;No quarantine for fully vaccinated Indians in UK from October 11: British envoy</a>

"Overseas doctors had no chance. You got a practice where no-one wants it," Syed told AFP.

Syed and other immigrant doctors of his generation "flooded" Burnley, he remembered, helping to establish its first cardiology unit and improve midwifery services.

But they retired after 2000, creating a shortage in Burnley, mirrored in places where immigrants disproportionately filled healthcare roles.

'Tremendous demand'

As in other countries, the pandemic has traumatised and exhausted Britain's frontline health and social care staff and created a huge backlog in treatments for other conditions.

In the year to March 2021, international travel disruptions meant 3,700 fewer nurses came to Britain than in the previous year.

Faizan Rana, a 34-year-old NHS operations manager, said pandemic travel curbs have weakened services and exacerbated staff shortages at his London hospital and elsewhere.

Britain has become less welcoming and financially rewarding for EU staff after the 2016 Brexit referendum and the subsequent fall in the pound's value, added Dayan.

In 2021, there were around 8,000 fewer nurses from European Economic Area nations on the official register than in 2016.

And more than half of EU nurses leaving Britain cited the country's departure from the bloc as a reason for their decision, a 2020 Nursing and Midwifery Council survey suggested.

Syed remembered EU staff filling shortages in Burnley after his retirement and predicted "tremendous demand" again as their numbers diminished after Brexit.

'Existential crisis'

Under Britain's new points-based immigration system, migrants must meet salary and English proficiency levels and have an offer for a skilled job, although a special visa scheme exempts healthcare workers.

Naveen Keerthi, 42, runs a recruitment agency bringing foreign doctors to Britain and believes the reforms will help hire overseas staff, with a "surge" in applicants in the past four years.

But Akshay Akulwar, a 34-year-old NHS doctor from India, said compatriots were increasingly choosing Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Middle East because of more generous visa rules.

And Dayan said the reforms will hit social care, where staff are not considered skilled and paid low wages.

The fate of social care, where trained carers look after vulnerable people in their homes and offer mental health services, is closely tied to the NHS.

Hospitals suffer greater pressures when patients cannot be discharged as adequate care services -- often provided by cash-strapped local authorities -- are unavailable for them to return home.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-stole-millions-of-covid-vaccines-from-uk-in-an-act-of-war-report-418646">France 'stole' millions of Covid vaccines from UK in an 'act of war': Report</a>

Social care has particularly suffered as Brexit sealed the "escape valve" of freedom of movement across the EU that had filled staff shortages, Dayan added.

Rebecca Bland, registered manager at a nursing agency in northwest England, told AFP the pandemic and new immigration rules have hampered recruitment.

The 42-year-old's company works with the local NHS and has long recruited from abroad, especially the Philippines, but has only hired one-tenth of the staff required since the pandemic began.

Bland said her colleagues were "being pushed to the limit", calling it "an existential crisis" exacerbated by pre-existing recruitment difficulties caused by low-paid, insecure work.

Mixed picture

However, Dayan blamed workforce shortages on decades-old failures by successive UK governments to train enough staff and provide adequate long-term planning.

"The underlying problems are domestic in nature," he stressed.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-set-to-discontinue-compulsory-10-day-quarantine-rule-417795">UK set to discontinue compulsory 10-day quarantine rule</a>

The UK government last month announced new NHS and social care funding worth £36 billion ($50 billion, 42 billion euros) over three years.

But Dayan warned cash injections alone would not resolve staff shortages, instead advocating better workforce planning to recruit and retain staff more effectively.

Britain's National Health Service, which provides free healthcare funded from general taxation and welfare contributions, is one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan employers.

