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Trump defends US deal to release Russian diesel amid EU criticism
Donald Trump defended a US agreement to release Russian diesel, saying he had acted in America’s interests, and accused the EU of hypocrisy over its purchases of Russian energy. The deal has drawn criticism from Ukraine and its allies because the revenue could help Russia sustain its war against Ukraine. The US Treasury is reportedly…
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Analysis: Trump’s global headaches worsen weeks before crucial elections
With US midterm elections weeks away and voters increasingly concerned about fuel prices, President Trump announced a major diesel deal with Russia and claimed to have brokered an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. These moves represent Trump’s efforts to address energy costs—a key voter concern—before the elections take place. However, the initiatives have complicated…
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Qantas cancels Rome to Perth flight for bedbug clean-up
A Qantas flight from Rome to Perth was cancelled on Saturday after bedbugs were reported on the aircraft during its previous journey. The plane was grounded for a deep clean, disrupting passengers’ travel plans and highlighting how infestations can affect transport services. Passengers on Friday’s nearly 17-hour flight from Perth to Rome said they were…
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Moscow stays silent as Russian strikes continue despite Trump ceasefire claim
US President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacks on energy infrastructure “effective immediately”, but Moscow did not confirm the arrangement and Russian strikes continued. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the announcement was news to him, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that contacts were continuing; the gap between the…
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes Cripple Yandex Data Centres; Bot Network Takedown Claims Debunked
Ukrainian drone strikes have left many Yandex-operated systems offline, disrupting services including digital payments. Claims that the attacks also sharply reduced Russian disinformation bot activity are unsupported: widely shared charts appear to show Yandex web crawler requests or use unverified data. A Cloudflare chart tracks automated requests to Yandex services, not bot activity across Russia,…
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Teenager arrested in French school shooting; Farage vows asylum freeze
A 14-year-old arrested after shooting at a French school. Nigel Farage vows Reform UK would suspend asylum for five years if the party wins power.
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WHO says unconfirmed cause limits assessment of Russian researcher’s death
The WHO says it cannot assess the risk posed by a Russian infectious disease researcher’s death or judge whether Russia’s response was adequate because no cause of death has been confirmed. The agency has found no evidence of ongoing transmission, but says its assessment is limited by uncertainty about the source and route of exposure.…
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Ukrainian strikes disrupt services at three Russian Yandex data centres
Ukrainian drone strikes on three Yandex data centres in Russia disrupted a range of digital services, prompting pro-Kremlin bloggers to warn that the country’s highly centralised digital economy is vulnerable during wartime. The attacks followed Russian strikes on Ukrainian data centres and mobile networks, which temporarily disrupted internet and mobile service for up to 100,000…
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Russian strikes hit six Ukrainian energy facilities after ceasefire announcement
Russia struck six Ukrainian energy facilities within hours of US President Donald Trump announcing an energy ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The attacks raised doubts about whether the proposed truce was being observed, as damage to power networks caused fresh outages. Zelensky said 33 people were injured in the strikes on energy sites. Separately,…
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Stellantis and Renault back UK to get EU car industry protection
French carmakers Stellantis and Renault have publicly backed the UK’s inclusion in proposed EU car industry protection rules, despite post-Brexit divisions. The executives, speaking at the Paris motor show, urged the British government to also limit imports of Chinese cars to join what they describe as the European ecosystem, as Chinese manufacturers rapidly gain market…