Vatican: a new pope is elected
08 May 2025
On 8 May Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, was elected as the new head of the Catholic Church, becoming the first North American, American, and Peruvian pope. A member of…
Ukraine: Putin announces three-day ceasefire
01 May 2025
Vladimir Putin has announced a new three-day unilateral ceasefire, to run from 8 to 10 May, coinciding with Russia’s World War II commemorations. It follows a previous thirty-hour Easter ceasefire, which critics say Moscow repeatedly violated.…
A widespread power cut on 28 April disrupted millions across Spain and Portugal, prompting investigations and huge public concern. Portugal’s national grid operator, REN, attributed the blackout to a rare atmospheric phenomenon which caused extreme temperature…
The recent 6.2 magnitude earthquake which struck Istanbul on 23 April is being seen as a serious warning rather than a release of seismic energy, according to Japanese earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki. While the quake caused…
Ukraine: Trump’s one-sided peace proposal
24 Apr 2025
The USA has presented Ukraine with a controversial one-page peace framework, described as Donald Trump’s ‘final offer’, which would grant significant concessions to Russia, including recognition of its occupation of Crimea and of territories which it…
EU imposes fines on two US firms
24 Apr 2025
The EU has fined Apple €500 million and Meta €200 million under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), its first enforcement action against Big Tech under the new law. Apple was penalised for limiting access to alternative…