Category: World

Two baby giraffes who went missing from a Virginia zoo last year have been found safe.
The giraffe calves vanished from the Natural Bridge Zoo in 2025 as state officials investigated allegations of animal abuse.
The Office of the Attorney General of Virginia located the giraffes, but did not share specifics about how or where they were found. The giraffes are now at a professional facility specializing in giraffe care, officials said.
Before the giraffes disappeared, state officials were looking to relocate four giraffes at the zoo after they seized about 100 animals during their investigation into the alleged abuse. At the time, two of the giraffes were pregnant and gave birth before investigators visited, but their calves were missing, WDBJ reported.
State officials said the zoo never reported the animals’ births, despite a court order requiring them to do so.
open image in galleryTwo giraffe calves that vanished from a Virginia zoo last year have been found safe, officials said ..

Russian forces hit energy facilities in Ukraine's Sumy regionThe Kremlin has said that Russia is open to dialogue with Europe but “won’t accept ultimatums” in a statement on Friday.
Russian strikes killed at least two people and wounded ⁠two others in the northeastern Ukrainian ⁠region ​of Sumy after Moscow threatened escalation for Ukraine’s biggest assault so far.
Another nine people, ‌including four children, suffered injuries in Kharkiv, which was attacked with Russian guided aerial bombs.
Ukraine on Friday morning claimed that a crew member of a Panama-flagged ship was killed in a Russian drone attack in the Black Sea waters. Oleksiy Kuleba said that another vessel under the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag was ‌also hit.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov previously warned of “massive coordinated strikes on a regular basis” in response to Ukraine's attack on a Moscow oil refinery for the second time this week.
Ukraine earlier launched a heavy drone strike on Russia in re..

The Federal Aviation Administration is spending nearly $4 million on an artificial intelligence initiative to reduce close calls on airport runways as recent incidents have sparked fears among fliers.
The FAA’s deal with software giant Palantir Technologies involves using an AI tool called Foundry to analyze hundreds of thousands of records from government agencies and other sources, according to Politico.
“This data has always been there,” a high-ranking FAA official told Politico on condition of anonymity. “The problem is this data was always siloed.”
Neither the FAA nor Palantir immediately returned Saturday inquiries from The Independent, and Politico said Palantir didn’t comment when contacted.
But FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau told Politico earlier this month that “Palantir has been a great partner for us” and that “we continue to get more refined on how we use that tool.”
open image in galleryThe Federal Aviation Administration is spending nearly $4 million on an art..

Brazilian soccer fans, in Philadelphia for their national team's World Cup 2026 match against Haiti, ascended the Museum of Art steps to pose with the 9-foot-11, 1,300-pound Rocky statue.
Every fan who stopped for a snapshot or a selfie left the bronze fighter exactly as they found him – in only his trunks and boots.
Their caution stemmed from a reported fear of the Rocky curse.
The Rocky statue, a long-standing symbol of resilience, heart, and the unbreakable bond between Rocky and the people of Philadelphia, has reportedly taken a few more hits of late, even in retirement.
According to the Philadelphia Visitor Center, about 4 million people visit the steps each year (Jose F. Moreno/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)Visiting American sports fans have long learned the hard way that dressing the statue with colorful jerseys, scarfs, hats, anything found in your local Rally House, has only meant that team would suffer a knockout blow at the home of the local Philly team.
Scoff all..

President Donald Trump is doubling down on his feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Trump said the Italian leader “begged” him to take a picture together during this week’s Group of Seven summit in France, which prompted Meloni to post a social media video blasting his claim as “completely made up.” Now, Trump has hit out at Meloni again, this time in an interview with NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez.
“She was a big fan. But I don't want her as a fan because she was not there — along with the NATO group — having to do with the Strait,” Trump said later on Friday, referencing the Strait of Hormuz.
The feud began after Trump claimed Meloni wanted to take a picture with him “so badly,” adding, “I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for her,” according to La7 TV, an Italian news channel. The remarks enraged Meloni, who lashed out at the president in a brief social media video on Friday morning.
She captioned the video: “Neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
President Donald T..