Global military spending has begun rising in real terms for the first time since the U.S. began its withdrawal of troops from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the SIPRI. Defense budgets rose 1 percent to $1.68 trillion in 2015, making up about 2.3 percent of the world’s GDP. Source: Bloomberg
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander said: “Iran needs no permission from foreign countries” to test missiles. The US, Britain and France claim the tests flout restrictions on Tehran’s military program. Source: Deutsche Welle
Three people have been killed and 12 people injured, some critically, in a shooting on Tuesday near a Christmas market in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, police said, adding that the suspected gunman was on the run. Source: The Local
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has set off on a whistle-stop tour of Europe, after postponing a parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal. May had been faced with the possibility of a crushing defeat on the bill. Source: Deutsche Welle
