Germany is rearming, and fast. A sentence that once sent shivers down Europe’s spine is now a shocking reality. This isn’t the Germany of old; it’s a nation powering up for a new era of danger. With Putin’s war machine grinding on, Berlin’s gone from pacifist to powerhouse, pledging a staggering 3.5% of GDP to defence by 2029, outpacing the UK. So what’s behind this dramatic transformation? And is it enough to protect Europe from another Russian rampage? Venetia is joined by The Telegraph’s Berlin correspondent James Rothwell and defence expert Ulrike Franke to find out about Germany’s great rearmament.

Read Matt Oliver's deep dive into Germany's rearmament: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/11/02/germany-wants-to-arm-itself-to-the-teeth-is-the-world-ready/

Credit: AFP/Genya Savilov

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In Ukraine, tens of thousands of soldiers have returned from the frontlines without limbs. Most of them will require support in some form for the rest of their lives. 

But not all of those amputations are purely the result of direct hits on the battlefield. Ukraine’s Chief Military Surgeon has said the improper use of tourniquets could be responsible for as many as one in four lost limbs. 

Have medics become too reliant on the tourniquet? And what does this enormous burden of injury mean for Ukraine in the long term?

To find out, Arthur and Venetia are joined by two former military medics, Captain Rom Stevens and Eddie Chanoler. 

Did you know, you can watch this podcast? Just click here to watch on on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YWbRNvfZhFs

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Read more about this issue:

‘Cult’ of tourniquets causing thousands of unnecessary amputations and deaths in Ukraine, say surgeons

How Ukraine rehabilitates its war wounded will define it as a nation

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Donald Trump’s been on a triumphant tour of Asia, shaking hands, signing peace deals, and lapping up royal treatment fit for, well, himself. From Tokyo Tower lit in red, white and blue to 250 cherry trees gifted in his honour, it was a spectacle of ego and diplomacy rolled into one. In South Korea, they even played YMCA as he strutted past a military band. Trump’s “12 out of 10” meeting with Xi Jinping was big on smiles but is it enough to combat Beijing's increasingly confident posture in the Pacific?

Plus, beyond the fireworks and photo ops, what did this Asia trip actually achieve? Were the rare earth and critical mineral deals Trump struck enough to protect Western militaries from China’s stranglehold on this key industry? Venetia is joined by Ben Bland from Chatham House and Steve Tsang from The School of Oriental and African Studies to find out.

Trump may already be losing the economic war for the Asia-Pacific: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/11/03/trump-may-already-be-losing-war-china-asia-pacific/

Air Force One is stuffed with golden gifts but the promises remain paper-thin: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/10/30/air-force-one-stuffed-gifts-trump-trade-deals-uncertain/

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There’s a rhythm to wartime atrocity. First come the warnings, ignored, dismissed. Then the whispers, the shaky videos, the satellite images that no one can quite believe. And finally, the horrific truth. That’s where we are today in el-Fasher, Sudan, where the militia calling itself the Rapid Support Forces is perpetrating a massacre that can literally be seen from space. The crime has refocused attention both on Sudan's war, and the RSF's regional backers. Who are they, and why are they bankrolling such bloodshed? And why is such a vast and visible atrocity drawing such a muted reaction from the international community? Battle Lines is joined by Sudanese analyst Kholood Khair from think tank Confluence Advisory and terrorism and conflict specialist Michael Jones from Royal United Services Institute.

A massacre visible from space: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/10/28/sudan-bloodied-sands-massacre-thousands/

Attack on El Fasher hospital: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/hundreds-die-in-el-fasher-hospital-massacre-darfur-sudan/

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Credit: AFP PHOTO / HO / SUDAN RAPID SUPPORT FORCES (RSF) TELEGRAM

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It's been over two weeks since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in Gaza. While the full-blown war has stopped, the World Health Organisation is warning that Gaza is experiencing a health "catastrophe" that will last for "generations to come".

How do we make Gaza healthy again? How do you heal a city that’s been under siege and rebuild a health system destroyed by war?

