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Social spending is “no longer financially sustainable,” the German chancellor has said Germany’s welfare state is no longer financially sustainable, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned, citing mounting financial constraints. Merz made the remarks on Saturday during a speech to fellow Christian Democratic Union (CDU) members in Osnabrueck, a city in Lower Saxony that is home to carmaker Volkswagen. “The welfare state as we have it today can no longer be financed with what we can economically afford,” Merz said, calling for a fundamental reassessment of the benefits system. He noted that welfare spending hit a record €47 billio…

The British government is struggling to process applications for shelter amid growing public discontent Protests and counterprotests over Britain’s asylum system were held across the country at the weekend, with disturbances and arrests reported in several cities. The anti-immigration movement, emboldened by a recent High Court ruling and newly released government statistics, staged demonstrations under the banner ‘Abolish Asylum System’ in Bristol, Liverpool, London, Mold, Perth, and County Antrim. Counterprotests organized by the group ‘Stand Up to Racism’ also mobilized, with some labeling their opponents “fascists.” Police we…

Crude imports from Russia serve both national and global interests and help stabilize prices, the Indian foreign minister has said Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has said nobody is “forced” to buy oil products from his country, after repeated US allegations that New Delhi is “profiteering” from Russian crude. Speaking at an event organized by the Economic Times in New Delhi, Jaishankar also rejected allegations that India's purchases of Russian oil indirectly fuel the Ukraine conflict. ”If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don't buy it,” he said on Saturday. “Nobody forces you to buy it. Europe b…

Nigerian authorities have said the victims were abducted in a deadly mosque attack in Katsina State last week At least 76 kidnapping victims, including women and children, have been rescued by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) after a precision air strike on the hideout of a notorious bandit in northwest Katsina State, authorities in Africa’s most populous country have reported. The strikes on Saturday at Pauwa Hill in Kankara Local Government Area targeted a gang leader known as Babaro, who had carried out a deadly attack on a mosque in the town of Malumfashi last week, the Katsina State Internal Security Ministry said in a statement. …

Kiev’s troops have suffered an estimated 600 casualties in the attack near the key Donbass city of Kramatorsk Russian forces have struck Ukrainian troop positions near Kramatorsk, a key city in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), according to a video released Monday by the Defense Ministry in Moscow. The targets were located in an industrial site in the village of Shablinka, northwest of Kramatorsk, as well as in a nearby forest. The ministry said the strike involved Iskander ballistic missiles, aerial bombs and kamikaze drones. Footage released by the ministry showed multiple explosions and widespread destruction at the site. Rus…

The soldiers operated an American-supplied M113 vehicle captured from Ukrainian forces A Russian crew who went viral earlier this month after flying a US flag from an armored vehicle have said they carried out the stunt specifically to rile Ukrainian forces. The footage, which was filmed near the frontline village of Malaya Tokmachka in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, showed the soldiers driving the US-supplied M113 vehicle decorated with Russian and American flags after it had been abandoned by Ukrainian troops. On Sunday, RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan shared a close-up video of the trophy APC. The crew explained that the disp…

Three aerial targets were simultaneously engaged and destroyed at different ranges and altitudes, the defense ministry has said India has successfully tested a new integrated air defense system, which took down three targets at varying altitudes and ranges, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday. The tests came in the wake of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unveiling of plans to protect the country’s military and civilian assets from aerial threats. Modi has set a ten-year target to develop a domestically-built air defense shield, integrated with offensive capabilities, under the “Mission Sudarshan Chakra” initiative. ”During th…

Charles Kushner has accused President Emmanuel Macron of failing to protect the Jewish community France has summoned the US ambassador over an open letter accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of failing to confront rising antisemitism. Charles Kushner, whose son Jared is married to US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that he was “deeply concerned over the dramatic rise of antisemitism in France and the lack of sufficient action by your government to confront it.” Antisemitism in France had “exploded” since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Kushner argued, adding that …

