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Cyprus takes helm of EU presidency with Zelensky in attendance as Nicosia seeks bridge role to Middle East Cyprus assumed the European Union’s rotating six-month presidency with a high-profile launch that included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, signaling continuity in EU support for Kyiv and an ambitious regional agenda from Nicosia. Zelensky was welcomed at the presidential palace by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides…

Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, is due to appear in a Los Angeles court later today and could enter a plea to two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents. Prosecutors say 79-year-old Rob Reiner — the filmmaker behind hits including “When Harry Met Sally” and “A Few Good Men” — and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found dead at their home in the upmarket Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The case has sent shockwaves through Hollywood just days…

Australia’s south sweltered through a brutal heatwave that pushed temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in multiple cities on Thursday, triggering health warnings, straining power grids and igniting bushfires across already parched landscapes. Meteorologists said the conditions were the worst in six years, invoking comparisons to the 2019–2020 “Black Summer,” when catastrophic bushfires ravaged southeastern Australia and killed 33 people. Authorities warned the current burst of extreme heat could intensify fire risk in…

Snowfall from Storm Goretti forced hundreds of flight cancellations in Paris and Amsterdam and snarled ground transport across parts of Western Europe, stranding passengers and disrupting supply chains as authorities warned residents to stay home and avoid icy roads. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, said at least 700 flights were canceled because of snow and high winds after days of weather-related disruption. More than 1,000 people spent the night at the airport, which set up camp beds and…

Rob Reiner’s son due in Los Angeles court in parents’ stabbing deaths The son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner is due to appear in a Los Angeles court later today, where he could enter a plea in the stabbing deaths of his parents, a case that has sent shockwaves through the film industry just days before Christmas. Nick Reiner, 32, faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings of his father, the 79-year-old filmmaker behind hits including “When Harry Met Sally” and “A Few Good Men,” and his mother,…

PARIS — U.S. and Ukrainian officials will continue negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine after a high-level meeting in Paris produced what leaders called significant breakthroughs, including a U.S.-led truce monitoring mechanism and plans for a European multinational force to deploy in Ukraine once a ceasefire with Russia is agreed. The pledges emerged from the largest gathering yet of the “Coalition of the Willing,” where representatives from 35 countries — including 27 heads of state or government — sought to…

U.S. President Donald Trump said Venezuela’s interim government will deliver up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, with proceeds from the sale “controlled by me” as president to benefit people in both countries. He announced the move would be executed immediately by Energy Secretary Chris Wright. “The Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding that…

Iran forces fire tear gas at Tehran bazaar as protests over soaring prices intensify TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators in and around Tehran’s central bazaar on Tuesday, as protests over the cost of living entered their second week and a rights group said more than two dozen people had been killed in a nationwide crackdown. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said at least 27 protesters, including five minors, have been killed by gunfire or other violence by security forces…

UNITED NATIONS — A stark divide over sovereignty and the use of force split the U.N. Security Council during an emergency session as the United States defended the capture and prosecution of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, even as critics warned the move tramples international law and sets a perilous precedent. Diplomats arrived stone-faced for the hastily convened meeting in New York. None stopped to speak with reporters except U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz, who said, “It’s good to see justice,” shortly before Maduro and his…

Europe’s deep freeze forced widespread travel cancellations and claimed at least six lives for a second straight day, as snow, ice and high winds disrupted transport networks from the North Sea to the Balkans and forecasters warned of more wintry weather ahead. Five people died in France after weather-related accidents on icy roads, authorities said, including three in black ice crashes in the southwest. A taxi driver died after veering into the Marne River in the Paris region; his passenger was being treated for…