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Gavin Blackburn

Switzerland

Manager of Swiss bar that caught fire killing 40 held in custody

Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop champagne bottles started the fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana when they came too close to the ceiling.

South Africa

Russia joins Iranian and Chinese warships for drills off South Africa

The joint drills were initially scheduled for November 2025 but were postponed due to a clash with the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

Gaza

Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov to head Gaza peace board

Mladenov is a former Bulgarian defence and foreign minister who served as the UN envoy to Iraq before being appointed as the UN Middle East peace envoy from 2015-2020.

Iran

Iranian protests escalate as authorities cut internet amid crackdown

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO says that 45 demonstrators have been killed by Iranian security forces since the protests began in late December.

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Syria

Syria urges civilians to leave Aleppo as clashes with Kurds continue

The leadership in Damascus signed a deal with the SDF in March for it to merge with the Syrian army by the end of 2025 but there have been disagreements over how that would happen.

USA

Trump says US could run Venezuela and control its oil for years

US special forces snatched president Maduro and his wife in a lightning raid on Saturday and whisked them to New York to face trial on drug and weapons charges.

USA

Protests erupt in Minneapolis after ICE agent fatally shoots woman

Dozens of protesters gathered early Thursday outside of a federal building on the edge of Minneapolis that is serving as a major base for the immigration crackdown.

Colombia

Colombia and US vow joint fight against drug-smuggling gangs

Washington and Bogotá have enjoyed security cooperation for decades but ties have deteriorated since Trump began his second term last January.

Netherlands

Two teens held as Dutch police probe alleged 'snowball beating' death

According to local media outlet Rijnmond, police believe youths were throwing snowballs at passing cars which led to a physical altercation with the 60-year-old victim.

Spain

Spanish government and bishops agree plan to compensate abuse victims

Only a handful of countries have had government-initiated or parliamentary inquiries into sexual abuse by the clergy, although some independent groups have carried out their own investigations.

France

France's Macron accuses US of 'gradually turning away' from allies

Trump took a potshot at the French leader in an address on Wednesday in which he recounted how he had coerced France into agreeing to triple its drug prices.

USA

US seizes two more sanctioned oil tankers with links to Venezuela

The UK's Ministry of Defence confirmed that it had provided "enabling support" to the US during its operation to seize the tanker.

USA

Denmark and Greenland seek talks as US repeats takeover threat

Greenland sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle making its location crucial to the defence of North America since World War II.

World News

Travel chaos across Europe as Storm Goretti brings heavy snowfall

Flights across France and Belgium and Eurostar train services have been severely disrupted by the winter weather.

France

Ukrainian and US teams tackle 'most difficult issues' at Paris talks

Zelenskyy's new chief of staff said on Wednesday "there are already concrete results" but added that "not all information can be made public."

Germany

Power restored to Berlin homes after attack on lines caused outage

Authorities were able gradually to reconnect many to the network but several days of work were required to repair the damage.

USA

Ex-CIA agent convicted of spying for Soviet Union dies in US prison

Ames had been head of the Soviet branch in the CIA's counterintelligence group and gave the Kremlin the names of dozens of Russians who were spying for the United States.

South Korea

South Korea says it urged China to help curb North's weapons tests

Lee's visit this week was the first by a South Korean leader to China in six years, with Seoul seeking a reset in relations with its largest trading partner as well as help with the North.

Venezuela

At least 24 Venezuelan security killed in US operation to seize Maduro

The death toll for Venezuelan security officials comes after Cuba’s government on Sunday announced that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela had also been killed.

World News

Six dead as cold snap grips Europe with snow and ice wreaking havoc

Since the mercury dropped on Monday, five people have died in France and one woman in Bosnia as heavy snow and rain sparked floods and power outages across the Balkans.

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