Germany arrests suspected Hamas member over alleged attack plot

German police have arrested a Lebanese national on suspicion of being a member of Hamas and planning attacks in Europe.The man, named as "Mohammad S", was stopped at Berlin's Brandenburg Airport after arriving from Beirut on Friday evening.Federal prosecutors said that in August 2025 he helped procure 300 rounds of ammunition and was involved in an alleged plot to attack Jewish and Israeli institutions.He is due to be brought before a federal judge who will decide on a…

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Trump says UK soldiers in Afghanistan ‘among greatest of all warriors’

Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump's comments on Thursday about Nato soldiers fighting in Afghanistan angered many veterans and politiciansDonald Trump has praised UK soldiers who fought in Afghanistan after his claim that allied forces avoided the front lines prompted criticism from veterans and politicians.Earlier this week Trump angered US allies by downplaying the role of Nato troops in the war and doubted whether the military alliance would be there for the US "if we ever needed them".Trump's…

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Snow ploughs battle blizzards on roads and runways in Oklahoma

A sever winter storm that could affect more than 200 million Americans has brought heavy snow, and freezing temperatures.Regions that could see more than a foot of snow stretch from Colorado to West Virginia, New York City and up to Boston, according to the National Weather Service.More than 10,000 US flights were cancelled over the weekend as the winter storm grips America.Video from Oklahoma shows the efforts to clear the snowfall from the states' roads and airport runways.More…

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Trump threatens Canada with 100% tariff over China trade talks

US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Canada with a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods if the country's prime minister strikes a trade deal with China. "If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Saturday. Tensions between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have escalated in recent days,…

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Climber delays rope-free skyscraper ascent over rain

Getty ImagesAlex Honnold was the first climber to perform a rope-free ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National ParkAn American climber has postponed scaling the Taipei 101, one of the world's tallest buildings, rope-free for another 24 hours due to wet weather. Alex Honnold, who scaled El Capitan in California's Yosemite National Park without a rope in 2017, said on Saturday: "Sadly it's raining in Taipei right now so I don't get to go climbing." The skyscraper in…

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China places highest-ranking general under investigation

ReutersZhang Youxia was widely seen as President Xi's closest military allyChina's defence ministry says it has opened an investigation into the country's highest-ranking general over "grave violations of discipline and the law".The ministry gave no further details about accusations against General Zhang Youxia, who has widely been seen as President Xi Jinping's closest military ally. However in China the accusation of wrongdoing is usually a euphemism for corruption.In its announcement, the ministry said another senior military officer, General…

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How Soviet urban planning is helping Russia freeze Ukraine

Ukraine is now living through its most difficult winter in recent memory. With January temperatures plummeting below -15C, Russia has been attacking energy infrastructure, leaving about a million Ukrainians without heating.The capital, Kyiv, is the main target of such attacks. Following the latest Russian bombardment overnight into 24 January, almost 6,000 apartment blocks were left without heating, according to mayor Vitaly Klitschko.This is the third such Russian attack targeting Kyiv's heating infrastructure in little more than two weeks,…

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Russia strikes Ukraine as talks with US to end war continue

Russia launched drone and missile attacks on Ukraine overnight, killing one person and injuring 23 others despite taking part in talks with the US aimed at ending the war.The mayor of Ukrainian capital Kyiv said one person had died and four had been wounded following a "massive enemy attack", while Kharkiv's mayor reported that 19 people had been hurt during a sustained assault on the city.Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the US have been meeting in Abu Dhabi…

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New Zealand calls off rescue efforts for six missing after landslide

ReutersPolice say they are not expecting to find any more survivors from the landslide Rescue efforts for six missing people buried by a landslide in New Zealand on Thursday have been called off, with efforts now moving to recovering bodies, police have said. "Tragically it is now apparent that we will not be able to bring them home alive," Anderson said, adding that formal identification is underway. Two teenagers are among those who remain unaccounted for, with the…

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Landslide in Indonesia’s West Java kills seven, dozens missing

At least seven people have died and more than 80 others are missing after a landslide hit Indonesia's West Java province, officials said.The landslide occurred in the West Bandung region, south-east of the capital Jakarta, following days of intense rainfall.More than thirty homes were destroyed after "landslide material buried residential areas, causing fatalities and affecting local residents", Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.Flooding, landslide and extreme weather alerts have also been issued for the broader region.The…

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China no longer Pentagon’s top security priority

China is no longer the top security priority for the US, according to the Pentagon's new National Defense Strategy.The document, published once every four years, instead says that the security of the US homeland and Western Hemisphere is the department's chief concern, adding that Washington has long neglected the "concrete interests" of Americans. The Pentagon also says it will offer "more limited" support to US allies.It follows the publication last year of the US National Security Strategy, which…

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How Sydney’s beaches became a ‘perfect storm’

Getty ImagesThere are manifold reasons why recorded shark encounters are rising in Australia's oceans - but fatalities are relatively rareIt's "extraordinary", says shark researcher Chris Pepin-Neff: four shark bites within 48 hours, and three of them within a 15km (9-mile) stretch of Australia's east coast.On 18 January, a 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital with critical injuries and later died after being attacked while swimming in Sydney Harbour. The next day, an 11-year-old's surfboard was bitten at Dee…

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