In a major diplomatic development, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed readiness to end the war in Ukraine following a lengthy phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. The two leaders reportedly spoke for over two hours, with both sides describing the exchange as constructive and forward-looking. According to Russian state media, President Putin conveyed Moscow’s willingness to work with Kyiv on drafting a formal ceasefire memorandum. This announcement marks…

The tragic killing of 22 year old Colombian model and influencer María José Estupiñán has ignited widespread fury and reignited fierce criticism over the country’s continued failure to protect women from gender-based violence. Estupiñán, a student and rising social media personality from the northeastern city of Cúcuta, was shot dead at her home on May 15 by a man disguised as a delivery driver. According to police, the suspect rang…

Spain experienced widespread phone and internet blackouts on Tuesday, just weeks after a massive power failure plunged the country into darkness. The outage, which began around 2 am, affected landline and mobile services across the country, with fixed-line internet services being the most impacted. According to Downdetector, 18 per cent of users reported no signal, while 10 per cent experienced a total outage. The regions affected by the blackouts include…

Marking his first year in office, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te delivered a tempered yet resolute message on Tuesday, calling for peace and dialogue with China amid heightened cross-Strait tensions and growing political friction at home. In a press conference following his formal address, President Lai reaffirmed Taiwan’s commitment to peace while cautioning against naïveté in the face of Chinese aggression. “Peace is priceless, and in war there are no winners,”…

The leaders of the UK, France and Canada on Monday condemned Israel’s “egregious actions” in Gaza and warned of joint action if Israel did not stop its military offensive. But Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hit back at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying their joint statement was a “huge prize” for Hamas in the war. Starmer, Macron and Carney…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services terminated $60 million in federal grants to Harvard University, citing the institution’s failure to address antisemitic harassment and ethnic discrimination on campus. The Trump administration has frozen or ended federal grants and contracts for the university worth nearly $3 billion in recent weeks. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has sought to overhaul U.S. academia, which he believes has been…

The United Nations is facing a severe cash crunch that has forced it to implement hiring freezes, cut services, and scale back spending, as member states fall behind on their financial obligations. In an urgent appeal during Monday’s session of the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee tasked with managing the world body’s financial matters, UN officials warned that the worsening funding gap is putting critical global operations at risk. Delegates worldwide…

The second week of Sean “Diddy” Combs’s criminal trial is underway, with more government witnesses expected to take the stand.

More than 34,000 Nigerians officially became citizens of the United States through naturalisation between 2020 and 2022, according to fresh data published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The findings are part of the Naturalisations Annual Flow Report compiled by the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, which places Nigeria among the top 20 countries of origin for newly naturalised Americans during the period. The report, which draws data…

A promotional naval tour turned tragic over the weekend when Mexico’s naval training ship Cuauhtémoc collided with the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, killing two cadets and critically injuring 11 others. The incident sent shockwaves across Mexico and the international maritime community, as the historic vessel’s masts were snapped during the collision, halting a celebratory world voyage. The accident occurred as the Cuauhtémoc, a majestic 297-foot-long sailing ship carrying 277 people, lost…

In a symbolic step toward resetting strained ties with the Vatican, Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV on Monday to open a new chapter in U.S.-Vatican relations, centred around shared efforts to resolve global conflicts, including the war in Ukraine. The high-level meeting marks the first formal encounter between the Trump administration and the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, the first…

Britain’s largest gas storage facility, Rough, is facing potential closure unless the government agrees to help fund its £2 billion redevelopment. The facility, owned by Centrica, represents half of the UK’s natural gas storage capacity and could be decommissioned without state support. Chris O’Shea, Centrica’s CEO, warned that Rough would shut down, and the site would be dismantled, resulting in the loss of resilience in the UK’s energy supply. The…