Top World News
US Defence Secretary Hegseth Keeps Trump's Favor For Now Despite String of Missteps
In the high-frequency churn of President Donald Trump's first term, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's repeated missteps would have fuelled guessing games about his imminent firing.
US Team Plans to Visit India Next Week for Trade Talks
A team of negotiators from the Trump administration led by Deputy US Trade Representative Rick Switzer plans to travel to India next week to continue talks on a trade agreement, according to a US official.
'Balancing Act' In Focus Of Western Media's Coverage On Putin's India Visit
US media outlets cast Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrival in New Delhi as a pivotal moment in India's foreign policy calculus, with coverage centring on the Modi government's attempt to preserve its deep strategic partnership with Moscow.
Is Earth Really Getting Too Hot To Live? Scientist Explains Climate Change
Hot air evaporates a lot more water, so crops, forests and landscapes in some areas dry out, which makes them more susceptible to wildfire. Each Celsius degree of warming can cause a sixfold increase in wildfire over parts of the western US.
Putin Ordered 2018 Novichok Poisoning Of Ex-Russian Spy: UK Inquiry
Russian President Vladimir Putin must have ordered the Novichok nerve agent attack on Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in 2018, in a "reckless" display of power that led to the death of an innocent woman, a UK public inquiry concluded on Thursday.
"If US Has Right To Buy Our Fuel, Why Shouldn't India": Putin On Tariffs
Russian President Vladimir Putin challenged heavy US pressure on India not to buy Russian fuel if the US could do so as he began a two-day state visit, where he was embraced on arrival by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Labour MP’s video explaining UK debt with biscuits racks up 3.3m views
Glasgow South MP Gordon McKee leading trend as politicians find traditional ways to reach voters no longer work A perennial head-scratcher for progressives is how to craft a simple, compelling message on the economy. One Labour MP found the answer in a few packets of M&S biscuits.Gordon McKee, who represents Glasgow South, has racked up more than 3.3m views on X with an 101-second video in which he demonstrates the UK’s debt to GDP ratio using stacks of custard creams and chocolate bourbons. Continue reading...
60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse – study
Climate crisis and overfishing contributed to loss of 95% of penguins in two breeding colonies in South Africa, research findsMore than 60,000 penguins in colonies off the coast of South Africa have starved to death as a result of disappearing sardines, a new paper has found.More than 95% of the African penguins in two of the most important breeding colonies, on Dassen Island and Robben Island, died between 2004 and 2012. The breeding penguins probably starved to death during the moulting period, according to the paper, which said the climate crisis and overfishing were driving declines. Continue reading...
Bill Gates Warns Of Child Death Rise Due To Aid Cuts, Criticises DOGE
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates told AFP on Thursday it is "tragic" that child deaths will increase worldwide for the first time this century because wealthy Western countries have slashed international aid.
Putin Says Russia Will Take Donbas By Force Or Ukraine's Troops Will Withdraw
President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that Russia would take full control of Ukraine's Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian forces withdraw, something Kyiv has flatly rejected.
EU leaders race to save Ukraine funding deal as Kyiv’s cash runs low
‘Future of Europe’ at stake with Von der Leyen and Merz desperate to persuade Belgian PM to allow use of frozen Russian assetsGermany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will meet the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, and Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, for emergency talks on Friday as the EU races to save its sorely needed financing plan for Ukraine.The three leaders will dine in private in Brussels, a German government spokesperson said on Thursday, as Belgian officials continued to express strong opposition to the scheme, which involves the unprecedented use of frozen Russian assets. Continue reading...
Bring forth your crafts, customs and traditions: UK to recognise UN cultural heritage list
Call for submissions from across UK could include cheese rolling, Burns Night suppers and Notting Hill carnivalBring out your cheese rolling, your niche crafts, steel drumming or Burns Night suppers for these are part of the UK’s intangible cultural heritage, and could be in line for official United Nations recognition.Eighteen months after the UK finally signed up to a UN list of recognised cultural traditions from around the world, ministers have launched public callout for ideas about which domestic variants should be submitted to the organisation. Continue reading...
