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  • 2 min

Kremlin accused of ‘creating a database of LGBTQ+ Russians to monitor them’

Russia has spent more than a year creating an electronic database of its LGBTQ+ citizens, independent Russian media has reported. The country’s top court declared the international LGBTQ+ rights movement ‘extremist’ in November 2023. In the months since, law enforcement officials have been building a register to track ‘extremist’ LGBTQ+ Russians, insiders told Meduza. The officials, members…
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  • 2 min

‘Crucial’ to show Ukraine documentary ‘Timestamp’ at Berlinale, says director

For Ukrainian director Kateryna Gornostai, her new documentary, “Timestamp,” about daily school life during Russia’s now three-year-long invasion, had its Berlin Film Festival premiere at a key moment for her homeland. “It’s really crucial,” Gornostai told Reuters in the German capital on Thursday. “I feel like I’m not a filmmaker, but a delegation of diplomats. In a…
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  • 1 min

Elon Musk wields chainsaw at conservative gathering, a gift from Argentina’s Milei

Elon Musk, the billionaire tasked with slashing U.S. federal government spending, took to the stage at a conservative conference outside Washington on Thursday with a gift from Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei: a chainsaw. “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” said Musk, holding the gleaming power tool aloft at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor,…
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  • 3 min

Trump ‘very frustrated’ with Zelenskyy as Ukraine-US news conference cancelled

A planned news conference between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy was cancelled, as political tensions deepened between the two countries. The event was originally supposed to include comments to the media by Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy and retired US Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, but it was changed at the last minute to a simple photo opportunity.…
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  • 5 min

What does Jack Ma’s return to the spotlight in China mean?

A meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and some of the country’s foremost business leaders this week has fuelled excitement and speculation, after Alibaba founder Jack Ma was pictured at the event. The charismatic and colourful Mr Ma, who was one of China’s most prominent businessmen, had withdrawn from public life after criticising China’s financial sector in…
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  • 2 min

‘TERROR ATTACK’ Terrifying moment buses burn in Israel ‘terror attack’ after bombs detonate – as more explosives found on coaches

THIS is the terrifying moment buses burn in a suspected “terror attack” in Israel after bombs exploded. Three coaches erupted into flames near Tel Aviv while two more explosives were found on public transport luckily having not gone off. There have been no casualties or injuries reported as the bombs went off while the buses were empty…
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  • 3 min

‘Zero Day’ TV Review: Robert De Niro’s Netflix Political Thriller Fights To Make America Function Again

“When is the last time the country was able to solve any of its problems?” ambitious congresswoman Alexandra Mullen (Lizzy Caplan) screams at her father and former POTUS George Mullen (Robert De Niro) in Netflix’s just-launched Zero Day. It is a fair question for the six-episode political thriller, and for America 2025. Certainly, in a week that…
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  • 2 min

James Bond Shake-Up: Amazon Takes Creative Control of Franchise From Broccoli Family in New Deal

The James Bond movie franchise has gotten a shake-up, with Amazon MGM Studios and Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli forming a new joint venture to house the movie property’s intellectual property rights. Under the terms of the agreement, Amazon MGM Studios will gain creative control of the James Bond franchise, while Wilson and Broccoli will remain…
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  • 8 min

Americans Are Heading for the Exits

In February 2023, I published an article in The New Republic about Americans, particularly from marginalized communities, who were looking to exit the country amid the rise of gun violence and far-right politics. It had been some time since I’d thought about that piece. But almost exactly one year to the day after it was published, it…
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  • 3 min

Why Walmart’s warning may have more to do with weight-loss drugs than tariffs

Shares of Walmart Inc. were hit hard Thursday after the retail behemoth provided a disappointing earnings outlook, including a warning for the first year-over-year decline in quarterly profit in three years. “The company’s guidance assumes a generally stable consumer and continued pressure from its mix of products and formats globally,” Walmart said in a statement. The downbeat…
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  • 2 min

Senate confirms Kash Patel as FBI director

Kash Patel, a longtime loyalist to President Donald Trump, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation — an agency he has talked about drastically restructuring while echoing Trump’s claims of the “weaponization” of the bureau’s powers in its Capitol riot investigations and other recent cases. Patel was opposed by…
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  • 1 min

Mexico’s president vows to protect national sovereignty after US cartel terrorist designation

