Ukraine’s Zelensky defies Trump with Russian refinery strikes

Ukraine will no longer abide by US President Donald Trump’s demands not to strike Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks published Thursday, as tensions deepened between the two leaders over a US-Russia diesel agreement. Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured since last week, when Trump eased sanctions on Russia in exchange […]

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Pope’s cancer operation already reshaping papacy

With Pope Leo XIV recovering in hospital on Thursday following his lung cancer operation, questions are swirling about how the illness could change his papacy, fewer than two years after his election. The 71-year-old leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics had a part of his lung removed on Tuesday and is undergoing further tests to […]

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Albanian PM condemns ‘chaos’ as violent unrest spreads

Violent protests spread from Albania’s capital to smaller cities on Thursday, as student-led demonstrators demand prime minister Edi Rama’s resignation for a third straight day. Protesters again clashed with police in Albania’s capital in hours-long confrontations, with crowds targeting government buildings, banks and shopfronts. Demonstrators, who had earlier gathered in the thousands, are demanding that […]

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Three dead as Istanbul sees heaviest rainfall in 80 years

Istanbul was battling on Thursday to recover from flooding caused by what officials described as the heaviest rainfall in at least 80 years, as the toll rose to three dead and five missing. The rain began lashing Turkey’s largest city in earnest on Wednesday morning and intensified throughout the day, causing chaos and flash flooding, with […]

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French duo Justice to score ‘GTA VI’: game maker

French electro duo Justice were chosen to do the original score for the new instalment of the “Grand Theft Auto” video game which will be released next month, maker Rockstar Games announced Thursday. Rockstar posted a new trailer online for “GTA VI” featuring a song from “original score composers Justice”, who are best known for their […]

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Trump scraps plan to livestream execution after broad backlash

The firing squad execution of a convicted military base shooter will not be livestreamed, US President Donald Trump announced Thursday, canceling a contentious plan by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The move to livestream Nidal Hasan’s execution was widely opposed at home and abroad, prompting outrage from both US Democratic and Republican politicians, the Catholic Church […]

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El Nino a ‘terrifying’ threat to coral reefs: UN biodiversity expert

A super El Nino fuelling record ocean temperatures poses a “terrifying” threat to the world’s fragile coral reefs, the chair of the UN’s expert nature panel told AFP. Marine scientist David Obura said the exceptional El Nino pattern building strength in the tropical Pacific could drive vulnerable coral species even closer toward extinction. Corals are […]

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Seven missing off Romania after latest Black Sea drone attacks

Romania reported seven people missing on Thursday after two drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea, where several vessels have been hit recently in suspected fallout from the Ukraine war. The attacks are the latest in a series off the coast of Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria in recent weeks. Writing on X after a […]

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Netzentgelte für Gas steigen voraussichtlich – Stromnetzkosten im Schnitt stabil

Die Netzentgelte für Gas dürften im kommenden Jahr im bundesweiten Schnitt spürbar steigen. Die bislang veröffentlichten vorläufigen Preisblätter der Netzbetreiber deuten auf einen Anstieg um über zwei Prozent hin, wie aus Daten des Energiedatendienstleisters Ene’t hervorgeht. Bei den Stromnetzentgelten gibt es demnach im Schnitt kaum Veränderungen, örtlich aber sehr wohl. Laut Ene’t hatten bis Donnerstag […]

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