To find out, Arthur and Venetia are joined by Professor Paul Spiegel, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, and Nick Maynard, a consultant surgeon at Oxford university hospital who’s regularly been into Gaza during the war.

Did you know, you can watch this podcast? Just click here to follow our playlist on YouTube.

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As the Arctic ice melts, a new Cold War is heating up. Russia and China are rewriting the rules of global power, testing missiles, flexing muscles, and pushing into the world’s last frontiers. A 294-metre container ship has just blazed through the Arctic route from China to Europe in record time. If trade can flow through, what’s to stop warships? Are we watching the start of a polar power grab? Should NATO be bracing for a Chinese fleet in the North Atlantic, or even Antarctica next? Military historian Caroline Kennedy-Pipe and Arctic expert Dr Elizabeth Buchanan plunge into the freezing front line to expose what’s really happening beneath the ice.

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The Caribbean is heating up and Trump’s fingerprints are all over it. U.S. warships, stealth fighters, elite troops… and whispers of regime change. Is Donald Trump about to launch a full-scale invasion of Venezuela? Behind the “war on drugs” rhetoric, Washington has been quietly building up military power near Maduro’s shores, reopening bases and even authorising covert CIA operations. Venezuela’s leader says America is trying to overthrow him. Trump insists it’s about stopping criminals and cartels. So who’s telling the truth? And how close are we to another Cold War-style showdown in America’s backyard? Senior Adviser at International Crisis Group, Brian Finucane, joins us to expose what’s really happening on the edge of the Caribbean.

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Last month, Donald Trump raised the spectre of biological weapons at the UN, calling on the world to help him end their development.

He said AI could help enforce the ban on these weapons.

But scientists are increasingly concerned that technologies like AI and gene editing tools could also make them more accessible – and even more dangerous.

So we’re asking: has the threat of biological weapons returned?

We are joined by Dr Brett Edwards, Senior Lecturer in Security and Public Policy at the University of Bath. His research focuses on both the history and contemporary threat posed by biological and chemical weapons.

Plus we speak to Dr Ken Alibek, Former Deputy Chief of the Soviet Union's Biological Weapons, who lifted the lid on their secret bioweapons programmes to find out what threat Russia poses today.

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Dr Brett Edwards hosts the Poisons and Pestilence Podcast on the history of biological and chemical weapons and warfare.

Dr Ken Alibek is the author of 'Biohazard'.

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Here’s a sobering reality: China could bring America’s military to its knees — without firing a single shot. The weapon? Rare earth minerals. These hidden elements power everything from fighter jets and submarines to missiles and drones. If Beijing pulled the plug tomorrow, Western stockpiles would run dry within weeks — and rebuilding them wouldn’t be easy.

Now, with China tightening export controls and Trump hitting back with 100% tariffs, the global standoff is escalating fast. This week on Battle Lines, Samuel Olsen from Sibylline and Neha Mukherjee from Benchmark Minerals expose the fight beneath the surface — the battle for the world’s rare earths.

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We surface a story that’s been making waves. A Russian diesel-electric submarine, The Novorossiysk, is being trailed through the North Sea by NATO ships, sparking headlines about a “crippled” vessel and “embarrassment for Moscow.” But is it really in trouble? Or are we, once again, jumping to Cold War-style conclusions?

Yes, it leaked fuel last month. Boats do that. It’s now heading home. They do that too. It’s been politely shadowed by eleven ships from six nations—Britain, France, the Dutch—all watching closely, all behaving exactly as they should. And it’s on the surface? Perfectly normal for a diesel-electric sub. These boats run on a mix of diesel and battery power—surfacing to recharge before diving again.

The truth is, diesel-electric submarines are both silent hunters and noisy neighbours. On battery, they’re whisper quiet; on diesel, they roar like thunder.

So, could The Novorossiysk simply be recharging, not retreating? Is NATO flexing its muscles for show, rather than necessity? And in an age of nuclear subs and high-tech stealth—are diesel-electrics just relics running on borrowed time? Former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe dives deep into the story.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/15/russia-navy-putin-mediterranean-naval-threat/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/14/broken-russian-submarine-novorossiysk-channel-north-sea-tug/

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