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday she will propose a constitutional reform aimed at further protecting Mexico’s national sovereignty, after the U.S. designated various Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. “The Mexican people will under no circumstances accept interventions, intrusions, or any other action from abroad that are detrimental to the integrity, independence, or sovereignty of…
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  • 3 min

First pharaoh’s tomb found in Egypt since Tutankhamun’s

Egyptologists have discovered the first tomb of a pharaoh since Tutankhamun’s was uncovered over a century ago. King Thutmose II’s tomb was the last undiscovered royal tomb of the 18th Egyptian dynasty. A British-Egyptian team has located it in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis near the city of Luxor. Researchers had thought the burial chambers…
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  • 6 min

‘We will unite with Kim Jong Un’: Conspiracies grip South Korea

On a cold January afternoon, a young pharmacy student, Shin Jeong-min, waited restlessly outside South Korea’s Constitutional Court, as the country’s suspended president arrived to fight his impeachment. While Yoon Suk Yeol testified, she chanted along with hundreds of his incensed and worried supporters, who have rallied around him ever since his failed attempt to impose martial…
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  • 5 min

Georgia’s richest man said to be moving funds to avoid US sanctions

Last spring, when tens of thousands of Georgians were protesting against what they saw as a clear sign of Russian influence on the country’s politics, Georgia’s parliament rushed through amendments to the nation’s tax code. Transparency International (TI) Georgia, the anti-corruption watchdog, wrote at the time that the change – which allows tax-free transfer of assets from…
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  • 2 min

‘Comedy on prescription’ trials under way to see if stand-up can be an anti-depressants alternative

Trials are under way to see if “comedy on prescription” can help improve people’s mental health and reduce NHS costs by being an alternative to antidepressants. Craic Health has secured funding for a scheme which uses stand-up shows and workshops to help people who are isolated, lonely and vulnerable. Its project is aimed at helping the government…
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  • 2 min

Putin thinks he’s ‘on the brink’ of victory and Zelensky is ‘cornered rat’

Volodymyr Zelensky is a “cornered rat”, according to one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. After Donald Trump turned against the Kyiv president, the Ukrainian leader could set off a nuclear dirty bomb, baselessly claimed Medvedev, who is now a top Kremlin security official. His rant came as Russian propaganda went into overdrive capitalising…
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  • 2 min

A worried NATO holds large-scale combat drills as the US stance on Europe shifts under Trump

NATO members continued their largest combat exercises of 2025 on Wednesday, testing their ability to rapidly deploy large-scale forces on the 32-nation alliance’s eastern border as worries grow over its most powerful member, the United States. The drills in Romania, which borders Ukraine, come as a shaken Europe grapples with a new U.S. course under President Donald…
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  • 2 min

Two dead in midair plane crash at Marana airport

Two single-engine fixed-wing planes collided midair at the Marana Regional Airport Wednesday morning around 8:30 a.m., according to the Town of Marana. A press release from the town says four people total were on the two planes. Two people in a Lancair 3600 were killed in the crash. The two in a Cessna 172 were uninjured, according…
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  • 3 min

Brazil’s former President Bolsonaro charged over alleged coup that included a plan to poison Lula

Brazil’s prosecutor-general on Tuesday formally charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with attempting a coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat, in a plot that included a plan to poison his successor and current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and kill a Supreme Court judge. Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleges that Bolsonaro and 33 others…
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  • 4 min

US and Russia forge ahead on peace talks, without Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said on Tuesday it had agreed to hold more talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine after an initial meeting that excluded Kyiv, a departure from Washington’s previous approach that rallied U.S. allies to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin. As the 4-1/2-hour meeting in the Saudi capital was underway, Russia…
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  • 2 min

Zelenskiy postponed Saudi Arabia visit to not give ‘legitimacy’ to US-Russia meeting, sources say

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia in order to not give “legitimacy” to Tuesday’s meeting between U.S. and Russian officials in Riyadh, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Speaking earlier on Tuesday in Turkey, Zelenskiy said he had postponed his visit to the kingdom, which was originally planned for Wednesday, until…
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  • 3 min

US judge will not block Elon Musk from firing federal workers, accessing data

A judge on Tuesday declined to immediately block Elon Musk’s government efficiency department from directing firings of federal workers or accessing databases, but said the case raises questions about Musk’s apparent unchecked authority as a top deputy to President Donald Trump. Washington-based U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied – for now – a request by more than…
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  • 4 min