Britain's National Health Service, which provides free healthcare funded from general taxation and welfare contributions, is one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan employers. But the NHS -- which listed 211 nationalities in England alone in 2020 -- faces chronic staff shortages. By 2029, the state-run service in England will face a shortfall of 108,000 nurses, according to the Health Foundation think-tank. Also Read | Johnson pledges transformed economy for UK Now there are fears the crisis will further deepen due to a combination of shocks depleting its substantial foreign workforce: retirement, the coronavirus pandemic, Brexit and tougher immigration rules. Migration has long been a "stopgap solution" as Britain suffered "recurring crises" for 40 years, said Mark Dayan, policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust health think-tank. 'No chance' Retired doctor Iftikhar Ali Syed left Pakistan for Britain in 1960 and spent 45 years working in Burnley, a northern English town defined by factory chimneys belching black smoke. Syed, 86, belonged to a generation of medical professionals from ex-British colonies who filled labour shortages after World War II. They were directed to poorer regions -- often ex-industrial heartlands like northern England and south Wales -- where recruitment was hardest and health needs greatest. Even today, the life expectancy gap between deprived areas of northern England and the more affluent southeast is more than 10 years. Also Read | No quarantine for fully vaccinated Indians in UK from October 11: British envoy "Overseas doctors had no chance. You got a practice where no-one wants it," Syed told AFP. Syed and other immigrant doctors of his generation "flooded" Burnley, he remembered, helping to establish its first cardiology unit and improve midwifery services. But they retired after 2000, creating a shortage in Burnley, mirrored in places where immigrants disproportionately filled healthcare roles. 'Tremendous demand' As in other countries, the pandemic has traumatised and exhausted Britain's frontline health and social care staff and created a huge backlog in treatments for other conditions. In the year to March 2021, international travel disruptions meant 3,700 fewer nurses came to Britain than in the previous year. Faizan Rana, a 34-year-old NHS operations manager, said pandemic travel curbs have weakened services and exacerbated staff shortages at his London hospital and elsewhere. Britain has become less welcoming and financially rewarding for EU staff after the 2016 Brexit referendum and the subsequent fall in the pound's value, added Dayan. In 2021, there were around 8,000 fewer nurses from European Economic Area nations on the official register than in 2016. And more than half of EU nurses leaving Britain cited the country's departure from the bloc as a reason for their decision, a 2020 Nursing and Midwifery Council survey suggested. Syed remembered EU staff filling shortages in Burnley after his retirement and predicted "tremendous demand" again as their numbers diminished after Brexit. 'Existential crisis' Under Britain's new points-based immigration system, migrants must meet salary and English proficiency levels and have an offer for a skilled job, although a special visa scheme exempts healthcare workers. Naveen Keerthi, 42, runs a recruitment agency bringing foreign doctors to Britain and believes the reforms will help hire overseas staff, with a "surge" in applicants in the past four years. But Akshay Akulwar, a 34-year-old NHS doctor from India, said compatriots were increasingly choosing Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Middle East because of more generous visa rules. And Dayan said the reforms will hit social care, where staff are not considered skilled and paid low wages. The fate of social care, where trained carers look after vulnerable people in their homes and offer mental health services, is closely tied to the NHS. Hospitals suffer greater pressures when patients cannot be discharged as adequate care services -- often provided by cash-strapped local authorities -- are unavailable for them to return home. Also Read | France 'stole' millions of Covid vaccines from UK in an 'act of war': Report Social care has particularly suffered as Brexit sealed the "escape valve" of freedom of movement across the EU that had filled staff shortages, Dayan added. Rebecca Bland, registered manager at a nursing agency in northwest England, told AFP the pandemic and new immigration rules have hampered recruitment. The 42-year-old's company works with the local NHS and has long recruited from abroad, especially the Philippines, but has only hired one-tenth of the staff required since the pandemic began. Bland said her colleagues were "being pushed to the limit", calling it "an existential crisis" exacerbated by pre-existing recruitment difficulties caused by low-paid, insecure work. Mixed picture However, Dayan blamed workforce shortages on decades-old failures by successive UK governments to train enough staff and provide adequate long-term planning. "The underlying problems are domestic in nature," he stressed. Also Read | UK set to discontinue compulsory 10-day quarantine rule The UK government last month announced new NHS and social care funding worth £36 billion ($50 billion, 42 billion euros) over three years. But Dayan warned cash injections alone would not resolve staff shortages, instead advocating better workforce planning to recruit and retain staff more effectively.

