Author: staff

A 55-metre statue of the Virgin Mary now towers over the Polish village of Konotopie, the tallest Marian monument in Europe and second in the world after the Mother of All Asia effigy in the Philippines. The concrete and steel figure will be blessed on 15 August, the Catholic feast of the Assumption, though the site remains unfinished, with debris still scattered across a muddy car park. The statue was funded by billionaire Roman Karkosik at an estimated cost of 100 million zlotys (around $26 million), according to local media. Officials in nearby Kikol, one of the region’s poorest municipalities,…

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Published on 14/08/2026 – 12:45 GMT+2•Updated 13:42 Imported drones will be taxed at rates reaching 100% under an order the US president approved on Thursday. European producers escaped the harshest tariff bracket. Equipment from the bloc will be charged 15% and British-made models will face a 10% rate. Washington’s argument is that the US can no longer afford to depend on foreign factories for a weapon that has reshaped the battlefield and is central to modern warfare. US President Donald Trump used Section 232 to impose the tariff rate, the national security provision already applied to steel, aluminium, copper, cars…

At least 19 elephants have died since June in a wildlife region of southern Kenya near the Tanzanian border and Mount Kilimanjaro. The local operations head says the number has now reached 20, while authorities continue trying to establish the cause. Early tests have suggested cyanide poisoning from pesticides used on nearby farmland. But local wildlife experts say they are not convinced, as other animals feeding on the elephant carcasses have not shown signs of poisoning. According to Patrick Papatiti, head of operations for Olgulului communal lands, the elephants have reportedly suffered difficulty walking and breathing, as well as restlessness,…

Published on 14/08/2026 – 20:54 GMT+2 Russian authorities acknowledged on Friday that some regions face new petrol shortages, as Ukraine steps up attacks on the country’s oil refineries. Ukraine has been targeting Russia’s energy sites with drones and missiles for months, hoping to hit a vital source of revenue for the Russian army. Russia has shut down one major refinery at Orsk, around 1,300 kilometres from the front line, for six months after it was attacked this week. “The situation remains tense in several regions of the country regarding fuel supplies to service stations,” the government said in a social…

Published on 14/08/2026 – 21:41 GMT+2 The EU pushed back at renewed trade pressure from the United States on Friday, as Washington said the bloc was enabling Chinese evasion of US tariffs and stepped up calls for it to roll back flagship green rules on businesses. Washington’s ambassador to the EU, Andrew Puzder, called on the bloc to “align” the provisions of two landmark new laws on environmental and human rights supply chain standards with the EU-US trade deal struck last year. “Now it’s time for the EU to deliver,” Puzder posted on X, along with a US government document…

The Trump administration has accused major world economies of routing exports through more than 40 third countries to avoid US tariffs, claiming in a report on Thursday that the practice results in annual tax revenue losses of between $19 billion (€16.4bn) and $26 billion (€22.4bn). Pointing a finger at China and India, Peter Navarro, the White House trade adviser, told reporters the administration would incorporate anti-transhipment clauses into new trade rules, and that partners found enabling the practice would face consequences. He said US Customs and Border Protection had begun using AI to identify transshipped goods, and warned that importers…

As temperatures soar across Rome, the Colosseum is keeping its doors open later into the evening, with guided tours now running until 11pm four nights a week. Up to 275 visitors can join each tour on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and the summer programme is already fully booked. After dark, visitors can explore the arena floor and underground passages away from the worst of the heat. The monument previously offered night tours on just two evenings a week, but the schedule has been doubled for the summer. Simone Quilici, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, said the extension was…

Published on 14/08/2026 – 18:51 GMT+2 Paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth over $10.4 million (€8.9 million) which were stolen from an Italian museum in March have been recovered, Italian police said on Friday. The paintings were taken by thieves from the villa of the Magnani-Rocca Foundation, near Parma in northern Italy, in a heist that lasted under three minutes. Parma chief of police Andrea Pagliaro said the investigation centred around a gang of nine Moldovan suspects. Five are accused of carrying out the theft, he said. Video footage released by police showed two thieves wearing headlamps and with…

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Friday that Britain must face up to the changing climate and accelerate its move to clean energy as he visited a town where a wildfire gutted homes. In Stourbridge near the UK’s second largest city of Birmingham, smoke rose from smouldering ruins of several roofless houses as firefighters sprayed water on the wreckage Friday. The West Midlands Fire Service said 19 houses were completely destroyed and 18 others damaged in the town. Meeting firefighters after viewing the scene, Burnham sounded shocked as he said the “combustible situation” was related to climate change and showed…