A startling discovery from the depths of the Indian Ocean has uncovered what scientists say is the world’s largest whale graveyard, where a sweeping field of both recent and ancient carcasses is nourishing dense communities of deep-sea life. The site is also believed to be the deepest and oldest whale graveyard ever identified, according to research published in Nature, with some fossils traced to 5.3 million years ago. Peering out from a cramped submersible, the Chinese team encountered a cast of unusual creatures — many…

A new wave of US strikes hit multiple sites in Iran overnight, the American military said, sharpening a crisis that had already been edging back toward open war just hours after President Donald Trump warned of further attacks if no ⁠peace dealis secured. "The strikes are in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression," the military's Central Command said in a post on X, adding the strikes began after midnight in Tehran. Iran's top joint military command answered with a warning of its own, saying it would fire on…

A fresh wave of Russian missiles and drones tore into Ukraine's Kharkiv region, killing four people and injuring more than 20, officials said, as authorities in Russia-annexed Crimea reported they were fending off drone attacks. The bombardment comes after weeks of heavy cross-border strikes by both Russia and Ukraine. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for an end to the war and suggested direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, with the United States and Europe actively involved. The newest attacks…

More than 460 former European leaders and senior officials are urging the EU to harden its stance on Israel, warning that the bloc is failing to respond forcefully enough to the intensifying military campaign in Gaza and the West Bank. The signatories include a broad cross-section of political heavyweights — former prime ministers, European Commissioners, government ministers, ambassadors, MEPs and senior EU officials. Among them are former taoiseach Leo Varadkar, former tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and former president of the…

Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder whose fortune and philanthropy have made him one of the most prominent figures in public life, is preparing to answer questions from US lawmakers about his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein — a connection that has remained under intense scrutiny for years. Gates is scheduled to sit for a transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee as part of its examination of the disgraced financier and the circle of influential people around him. Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019…

Questions over the role of one of Ireland’s biggest industrial sites in Russia’s war economy moved sharply into focus after EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the facts around Aughinish Alumina must be fully established, while making clear that Brussels is relying on Ireland to carry out the investigation. The Limerick-based refinery is under scrutiny amid allegations that alumina shipped from the plant ultimately reaches Russia’s war machine, supporting a campaign that has killed thousands in Ukraine. Speaking on…

As the World Cup draws closer, the White House official overseeing US preparations has defended a decision that has already stirred controversy: denying entry visas to a Somali referee and several members of Iran’s support staff. Speaking at an Atlantic Council event in Washington, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, said the United States had already welcomed dozens of participating sides without blocking any players or coaches. "To this point we've had 35 teams that have…

Iran and the United States lurched back toward open confrontation after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck a US base in Jordan and 21 other targets across the Gulf, retaliating for American attacks around the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media. The fighting amounts to one of the most serious bursts of hostilities since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire in April. The Iranian attacks, which also hit Kuwait and Bahrain, followed US strikes that the military said on X targeted Iranian air defence…

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is heading to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for what the Pentagon described as an effort to “engage with troops,” placing fresh attention on a US base that sits at the center of one of Washington’s most fraught relationships. The trip, disclosed in a single-sentence Pentagon statement, comes as the United States intensifies pressure on Cuba through sanctions and a punishing oil blockade. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly indicated he wants to bring down Cuba’s communist government, tying that…

Washington has declared its response complete after a US Apache helicopter was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz, a dramatic escalation that again throws any prospect of a US-Iran peace deal into doubt. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said on X that it had "completed self-defence strikes against Iran". "CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defence, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from US Air Force and Navy…