Migrant-dependent UK healthcare battles staffing crisis

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton&#39;s campaign on Wednesday signaled plans for a big assault on Republican Donald Trump, even as she battles to hold off rival Bernie Sanders in California.

Clinton, a former Secretary of State, is to deliver what her campaign described as a major speech today&nbsp;in San Diego to underscore what she feels would be the threat posed by Trump to U.S. national security if he is elected president on Nov. 8.

Her language to describe Trump has grown more aggressive by the day. On Wednesday, she seized on testimony released in a lawsuit against Trump University, in which some former workers said they believed Trump&#39;s for-profit school was fraudulent.

&quot;Trump and his employees took advantage of vulnerable Americans encouraging them to max out their credit cards, empty their retirement savings, destroy their financial futures, all while making promises they knew were false from the beginning,&quot; Clinton told a campaign event in Newark, New Jersey.

&quot;This is just more evidence that Donald Trump himself is a fraud.&quot;

Lawyers for Trump have said most students were satisfied with Trump University, dismissing the former workers&#39; testimony as discredited.

Trump, anticipating Clinton&#39;s foreign policy attacks on him, tried to raise doubts about her leadership skills at a rally in Sacramento, Calif.

&quot;She is a person with absolutely no natural talent,&quot; he said. &quot;All you have to do is watch her speak.&quot;

Repeatedly referring to Clinton as &quot;crooked Hillary,&quot; Trump sharply criticized her handling of foreign policy, including the Sept. 11, 2012, attack by Islamic militants on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador.

&quot;She went to sleep,&quot; Trump added.

Clinton&#39;s effort to define Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief comes as she faces fierce opposition from Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who has insisted on staying in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination despite Clinton&#39;s nearly insurmountable lead.

California&#39;s primary next Tuesday is shaping up to be pivotal in the Democratic contest, with Clinton holding a 13-point advantage over Sanders, 51 percent to 38 percent, according to the Hoover Institution&#39;s Golden State Poll in the state. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll gave Clinton a much narrower lead of 49 percent, to 47 percent for Sanders.

Clinton, with 2,312 delegates, needs 71 more delegates to reach the required 2,383 for the Democratic nomination. Sanders has 1,545. At stake in the California primary are 548 delegates who are awarded proportional to the vote. Five other states also vote next Tuesday, including New Jersey, which could also turn the tide for Clinton.

Despite Clinton&#39;s perceived advantage, there are lingering concerns among some Democrats about possible weakness, given the protracted battle with Sanders, a democratic socialist whose calls for free college tuition have energized young voters.

Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster, wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that California voters appeared to be leaning toward Sanders in recent days.

Sanders has been holding events every day this week in the state. Clinton canceled a New Jersey event planned for today&nbsp;to go to California a day earlier than anticipated and is to stay there until Monday.

&quot;The inevitability behind Mrs. Clinton&rsquo;s nomination will be in large measure eviscerated if she loses the June 7 California primary to Bernie Sanders,&quot; Schoen wrote. &quot;That could well happen.&quot;

&nbsp;

&#39;CAN&#39;T IGNORE TRUMP&#39;

Other Democrats expressed confidence in Clinton&#39;s position and her move to assail Trump on foreign policy.

&quot;I think she has to,&quot; said Democratic strategist Jim Manley. &quot;Leaving aside California, I think they can&rsquo;t just ignore Donald Trump in that they should be spending a majority of time focusing on him instead of Sanders at this point, because based on the math Sanders can&rsquo;t win.&quot;

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has faced criticism for a variety of positions on foreign policy, such as his willingness to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his idea that Japan and South Korea might need to develop nuclear arsenals.

On the other hand, past Republican presidents and current Democratic President Barack Obama have, like Trump, said NATO nations should pay more for their defense to ease the U.S. burden. Trump, however, has declared NATO obsolete and in need of reconfiguring.