Brazil’s ex-President Bolsonaro charged in alleged coup plot

Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was charged on Tuesday with leading a plot to overthrow the government and undermine the country’s 40-year-old democracy after his 2022 election loss, complicating his narrow chances of a political comeback. The charges come after a two-year police investigation into the election-denying movement that culminated in riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the…
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  • 1 min

Trump says he has instructed DOJ to terminate all remaining Biden-era US attorneys

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has instructed the Justice Department to terminate all remaining Biden-era U.S. attorneys, asserting that the department had been “politicized like never before.” “We must ‘clean house’ IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence. America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY,” Trump said in a post on…
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  • 2 min

British couple detained in Iran charged with espionage

The British couple detained in Iran have been charged with espionage, according to the Iranian judiciary news agency. The pair, named by their family on Monday as Craig and Lindsay Foreman, are accused of “cooperating with covert institutions linked to the intelligence services of hostile and Western countries”. Iranian state media said last week that the couple…
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  • 4 min

HOSTAGE HEARTBREAK Hamas claims youngest Israeli hostages aged just 2 & 5 and their mum are all dead leaving Bibas family in ‘turmoil’

THE FAMILY of a mum and her two sons held captive by Hamas in Gaza are in “turmoil” as the terror group claimed they are dead and their bodies will be sent back to Israel. Ariel Bibas, five, and his baby brother Kfir, two, were snatched with their mother Shiri, 33, during the terrorist group’s bloody rampage…
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  • 3 min

India seeks AI breakthrough – but is it falling behind?

Two years after ChatGPT took the world by storm, China’s DeepSeek has sent ripples through the tech industry by collapsing the cost for developing generative artificial intelligence applications. But as the global race for AI supremacy heats up, India appears to have fallen behind, especially in creating its own foundational language model that’s used to power things…
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  • 4 min

U.S. and Russia agree to restore embassy staffing in high-level talks on Ukraine war

The United States and Russia agreed in high-level talks Tuesday to re-establish embassy staffing in a reversal of American policy by President Donald Trump, fueling fears in Kyiv and building up Moscow’s hopes of re-entering the international mainstream. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both countries had agreed to re-establish “the functionality of our respective missions…
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  • 7 min

How a tiny village became India’s YouTube capital

In Tulsi, a village in central India, social media has sparked an economic and social revolution. It’s a microcosm of YouTube’s effect on the world. As villagers head into the fields of Tulsi, a village outside Raipur in central India, on a muggy September morning, 32-year-old YouTuber Jai Varma asks a group of women to join him…
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  • 3 min

Italy’s Meloni takes on the judiciary, in echo of Berlusconi

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is clashing with the country’s judiciary in the same way her old political ally and mentor Silvio Berlusconi used to, promising a once-in-a-lifetime overhaul of the legal system. But whereas Berlusconi failed to impose his will on Italy’s fiercely independent magistrates and prosecutors, Meloni could yet come out on top, unburdened by…
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  • 1 min

At least 31 dead after bus crash in Bolivia

At least 31 people have died after a bus crash in Bolivia, police have said. An officer said the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle, causing it to drop more than 2,600 ft (800m) off a precipice in the southwestern area of Yocalla. Among the injured, 10 adults and four children were taken to…
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  • 1 min

KIIT: Nepalese student’s death sparks anger at India college

Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said Monday evening his government dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students after the death of a young woman at an Indian university campus sparked protests. The Nepalese student, Prakriti Lamsal, was found dead in her dorm room at a well-known private university, the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), in…
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  • 2 min

Japan approves new climate, energy and industry policies through 2040

Japan’s government approved on Tuesday (Feb 18) new targets to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions through 2040, alongside a revised energy plan and an updated industrial policy for the same period. The measures, which seek to bolster long-term policy stability for businesses, focus on promoting decarbonisation, ensuring a stable energy supply and strengthening industrial capacity to…
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  • 3 min

Saudi Arabia Hosts US-Russia Talks, No Seat For Ukraine

Top US and Russian diplomats will meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks on resetting their countries’ fractured relations and making a tentative start on trying to end the Ukraine war. Both sides played down the chances that the first high-level meeting between the countries since US President Donald Trump took office would result in a…
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  • 2 min

