Author: staff

Nepal Army handout images show the rescue of two hydropower workers who survived for nine days inside a tunnel buried by mud and debris after devastating floods swept through the country’s Trishuli Valley. The workers, identified as Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were found about 170 metres inside the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel in Rasuwa district. Rescuers heard voices before reaching them and brought both men out alive on Friday. They were taken to hospital for treatment. The rescue offers fresh hope for others still missing from hydropower sites. Hundreds of workers are believed to remain trapped in tunnels blocked…

Washington says it has a new partner in its financial war on Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Friday that the EU had “officially joined” Operation Economic Outcast, the aptly named American sanctions effort to cut Iran out of the international banking system, praising the bloc for moving early. The European Commission’s statement Bessent refers to, published on Monday, however, welcomes the US campaign without formally committing the EU to it. “We appreciate their strong and early stance,” the US Treasury Secretary wrote, framing the development as proof that international pressure on Iran is mounting. Bessent added that…

Published on 04/09/2026 – 9:50 GMT+2 Tennis star Nick Kyrgios has accepted a one-month ban and entered into a treatment programme following a positive cocaine test earlier this year. The Australian was provisionally suspended on 4 August, meaning he is eligible to return to competition from Friday, subject to completing the programme. Kyrgios, 31, had tested positive for the drug, which is classified as a stimulant on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list, in June, at an ATP Tour event in Mallorca. He later admitted to having made a “huge mistake” and took “full responsibility” for his actions, adding that…

From plastic that pollutes water to a tool that helps clean it up. Researchers at the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid (ICMM), part of the CSIC, have developed flower-shaped iron oxide nanoparticles capable of capturing nanoplastics, fragments a thousand times smaller than a microplastic, originating from PET, one of the most common materials in bottles, packaging and polyester clothing. The study has been published in the Chemical Engineering Journal. The secret lies in the shape. “Iron oxide is a magnetic material that makes it possible to trap many pollutants at once. On top of that, its nanoflower structure means…

Berlusconi’s extraordinary endurance rested on his ability to survive electoral defeats, collapsed governments, criminal trials and repeated predictions of his political death. His wealth, television empire and a party constructed around himself gave him resources independent of his popularity at any particular moment. Meloni lacks those tycoon-style advantages, but she is still only 49 years old, tops the polls and is planning an electoral reform that could make it easier for her to keep her grip on power. Nearly four years after taking office, she towers over her coalition partners without an obvious challenger on the right. Italo Bocchino, a…

Published on 04/09/2026 – 9:21 GMT+2•Updated 9:39 Ukraine’s finance minister has warned that the country may have to cut non-military spending unless it can secure funding from its allies, as he urged European ministers to “think outside the box” as Kyiv faces another winter of Russian escalation. Sergii Marchenko, who has overseen the country’s finances since 2020, told Euronews Ukraine had not faced such a tight budget situation since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. With the focus on military spending and weapons procurement, other areas of the budget could be affected and disbursements delayed unless a solution…

Published on 04/09/2026 – 9:43 GMT+2 Voters in North Carolina in the United States began receiving their mail-in ballots on Friday, the first state to do so this election cycle. It comes as the Trump administration pushes the Supreme Court to revive an executive order that would sharply limit the practice. The administration filed an emergency request on Thursday asking the justices to lift a lower court’s block on the order — a request lodged just as ballots started going out, and roughly two months before the November midterms. North Carolina election officials say they’re pressing ahead regardless, with the…

Dan Jukes, Farage’s long-term media chief, and James Orr, his senior policy adviser, have stepped down as Reform UK launches investigation. Listen AI generated Text-to-speech

For much of the war, Russian drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv followed a particular rhythm; they almost always came at night. The warnings would begin on monitoring channels on Telegram in the late evening. They announced drones moving south, missiles being launched, air defences working. Ukrainian civilians judged whether it was prudent to stay indoors or make for shelter in the metro based on the severity of the threat. Now, Russia has changed tactics with the use of fast-flying, jet-powered drones and the expectation that daylight brings a return to normal life has been shattered. Since…

Published on 04/09/2026 – 8:38 GMT+2 Argentine President Javier Milei said on Thursday that “winds of change” were beginning to favour Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands. In a TV address, the right-wing leader touted US President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that Washington could reconsider its neutral position on the islands, which have been at the centre of a long running and bloody dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom. “President Trump recently stated that the United States is reevaluating its historical position regarding Las Malvinas,” Milei said, using the Argentine name for the islands. “This threat is not to…