A Clinton aide said &nbsp;Hillary Clinton,&nbsp;would say Trump had not outlined a coherent foreign policy doctrine and had proven himself to be temperamentally unfit to serve as president.

Democratic Presidential front runner Hillary Clinton plans for a big assault on Republican Donald Trump, even as she battles another Democratic rival Bernie Sanders

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton's campaign on Wednesday signaled plans for a big assault on Republican Donald Trump, even as she battles to hold off rival Bernie Sanders in California. Clinton, a former Secretary of State, is to deliver what her campaign described as a major speech today in San Diego to underscore what she feels would be the threat posed by Trump to U.S. national security if he is elected president on Nov. 8. Her language to describe Trump has grown more aggressive by the day. On Wednesday, she seized on testimony released in a lawsuit against Trump University, in which some former workers said they believed Trump's for-profit school was fraudulent. "Trump and his employees took advantage of vulnerable Americans encouraging them to max out their credit cards, empty their retirement savings, destroy their financial futures, all while making promises they knew were false from the beginning," Clinton told a campaign event in Newark, New Jersey. "This is just more evidence that Donald Trump himself is a fraud." Lawyers for Trump have said most students were satisfied with Trump University, dismissing the former workers' testimony as discredited. Trump, anticipating Clinton's foreign policy attacks on him, tried to raise doubts about her leadership skills at a rally in Sacramento, Calif. "She is a person with absolutely no natural talent," he said. "All you have to do is watch her speak." Repeatedly referring to Clinton as "crooked Hillary," Trump sharply criticized her handling of foreign policy, including the Sept. 11, 2012, attack by Islamic militants on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador. "She went to sleep," Trump added. Clinton's effort to define Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief comes as she faces fierce opposition from Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who has insisted on staying in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination despite Clinton's nearly insurmountable lead. California's primary next Tuesday is shaping up to be pivotal in the Democratic contest, with Clinton holding a 13-point advantage over Sanders, 51 percent to 38 percent, according to the Hoover Institution's Golden State Poll in the state. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll gave Clinton a much narrower lead of 49 percent, to 47 percent for Sanders. Clinton, with 2,312 delegates, needs 71 more delegates to reach the required 2,383 for the Democratic nomination. Sanders has 1,545. At stake in the California primary are 548 delegates who are awarded proportional to the vote. Five other states also vote next Tuesday, including New Jersey, which could also turn the tide for Clinton. Despite Clinton's perceived advantage, there are lingering concerns among some Democrats about possible weakness, given the protracted battle with Sanders, a democratic socialist whose calls for free college tuition have energized young voters. Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster, wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that California voters appeared to be leaning toward Sanders in recent days. Sanders has been holding events every day this week in the state. Clinton canceled a New Jersey event planned for today to go to California a day earlier than anticipated and is to stay there until Monday. "The inevitability behind Mrs. Clinton’s nomination will be in large measure eviscerated if she loses the June 7 California primary to Bernie Sanders," Schoen wrote. "That could well happen." 'CAN'T IGNORE TRUMP' Other Democrats expressed confidence in Clinton's position and her move to assail Trump on foreign policy. "I think she has to," said Democratic strategist Jim Manley. "Leaving aside California, I think they can’t just ignore Donald Trump in that they should be spending a majority of time focusing on him instead of Sanders at this point, because based on the math Sanders can’t win." Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has faced criticism for a variety of positions on foreign policy, such as his willingness to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his idea that Japan and South Korea might need to develop nuclear arsenals. On the other hand, past Republican presidents and current Democratic President Barack Obama have, like Trump, said NATO nations should pay more for their defense to ease the U.S. burden. Trump, however, has declared NATO obsolete and in need of reconfiguring. A Clinton aide said Hillary Clinton, would say Trump had not outlined a coherent foreign policy doctrine and had proven himself to be temperamentally unfit to serve as president.

Battling to hold off Sanders,Clinton to assail Trump on foreign policy

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