Rosenberg: Shortage of petrol but not patriotism as Russians feel growing impact of war
Drivers are waiting hours in fuel queues, as Moscow prepares to celebrate Russian Flag Day.
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Israel re-establishes closed West Bank settlement, defying growing international protests
Thirty “pioneer families” have arrived on a wave of nationalism driven by Israel's government, but the rapid change has left nearby Palestinian residents fearful.
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She got her first dolls’ house at 8; now, at 101, she runs a museum
Val Ripley and her sister opened the Ty Twt Dolls House and Toy Museum in Newport (Wales). At eight, Val Ripley woke up on Christmas morning in 1932 to find a huge parcel waiting for her. Inside was her first dolls' house. It was a gift from her parents. More than nine decades later, that childhood fascination is still a part of her life. Now 101, Val continues to collect dolls' house pieces and welcomes visitors to the museum she created with her sister in Newport, Pembrokeshire in Wales.”I remember thinking 'they can't have bought me that one', and it was my pride and joy my whole childhood,” Val recalled to BBC. But the dolls' house almost disappeared from her life.A childhood toy lost during the warThe museum opened 26 years ago and has since become a window into another era. In 1939, when Val's father returned to the Army as World War II began, the family's possessions including the dolls' house and other toys were packed away in pre-wa..
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Car salesman becomes Belgian prince after DNA test confirms royal paternity
Clément Vandenkerckhove (R) with his father Prince Laurent (Source: Instagram) A Belgian car salesman has gone from ordinary life to royal status after Prince Laurent formally recognised him as his son, bringing a long-hidden paternity story into the Belgian royal family.Clément Vandenkerckhove, 26, is the son of Prince Laurent and Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten. The relationship between Laurent and Van Wanten took place before the prince married Princess Claire in 2003.Vandenkerckhove was quietly brought into Laurent’s family at a town hall ceremony six months ago, although details of his new status have only now emerged.Vandenkerckhove had known for years that Laurent was his biological father. His mother revealed the identity to him when he was 16, and four years later he contacted the prince himself.The pair eventually underwent a DNA test together, which showed a 99.5% match, according to Vandenkerckhove’s account in a Flemish TV documentary.Although the recognition makes him a p..
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Trump White House exodus continues after Karoline Leavitt’s bombshell announcement
President Donald Trump’s main liaison to Congress will leave the White House a week after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced her exit.
The president announced on Thursday that James Braid would exit the White House in September. Braid is a close ally of Vice President JD Vance, working in Vance’s Senate office.
Specifically, the president highlighted how Braid navigated working with a tight majority in the House of Representatives to pass the One Big, Beautiful Bill that extended the tax cuts from Trump’s first term and beefed up funding for immigration enforcement as well as GENIUS Act, Trump’s major cryptocurrency legislation.
“James has played a critical role in our many accomplishments with Congress, including THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, beating the Democrats in two shutdown showdowns, passing the GENIUS Act, defeating a record number of War Powers resolutions, and the confirmation of my Cabinet at the fastest rate in decades,” Trump said. “This has been, and..
This is where pollen is forecast to surge in the US this fall
Seasonal allergy sufferers beware: This fall is looking like a pollen bomb in many parts of the United States, due to increasingly warm and wet weather.
More than two dozen eastern and midwestern states are projected to feel the worst effects, according to forecaster AccuWeather’s latest report.
These regions will see the highest amount of weed and grass pollen, typically dominant in late summer and early fall.
“For grass pollen, we start to lose the worst of it in August and early September, but things can still be high in parts of the East due to ample moisture and warm overnight temperatures,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert said in a statement.
The highest grass pollen levels are predicted in major cities, including Detroit, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York City.
open image in galleryThis AccuWeather graphic shows where grass pollen levels will be the highest this fall. The highest levels are seen in red, moderate levels in orange ..
Chinese stem cell therapy reverses heart failure in 90% of patients in landmark trial
A hospital in east China has used reprogrammed stem cells to treat severe heart failure, with 90 per cent of patients showing significant recovery in heart function after the novel therapy.
On Wednesday, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, affiliated with Nanjing University, released the long-term follow-up results of a phase 2 clinical study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
While dead heart muscle cannot regrow, this stem cell technology can help ageing or damaged hearts grow new…
China urges US to drop sweeping drone tariffs, warns of global supply chain fallout
Beijing has urged Washington to scrap planned tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imported drones, warning the measures unfairly target Chinese products and threaten global supply chains.
The tariffs are not set to take effect until September 3, but Chinese drone shipments to the United States are already under pressure, with exports of some models plunging in July, the latest customs data showed.
On Thursday, He Yadong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said Beijing firmly opposed…
At least 15 killed in Kyiv as Ukraine grapples with air defence shortages
Blocks of flats and warehouses were targeted in the “massive attack” on Thursday, Ukrainian officials say.
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Founder of collapsed Chinese property giant Evergrande sentenced to life in prison
Hui's sentencing marks a key moment in the fallout from Evergrande's collapse, which shook China's property sector.
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