World

U.S. forces have seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic for alleged sanctions violations tied to Venezuelan crude, capping a multiweek pursuit that unfolded under the eye of nearby Russian naval assets but ended without confrontation, U.S. officials said. U.S. European Command, which oversees American forces in the region, said the operation was conducted jointly with the Department of Homeland Security. The tanker evaded an earlier boarding attempt near Venezuela and was intercepted as it moved north in…

Hamas, Red Cross resume search in Gaza for body of last Israeli hostage, key to ceasefire talks Hamas officials said Tuesday that search operations have resumed in Gaza City for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the enclave, a move Israel has tied to the start of talks on the second phase of a fragile ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian group’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, is working “accompanied by Red Cross teams” in the Zeitun neighborhood in southeastern Gaza City after a two-week pause caused…

UK man jailed 14 years for selling suicide chemical online in landmark case A man who sold a chemical online to vulnerable people seeking to end their lives has been jailed for 14 years in what is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind in the UK. Miles Cross, 33, set up a business selling the substance through an internet discussion forum and operated under a pseudonym, Mold Crown Court heard. Prosecutors said Cross posted a QR code that allowed buyers to pay him directly via his bank account and directed them to…

SAINT-TROPEZ, France — Brigitte Bardot was laid to rest Thursday in her adopted hometown as crowds gathered for a Catholic funeral that underscored both the enduring glamour and the sharp divides of the French screen icon’s legacy. The Brigitte Bardot funeral drew hundreds to Saint-Tropez, where her husband disclosed she had died of cancer on Dec. 28 at age 91. A wicker coffin was carried up the steps of the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption church and greeted by Bardot’s long-estranged son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier. The service,…

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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,…