World

House to vote on release of Jeffrey Epstein investigative files The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on a resolution to compel the release of investigative records related to Jeffrey Epstein, a move expected to pass after President Donald Trump abruptly abandoned his opposition. The change clears a major political hurdle and shifts control of the timing to House leaders. The vote follows a successful petition that forced consideration by the full House, an unusual instance of…

Pope Leo XIV and the State of Cinema: A Vatican Appeal Pope Leo XIV used a rare audience at the Vatican with leading actors and filmmakers to cast cinema as a cultural bulwark at risk. He warned that theatres are dwindling and urged creative communities to defend the shared experience of film against digital homogenization. Addressed a gathering of prominent actors and directors, including Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Chris Pine and Spike Lee. Framed cinema as a “workshop of hope” and a space where imagination and…

Ukraine says it struck a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region near Moscow, a day after Russian strikes on Kyiv that left several dead. The moves come amid an unfolding corruption scandal in Ukraine’s energy sector and continued frontline incidents with power infrastructure at risk. Attack near Moscow Ukrainian forces reported hitting a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, saying the strike aimed to reduce Moscow’s ability to launch missile and bomb strikes. Russian officials said air defences intercepted a large number…

Summit on African soil, diplomacy in disarray The G20 meeting in Johannesburg marks the first time the leaders’ summit is held in Africa, a symbolic milestone intended to center the continent’s priorities on the global stage. Instead, the event has been overshadowed by a high-profile boycott from the United States, raising questions about the summit’s ability to produce consensus and meaningful outcomes. The US decision to skip the leaders’ session — announced by President Donald Trump after public accusations against…

Overview: a surge in Irish passport applications from the UK Nearly a quarter of a million people living in the United Kingdom applied for Irish passports in 2024, the highest number recorded since the UK formally left the European Union. The wave of applications cuts across Britain and Northern Ireland and reflects both practical responses to Brexit and longer-running family ties. Department of Foreign Affairs figures show 242,772 applications in 2024. Just over half (53%) of those applications came from people living…

Summary Former US president Donald Trump has announced plans to sue the BBC for up to $5 billion after the British broadcaster apologised for a misleading edit of his remarks that aired in a documentary about the 6 January 2021 Capitol assault. The dispute has produced high-level resignations at the BBC and a public standoff over whether the edit amounts to defamation. Trump says he will file suit “anywhere between a billion and five billion dollars” and signalled legal papers could follow within days. The BBC…

What happened The BBC has apologised to US President Donald Trump after editing his 6 January 2021 speech in a Panorama episode in a way the broadcaster says was an "error of judgement." The programme — Trump: A Second Chance? — has been removed from the BBC website and a retraction published on its page. The BBC said excerpts from different parts of the speech were shown together in one sequence and apologised to President Trump for that editing. The Panorama episode will not be rebroadcast "in this form" on any BBC…

Overview: Global emissions climb as 1.5C window narrows The latest Global Carbon Budget warns that carbon dioxide from fossil fuels is poised to reach a fresh peak in 2025, and that the remaining CO2 allowance to keep warming below 1.5C is vanishing fast. Scientists say current levels of emissions make meeting the Paris Agreement’s most ambitious goal effectively out of reach without unprecedented rapid action. Fossil CO2 emissions are projected to be about 1.1% higher in 2025 than in 2024, despite rapid deployment of…

US government reopens after 43-day shutdown as Trump signs funding bill President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday to end the 43-day federal government shutdown, roughly two hours after the House of Representatives voted to restore disrupted food assistance, resume pay for hundreds of thousands of federal workers and revive parts of the air traffic control system. The House approved the measure 222 to 209. The bill had already cleared the Senate earlier in the week. Mr Trump signed it in the Oval Office, telling…

Paris remembers, wounds stay open: ten years after the 2015 attacks On a mild November evening, Notre-Dame’s bells pealed across Paris as the city paused to mark a decade since the coordinated attacks that killed 130 people in cafes, restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and near the Stade de France. The rituals of remembrance — flowers placed at makeshift memorials, names inscribed on plaques, officials and relatives standing together — could not erase the rawness that many survivors and families still carry. The events…