The US president has accusesed the networks of political bias US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that news channels ABC and NBC should have their broadcasting licenses revoked. Trump has long accused major media outlets of spreading lies about him and working to undermine his presidency on behalf of the Democrats. In a post on Truth Social, Trump blasted ABC and NBC as “two of the absolute worst and most biased networks.” “They should lose their Licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservatives, but at a minimum, they should pay up BIG for having the privilege of using the most valuable airwaves anywhere…

The IDF says it targeted several Houthi sites in response to a missile attack Israel said it carried out airstrikes in Yemen, hitting a military compound that houses the presidential palace, in response to Houthi missile attacks. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on X that it struck several targets in the capital Sanaa on Sunday, including “a military site in which the presidency palace is located, the Adar and Hizaz power plants, and a site for storing fuel.” At least six people were killed and 86 injured in the strikes, Reuters reported, citing Houthi health authorities. The Iran-backed group controls much of we…

Hungary denounces Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil pipeline Hungary has warned Ukraine to stop disrupting its energy supply from Russia after Kiev targeted a key pipeline delivering oil to Central Europe. Ukrainian forces struck the Soviet-era Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline three times this month, sparking outrage in both Hungary and neighboring Slovakia. The flow through the pipeline was last halted on Friday. At a press conference during Independence Day celebrations in Kiev on Sunday, a reporter asked Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky how the attacks relate to Hungary’s opposition to Ukraine’s EU and NATO ambitions. “We have al…

Telegram’s founder has accused Paris of bringing “absurd” charges against him Telegram founder Pavel Durov has said that France ruined its reputation as a free country by briefly detaining him last year. Durov was arrested at a Paris airport in August 2024 on charges of allowing criminals to use his messenger for illegal activities, including extremism and child abuse. The Russian-born tech entrepreneur was later released on €5 million ($5.86 million) bail and allowed to return to Dubai, where he resides. In a post on Telegram on Sunday, Durov described his detention as “unprecedented” and “legally and logically absurd.” He sai…

A man has been arrested in Italy and will stand trial in Germany, but the pipeline mystery remains unresolved The Nord Stream pipeline bombing is back in the news after the recent arrest of a Ukrainian national, identified as Sergey Kuznetsov, at a resort in Italy. Kuznetsov is set to be extradited to Germany, where he will stand trial for allegedly coordinating a six-man sabotage team that blew up the pipelines. It is the first arrest in a case widely viewed as the largest instance of industrial sabotage in Europe since World War II. Probes were launched by Denmark, Sweden and Germany, but the first two were ended with no suspects …

Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has been purging government agencies of diversity, equity and inclusion programs Researchers in the US have been revising their grant renewal applications en masse in recent months over fears that wording tied to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives could cost them government funding, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump, a long-time critic of what he views as “divisive” leftist narratives, has taken numerous steps to eradicate such policies and even associated language at the government level. Promoted …

The Russian president is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart and take part in an SCO summit Russian President Vladimir Putin will embark on a four-day trip to China next week for talks with President Xi Jinping, Russian media reported on Sunday. Putin is also reportedly expected to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during the trip, which will include “large-scale talks” between broader delegations, according to Vesti 1, citing Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin. The visit is set to become the Russian leader’s longest foreign trip since 2014. The outlet did not specify the exact dates of the v…

In response to the proposal, the Russian president agreed that a “common front” was needed to combat Islamist terrorism Former US President Bill Clinton proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin a joint US-Russian effort against international terrorism, according to recently declassified records of their first summit. The transcript for the exchange, which took place at the Kremlin on June 4, 2000, was released on Thursday following a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by the National Security Archive, an independent research institute at George Washington University. According to the minutes, Clinton asked Putin, “What about …

Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam winner, has said she could not have achieved what she did without his support Former Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, moving her father to tears with heartfelt thanks and playful jabs in her speech. The five-time Grand Slam champion said she owed her career to his unwavering support. Sharapova, who has lived in the US since the age of seven but has refused to renounce her Russian citizenship, turned pro on her 14th birthday and won Wimbledon at 17, becoming the first Russian to claim the title. She retired in 2020 with 36 …

