Italy could soon be set to ban horse meat as part of a law that would define equine animals including horses, donkeys and mules as pets, therefore making it illegal to kill them. The bill has been drafted by Michela Vittoria Brambilla, a politician with Noi Moderati, a member of Giorgia Meloni's ruling coalition, and is backed by opposition parties. If approved, it would impose jail terms of up to three years and fines of up to 100,000 (87,000) for the slaughter of equines.
In an explosive post on X and an interview with Piers Morgan, Zelensky tore into Moscow for wasting time on long-winded historical lectures instead of ending the war. "I don't need historical sh*t to end this war and move to diplomacy. Because it's just a delay tactic," Zelensky fumed. The talks, involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, broke off with no breakthrough on sensitive territorial disputes.
Kyiv zoo's most famous resident lays on his back watching television. On screen: a nature documentary. For a quarter of a century, Toni has been the zoo's star attraction, drawing tens of thousands of visitors. He is Ukraine's only gorilla. At 52 old by western gorilla standards he needs warm conditions similar to the lowlands of central Africa. In recent weeks, heating Toni's spacious enclosure has become a logistical headache.
Normally, the Murphy Windmill (the largest in the world when it was built in 1908) sits majestically, but silently watching over the southwest corner of Golden Gate Park which no longer needs it to pump the 40,000 gallons of water a day it used to before electric pumps took all the glory. But on April 25, 2026, the brakes come off, and the windmill will turn once again in honor of "King's Day," an annual festival celebrating Dutch culture and traditions.
There has been outcry nationally over changes to schools' allocations of special needs assistants Such was the level of anger within Fianna Fáil over the handling of the review into special needs assistant (SNA) allocations that an emergency briefing with junior minister Michael Moynihan was organised for Wednesday night.
Thames Valley Police said that officers had detained a man in his sixties from Norfolk who has been arrested and remains in police custody. The force added that it had opened an inquiry into a suspected offence of misconduct in public office, after confirming last week it was assessing evidence to determine whether a full investigation was warranted. The arrest comes weeks after the Department of Justice released millions of documents relating to the disgraced financier, thrusting Mountbatten-Windsor's past associations back into the spotlight.
The center-left Social Democrats (SPD), Germany's first political party, are struggling to muster their optimism in a year when five of Germany's 16 federal states are set to elect new parliaments. According to the latest opinion polls, the SPD could be voted out of power in two states that is has governed for decades. In two others, the SPD is polling in the single digits.
Three people were killed in a Russian drone attack on a civilian car in the city of Mykolaivka in the Kramatorsk district of Ukraine's Donetsk region, the state's emergency service said in a statement. The three people, as well as another person injured in the attack, were workers at the Sloviansk Thermal Power Station, the Kyiv Independent news outlet reported. A woman died after being injured in a Russian drone attack in Ukraine's Zaporizhia region, Governor Ivan Fedorov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Russian and Ukrainian officials resumed a second day of peace talks in Geneva. Washington's envoy Steve Witkoff signaled optimism and progress towards ending the deadliest conflict since World War II. But the head of the Russian delegation played down hope for a significant step forward before talks began yesterday. US President Donald Trump and officials in his administration have been pushing for an end to the war. But the deal appears to be stuck on the issues of territory and security guarantees.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization's World Tourism Barometer, an estimated 1.52 billion international tourists were recorded globally in 2025 nearly 60 million more than in 2024. Europe remained the world's most popular destination region, welcoming around 793 million international visitors. Faced with this tourism boom, a growing number of destinations are reaching their limits, prompting local authorities to try to rein in the negative effects that large visitor numbers can have.
The meeting is set to be held at the Le Chéile Community Centre in Donnycarney at 8pm on Thursday. Calls for the GAA to drop Allianz as a sponsor stem from the insurer being named among a list of companies in a report from UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese. The report, published last June, named Allianz Insurance among a group of companies involved in paying for the actions of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Founded in 2019 and owned by investors Advencap, DigitalBridge and Soho Square Capital, Substantial Group is expected to have more than 3.4 million fibre premises and over 500,000 customers by completion. Substantial Group's fibre network, Netomnia, is regarded as the UK's fourth-largest full-fibre network and second-largest UK altnet. Netomnia undertook a merger with fellow altnets YouFibre and Brsk in the summer of 2024, and the company ended 2024 with 2.08 million premises serviceable,
She is Palestine personified in the francophone world. She's the one who convinced me to join the diplomatic corps, or as she put it, to have the honour of representing a cause and a people, Bamya wrote on X. I had the honour of serving alongside her, of learning alongside her, of witnessing her magnanimity and compassion, and seeing how she embodies the aspirations and suffering of her people.
In the days since her passing, tributes have poured in from across the country and beyond, reflecting the impact she had as a nurse, daughter, sister and friend. She is sadly missed by her heartbroken parents Eugene and Ann, brothers Eoin, James and Conor, sister-in-law Aisling, nephew Dáire, aunts, uncles, relatives and a wide circle of friends. The packed church bore testament to the O'Reilly family, with neighbours, colleagues and friends gathering to celebrate the life to the woman in her 20s.
The center-left Social Democrats (SPD), Germany's first political party, are struggling to muster their optimism in a year when five of Germany's 16 federal states are set to elect new parliaments. According to the latest opinion polls, the SPD could be voted out of power in two states that is has governed for decades. In two others, the SPD is polling in the single digits.
A recent survey by Spain's Commercial Office in Havana puts the outstanding liabilities at about $276 million and warns that another $80 million are trapped in retained dividends and accounts that cannot be transferred off the island A woman walks through downtown Havana, surrounded by uncollected garbage, on Sunday, February 15.Norlys Perez (REUTERS) The collapse of the Cuban economy has dealt a major blow to the airlines and hotels that have been operating in the archipelago for decades.
Vladimir Putin is trapped. Despite staggering losses and mounting international pressure, the Russian President shows no sign of ending the war in Ukraine - and experts say he likely can't. The Kremlin's grip on power depends on projecting strength. Analysts warn that any attempt to pull back would be seen as weakness, sparking unrest among elites and ordinary Russians alike. "For Putin, capitulation isn't an option," said a senior European security source. "Backing down would be political suicide."
Hockey is the top Winter Games sport among gamblers, but curling with its sliding stones, spirited sweeping and cheating allegations has surprised oddsmakers. Bettors are showing significant interest in the quirky sport, which piques viewers' curiosity every four years at the Winter Olympics. There's definitely a stronger curling-hockey split than what was expected, said Chris Pearce, a senior trader at Caesars Sportsbook.
Norway's state gambling operator has been ordered to pay a NOK 1 million ($105,000) fine after regulators concluded it fell short of key anti-money laundering obligations. In a decision dated Thursday (February 12), the Norwegian Lottery Authority (Lottstift) said Norsk Tipping violated several provisions of the Money Laundering Act. The findings come after a lengthy supervisory review carried out through 2025, culminating in a formal administrative penalty.
