
-
Kenya's economy faces climate change risks: World Bank
-
Lessons and liquids: buried alive in Myanmar's earthquake
-
Nintendo Switch 2 sparks excitement despite high price
-
Sri Lanka's crackdown on dogs for India PM's visit sparks protest
-
China vows 'countermeasures' to sweeping new US tariffs
-
Trump jolts allies, foes and markets with tariff blitz
-
How Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs will impact China
-
Europe hits out at Trump tariffs, keeps door open for talks
-
Australia sweats through hottest 12 months on record: official data
-
South African artist champions hyenas in 'eco-queer' quest
-
Taiwan says US tariffs 'highly unreasonable'
-
Trump escalates trade war with sweeping global tariffs
-
China says opposes new US tariffs, vows 'countermeasures'
-
Quake-hit Myanmar's junta chief to head to Bangkok summit
-
New Spielberg, Nolan films teased at CinemaCon
-
Shiny and deadly, unexploded munitions a threat to Gaza children
-
Stocks tank, havens rally as Trump tariffs fan trade war
-
Financial markets tumble after Trump tariff announcement
-
Europe riled, but plans cool-headed response to Trump's tariffs
-
'Shenmue' voted most influential video game ever in UK poll
-
Revealed: Why monkeys are better at yodelling than humans
-
Key details on Trump's market-shaking tariffs
-
US business groups voice dismay at Trump's new tariffs
-
Trump sparks trade war with sweeping global tariffs
-
US stocks end up, but volatility ahead after latest Trump tariffs
-
Boeing chief reports progress to Senate panel after 'serious missteps'
-
Is Musk's political career descending to Earth?
-
On Mexico-US border, Trump's 'Liberation Day' brings fears for future
-
Tesla sales slump as pressure piles on Musk
-
Amazon makes last-minute bid for TikTok: report
-
Tesla first quarter sales sink amid anger over Musk politics
-
World's tiniest pacemaker is smaller than grain of rice
-
Nintendo says Switch 2 console to be launched on June 5
-
Certain foreign firms must 'self-certify' with Trump diversity rules: US embassies
-
Nigerian president sacks board of state oil company
-
Heathrow 'warned about power supply' days before shutdown
-
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre 'stable' after car crash
-
Swedish insurer drops $160 mn Tesla stake over labour rights
-
Stock markets mixed as uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
Warner showcases 'Superman' reboot, new DiCaprio film
-
Asian markets edge up but uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
-
How a Brazilian chief is staving off Amazon destruction
-
Brazil binman finds newborn baby on garbage route
-
Trump set to unleash 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
GM leads first quarter US auto sales as tariffs loom
-
Trump 'perfecting' new tariffs as nervous world braces
-
Trump puts world on edge as 'Liberation Day' tariffs loom
-
UK vows £20 million to boost drone and 'flying taxi' services
-
Ford's US auto sales dip in first quarter as tariffs loom

For Russian re-enactors, battle with West is more than history
Surrounded by dozens of men in chainmail and helmets playing dead in a field, an impersonator of mediaeval Russian prince Alexander Nevsky raises his sword and roars.
"This land is Russian, always has been, and always will be!"
It was on this spot near Lake Peipus on Russia's border with Estonia that eight centuries ago Nevsky repelled a force of Teutonic Knights who wanted to convert Russia to Catholicism.
Known as the Battle of the Ice because it was fought largely on the frozen lake, the clash in April 1242 is celebrated as a great victory against efforts to turn Russia away from Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
For the hundreds of history enthusiasts re-enacting the battle on a recent August day, that victory is especially resonant today, as Russian forces wage an offensive in Ukraine framed by the Kremlin as part of an enduring conflict with the West.
"We are fighting against Europe just like our ancestors did," says Oleg Yakontov, a 56-year-old retired paratrooper, holding a sword and shield as sweat drips off his face.
Historical re-enactments are a popular pastime in Russia, whether of mediaeval battles, Napoleonic-era clashes or the fierce fighting of World War II.
- Historic parallels -
Drawing parallels with that history -- and with President Vladimir Putin as a kind of successor to figures like Nevsky -- is part of the messaging put forward by the Kremlin and Russian state media in support of Moscow's campaign in Ukraine.
"To me, Nevsky symbolises the defence of the Motherland and victory," says 23-year-old Vladislav Vasilyev, still out of breath after taking part in the re-enactment.
Several hundred people gathered for the mock battle near the lake, called Lake Chud in Russian. They feasted on grilled meat and listened to live rock music as the combatants pummelled each other on the field.
The event culminated in horseback combat demonstrations a few metres away from a large metal sculpture of Nevsky that was inaugurated in September 2021 by Putin and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
"Alexander Nevsky's personality was truly grandiose," Putin said at the time, praising him as a "talented commander" and "skilful diplomat".
Part of the modern-day appeal of Nevsky for the Kremlin was his alliance with the great power of the time, the Mongol Empire and its Golden Horde, which had destroyed and seized many of Russia's lands.
For some in Russia, Nevsky's acceptance of Mongol dominion helped preserve the country's religious traditions and Eurasian character in the face of Western expansionism.
"His main achievement is this civilisational choice," says Igor Fomyn, a bearded 52-year-old Orthodox priest in a black cassock who came to watch the spectacle.
"By making this choice, he put spirituality, his people, and his Motherland before comfort," the priest says.
- Hero of landmark film -
Nevsky has been used in the past to stir up patriotic fervour, most famously in Sergei Eisenstein's landmark propaganda film "Alexander Nevsky" in 1938.
Made at a time of strained ties between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, the film portrayed Nevsky as a heroic figure battling Teutonic domination.
It features an epic recreation of the battle at Lake Peipus with the heavily armoured crusaders crashing through the ice and drowning -- a scene many historians regard as of dubious authenticity.
The film was pulled from cinemas when the USSR and Germany signed a non-aggression pact in 1939, then allowed back onto screens when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.
Nevsky remains a cherished historical figure for many in Russia, and some here have little doubt about who would be his modern counterpart.
"Our president is continuing his work, of course," says Oleg Davydov, a 52-year-old engineer, in attendance at the re-enactment.
"It's all about this country's defence, its strength, its security."
X.Cheung--CPN