Moscow also secured the release of eight civilians seized by Kiev during the Kursk incursion Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 146 prisoners of war on Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced. Moscow also received eight civilians who had been captured during the Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region last year. The exchange took place at an undisclosed location. The Russian servicemen freed during the swap are currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in Belarus, the ministry said in its statement. They will be transferred to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation shortly. The eight c…

Damascus plans to redesign and revalue its currency in a bid to restore confidence Syria will print the banknotes for its redesigned and revalued currency in Russia, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources. Damascus recently decided to give the severely devalued Syrian pound a makeover and remove two zeroes from the currency in order to ease transactions and restore confidence. The Syrian pound has lost over 99% of its value since 2011, falling from 50 to around 10,000 per US dollar, crippling transactions and money transfers. On Friday, Central Bank Governor Abdelkader Husrieh announced plans for a new currency aimed at “stren…

European NATO members insist that Russia cannot be allowed to prevail in the conflict, the foreign minister has said Kiev’s backers in Europe want the conflict in Ukraine to continue, unlike US President Donald Trump, who seems to have genuinely embraced the path of diplomacy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Speaking in an interview with NBC aired on Sunday, Lavrov said that the reaction of many European officials to the summit in Alaska, and also their rhetoric during follow-up talks several days later involving Vladimir Zelensky, revealed that the European NATO nations remain as bellicose as ever about the Ukrain…

Moscow’s goal is to defend the Russians and Russian-speaking people in Ukraine from persecution, the foreign minister has said Russia has no interest in seizing Ukrainian land but wants to protect ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking people from persecution by Kiev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. In an interview with NBC on Sunday, Lavrov was asked whether halting Moscow’s military offensive was the only concession it was prepared to make. ”We don’t have any interest in territories. We have the biggest territory on Earth,” Lavrov said. “What we are concerned about… is the people who live on those lands, whose ancestors li…

The Ukrainian leader’s presidential term ended more than a year ago Russia is open to talks with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky given that he is the “de facto head of the regime” in Kiev, but any deals could only be signed by a legitimate representative of Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. In a rare interview with NBC aired on Sunday, Lavrov did not rule out direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky “provided this meeting is really going to decide something.” However, the necessary groundwork for such talks, the foreign minister stressed, has not yet been done. Lavrov acknowl…

As Maia Sandu’s approval ratings collapse and opposition grows bolder, the September elections may redefine the country’s path between East and West Moldova is heading into its most consequential election in decades, and the stakes could hardly be higher. With parliamentary elections set for September 28, President Maia Sandu’s pro-European government faces growing discontent, sagging approval ratings, and a surge of opposition anger – both in the streets and in the courts. What began in 2020 as a hopeful project of reform and Western integration is now mired in economic crisis, corruption scandals, and an increasingly authoritarian…

The US president earlier called it “impossible” for the peninsula, which voted to join Russia in 2014, to return to Kiev’s control Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has rejected US calls to withdraw its claim to Crimea or make any territorial concessions to Russia. In a speech marking Ukraine’s Independence Day on Sunday, Zelensky vowed to retake the peninsula, which is predominantly populated by ethnic Russians and overwhelmingly voted to join Russia after the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev. He also pledged to reclaim the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which, along with Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, joined Russia in 2…

A drone has damaged a transformer at the facility, causing a fire, Russian officials have said The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is “aware” of reports about a fire at the Kursk nuclear power plant (NPP) in Russia, which it said started due to “military activity.” Russian officials earlier said that the plant, located about 50km from the border with Ukraine, had been targeted by a drone raid. Air defense forces overnight reportedly intercepted a Ukrainian UAV which detonated on impact near the Kursk NPP, damaging an auxiliary transformer and triggering a fire, which was later put out. “Radiation levels at the site and i…