Protestors Gather Outside Tesla Showrooms Across the Nation: ‘Stop Musk’

Protestors across the nation gathered outside Tesla showrooms on Saturday to protest CEO Elon Musk’s leadership of President Donald Trump’s government cost-cutting initiative. Demonstrators in cities like New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles carried signs with the phrase “Stop Musk,” signaling concerns over his close ties to Trump’s agenda, reported the Guardian. Protests against DOGE have been…
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  • 2 min

Bhaker named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year

Olympic shooter Manu Bhaker has been named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for 2024 after a global public vote. The 22-year-old was recognised for her historic achievement in becoming the first Indian woman to win two medals at a single Olympic Games. Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win an OIympic medal in shooting when…
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  • 3 min

Djokovic says tennis players have a ‘lack of trust’ in doping agencies after Sinner case

Novak Djokovic says a majority of tennis players have lost faith in the anti-doping authorities following Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban, and there’s a widespread feeling that “favoritism” is being shown to the sport’s biggest stars. The 24-time major winner called on the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Tennis Integrity Agency to overhaul their processes for dealing…
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  • 2 min

DEADLY COLD At least 11 dead as entire US braces for ‘arctic outbreak’ and coldest temps yet after cars found FROZEN in flood waters

AT least 11 people are dead as brutal ice, harsh wind, and dangerously cold temperatures have wracked the country in an arctic blast. A week-long arctic outbreak is bringing the coldest weather this winter has seen from the North Pole down to multiple states across the country. More than 65 million Americans have been issued cold weather…
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  • 2 min

Jeff Bezos-Owned Washington Post Turns Down Ad Campaign That Asked, ‘Who’s Running This Country: Donald Trump Or Elon Musk?’

The Washington Post has rejected a provocative “Fire Elon Musk” ad campaign, planned by the advocacy group Common Cause. The campaign was scheduled to appear in the Tuesday edition of the paper. What Happened: Common Cause had entered into a $115,000 deal with the Washington Post to feature the ad. The campaign, co-developed with the Southern Poverty…
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  • 2 min

Netanyahu reveals AI vision for Gaza’s transformation after Trump’s ‘Riviera’ call

Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a vision for the future of Gaza, following closely on the heels of Donald Trump’s contentious plans for the region. The Israeli Prime Minister shared a blueprint, complete with striking CGI renderings, proposing the transformation of Gaza into an urban oasis. This plan mirrors Trump’s idea to convert Gaza into “the Riviera of…
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  • 2 min

China urges US to ‘correct its mistakes’ after State Department website removes Taiwan independence reference

China on Monday urged the United States to “correct its mistakes” after the U.S. State Department removed previous wording on its website about not supporting Taiwan independence, which it said was part of a routine update. The fact sheet on Taiwan, updated last week, retains Washington’s opposition to unilateral change from either Taiwan or from China, which…
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  • 2 min

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy travels to United Arab Emirates as momentum grows for war peace talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the United Arab Emirates late Sunday as momentum grows for potential peace talks ending Moscow’s war on the country. U.S. President Donald Trump last week suggested he would be meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia. The UAE, home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, long has been floated as a…
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  • 3 min

BAFTA Awards 2025: The full list of winners

Here is the full list of winners from this year’s BAFTA Awards. There were 42 films up for awards at this year’s ceremony, from blockbusters to indie breakthroughs. Conclave and The Brutalist were the big winners, taking home four awards each. Scroll through for all the winners here, as well as the nominees they were up against.…
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  • 2 min

Alexei Navalny’s widow pays tribute on first anniversary of his death – as supporters help choose design for tombstone

The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says she has thought about him every day since his death exactly a year ago. Writing on Instagram, Yulia Navalnaya said: “Love you so much, miss you so much.” Staunch Putin critic Mr Navalny, 47, died mysteriously in an Arctic penal colony on 16 February 2024. His body is…
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  • 3 min

Turkey is making fake honey on an alarming scale

Turkey is one of the key players in the global honey market. With annual production of 115,000 tons of honey, the country is the world’s second-largest supplier after China, followed by Ethiopia, Iran and India. The Turkish honey sector has an annual volume of about €270 million ($283.4 million), according to estimates, with Germany and the United…
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