Author: News Desk

The M23 armed group is advancing on strategic zones in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after taking two key cities, the United Nations warned, underscoring the threat of a regional conflict. Recent weeks have seen the rapid progression of the Rwanda-backed M23, which has seized vast tracts of the eastern DRC, including Goma and Bukavu. “If our information is correct, [the M23] continues to advance towards other strategic areas in North and South Kivu,” the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for the Great Lakes region, Huang Xia, told the Security Council. He said while the “deep intentions of…

How does Europe’s largest economy vote? On Sunday, 23 February 2025, Germans will head to the polls in an election that will have a major impact on Europe. 

Ireland ranks highest of 14 EU countries for education but lowest for logistics capacity Ireland ranks highest of 14 EU countries for quality education but lags behind in affordable energy, clean water, climate action, innovation, infrastructure, and gender equality, a report on UN Sustainable Development Goals reveals. Social Justice Ireland published the Sustainable Progress Index 2025 on Thursday. The index ranks 14 comparable EU countries on three dimensions: economy, society and environment. The overall Sustainable Progress Index, which includes all 17 goals set out by the UN, concludes that Ireland is in ninth place out of the 14 countries. Ireland…

The former PM said Trump’s claims were designed to ‘shock Europeans into action’ Boris Johnson attacks Trump over claims Ukraine started war with Putin Boris Johnson has hit out at Donald Trump’s claims that Ukraine started the war with Russia, as the president came under fire for branding Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator. The former prime minister said the US president’s statements on Ukraine – which were the latest in a series of controversial interventions by the Trump administration – “are not intended to be historically accurate, but to shock Europeans into action”. Mr Trump caused outrage when he wrongly claimed…

Egyptian authorities said the tomb of an 18th-dynasty ancient Egyptian king has been unveiled in the tourist-friendly southern city of Luxor. They hail it as the first royal tomb discovery in over a century. Though Egypt celebrates royal tomb discoveries frequently, this stands out for being that of a former king rather than a member of the royal family. The tomb of King Thutmose II was considered the last missing tomb of the 18th Dynasty kings. This was the first find of its kind since British archaeologist Howard Carter unveiled King Tutankhamun’s Tomb in 1922, Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry said. Thutmose…

A legendary Camden comic shop has been saved weeks after it was forced to close. Mega City Comics shut up shop at the end of January when owner Martin Kravetz retired without a suitable replacement found. The retailer will now reopen with cult entertainment chain Forbidden Planet taking the reigns. Mega City Comics, in Inverness Street in Camden, became one of the oldest comic book stores in the UK after opening in 1981 when Kravetz was still at university. At the end of November 2024, the shop announced a massive final clearance sale and a closing date in January when a…

Iran executed at least 975 people last year in a “horrifying escalation” of its use of capital punishment, two human rights groups said on Thursday. Iran carried out at least 975 executions last year in a “horrifying escalation” of capital punishment, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and French group Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM). Both said the figure was the highest since IHR began recording executions in Iran in 2008. The figure “reveals a horrifying escalation in the use of the death penalty by the Islamic republic in 2024,” they said in a joint report, accusing Iran…

  Permanent controls at the Schengen borders. The denial of entry to people seeking asylum at the German border if they have already traveled through another EU country. Detention of those who have been told they have to leave the country. These are just some of the measures that Friedrich Merz, the Christian Democrats’ (CDU) candidate for chancellor, wants to see implemented. He currently leads the polls and has the best chance of forming the next German government. Earlier this year, with votes from the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), he was able to push through…

Mbappe was the star of the show as he scored a hat-trick which helped Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-1 to reach the last-16 of the Champions League on Wednesday. PSG annihilated Brest 7-0 at the Parc des Princes. Champions League: Madrid outclass Man City as PSG power into last 16

A US judge said on Wednesday he will take some time to consider a request by prosecutors under orders from a Donald Trump political appointee to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, saying he wants to make a reasoned decision on a “somewhat unusual situation.” US judge considers 'unusual' request to drop New York mayor corruption charges