Since 2013, the pedestal at the foot of Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv has stood conspicuously bare. The worn structure is streaked with white paint and graffiti. A Ukrainian trident has been fixed in the spot where Lenin once towered, looking out over the city during the decades of Soviet rule. During the Maidan revolution, protesters brought the statue down and shattered it with sledgehammers, marking a decisive break with the pro-Russian leadership of the time. In June, President

Fast bowler Jayden Seales collected his fourth five-wicket haul as the West Indies secured a commanding 90-run win over Pakistan in the first Test at Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago. Holding a slim 29-run advantage after the first innings, the West Indies were dismissed for 181 in their second effort, setting Pakistan a target of 211 on Tuesday, the fourth day of the match. Match Summary Seales (5-20), supported by his fellow quicks, delivered an outstanding pace performance at the Brian Lara

Iran had been weighing the possibility of launching a missile strike on a Ukrainian seaport in response to a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. However, intensive diplomatic efforts have so far helped to ease tensions and prevent further escalation. This was reported by The New York Times, citing statements from European and Iranian officials. "Some sources said they expected Iran to fire a ballistic missile with a small warhead at Ukraine as a symbolic move that

Sixty Palestinian detainees released by Israel arrived in Gaza in a visibly weakened state, reaching a hospital in Khan Younis exhausted, wounded and, in some instances, unable to stand on their own. On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) transported the men to Nasser Medical Complex for medical checks, where families and healthcare workers gathered to welcome them back. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3‘Back from the dead’: The continuing anguish over Gaza’s 9,500

Rampur, India – In the sweltering heat of July, more than 100 people sit cross-legged on woven mats, chanting slogans and waving the Indian flag in a small town in northern India. About 200km (132 miles) from New Delhi — where student-led protests over education reforms recently compelled a federal minister to resign — students, alumni and local residents have launched an indefinite sit-in. They are protesting a proposed plan to demolish 38 of the 40 buildings that make up Mohammad Ali Jauhar

BANTARGEBANG, Indonesia (AP) — Well before sunrise touches Indonesia’s largest landfill, Nur Wencih is already scaling heaps of refuse with thousands of other waste pickers, searching for items that can be sold. The 35-year-old widow has spent nearly 20 years working at the sprawling dump on Jakarta’s eastern fringe, following in the footsteps of her parents, who still depend on it for income. Earnings from Bantargebang have covered her rent and daily meals and helped support her two teenage

Renowned Russian singer Alla Pugacheva, who left the aggressor country at the beginning of the full-scale invasion together with her husband Maksim Galkin and their children and has openly distanced herself from the regime’s violent policies, has spoken about her health. It is known that the 77-year-old performer is currently staying in Latvia. Recently, social media users noticed that Alla Borisovna was walking with a cane. This sparked concern among her fans, who assumed that the singer might

Best known as the Royal Family’s summer retreat, Balmoral Castle ranks among Britain’s most celebrated royal residences. Yet far fewer people are aware that King Charles III is also closely connected to another extraordinary estate in the south of Scotland. Several hours south of Balmoral, close to the former mining town of Cumnock in a largely overlooked part of East Ayrshire, Dumfries House stands quietly within 2,000 acres of rolling countryside. Despite its imposing Palladian mansion,

I can’t recall a single summer that didn’t include at least one evening spent following hand-painted signs toward a local sagra. It isn’t exactly a food market, nor quite a village fair; it feels more like an entire community carrying its kitchen outdoors for a few warm nights. When I think about those childhood evenings, the first image that appears is a woman’s hand clenched above a pan of shimmering oil. With her thumb and forefinger forming a tight circle, she would press soft batter

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Text messages presented in court Friday between singer D4vd and Celeste Rivas Hernandez revealed that she became pregnant at 13 and underwent an abortion more than a year before her death. In an exchange from early January 2024, D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, apologized for “putting her through this.” “It’s okay,” she replied in a message. “Neither of us can take care of a baby. It’s for the best, right?” He later apologized again and asked whether the pregnancy was

A Romanian fighter jet has downed a drone believed to be of Russian origin after it entered the country’s airspace. The episode on Friday was the first time Romania has intercepted an unauthorized aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Nicusor Dan said. The development has heightened concerns that the war in neighboring Ukraine could further spill into NATO territory. Romania is among several alliance members that have faced repeated drone intrusions in

As a comedy about aging out of your prime while still trying to impress a younger crowd, Kevin Hart’s “72 Hours” carries a certain built-in irony. Hart stars as Joe, a high-powered New York advertising executive whose once-reliable instincts have started to feel stale. His supervisors doubt his ability to resonate with Gen Z audiences. In an effort to immerse himself in youth culture, Joe impulsively joins a bachelor party in Miami — despite barely knowing the groom. His invitation comes

More than 20,000 local residents and vacationers have been evacuated from southwest France as fast-moving wildfires continue to spread across the region. Roughly 800 firefighters were working to contain the blaze about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Bordeaux on Thursday. They were supported by hundreds of gendarmes and members of the armed forces assisting with emergency operations. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3Spain and France confront intense wildfires amid heightened risk • list 2 of

To move toward an agreement that would end the war in Ukraine, it is necessary to introduce “new ideas” into the discussion. This was stated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio following his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. According to Rubio, the proposals that have been presented so far “were not acceptable to Ukraine at the time, and I do not believe they would be acceptable now; in fact, they are likely to be even less acceptable today.” “If peace is to be achieved,

Ukrainian strikes on vast Russian warehouse complexes have generated dramatic scenes, with towering columns of black smoke rising above blazing storage centers belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer and a company often compared to Amazon. Kyiv’s drones initially targeted the facilities over the weekend in Elektrostal, east of Moscow, and in the Tambov region, leaving eight people dead and dozens injured. Early Wednesday, two additional Wildberries warehouses in the southern

Benjamin Wong has discovered calm — 8,530 feet above sea level. A high school teacher in Singapore, he enjoys long summer holidays. Still, he finds it difficult to choose destinations that aren’t just as sweltering as his hometown. This year, he is spending his break at a high-end mountain retreat in Yunnan, in southwestern China — a province increasingly favored by travelers hoping to beat the heat. Popular cities such as Dali and Lijiang can see nighttime summer temperatures drop to around 59

Tensions in the Middle East intensified after two oil tankers transporting Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday. The move followed an announcement by Yemen’s Houthi group declaring a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. The shutdown of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a vital passage linking the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean, has added new strain to global shipping lanes. This comes as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains unstable amid the continuing US-Israel conflict

Argentina's legendary first lady died in July 1952. Six decades later, the BBC revisited the extraordinary story of what happened to her body – and the strange 16-year journey it undertook across continents. Within hours of Eva Perón’s death on 26 July 1952, Dr Pedro Ara began his delicate task. The distinguished Spanish anatomist was commissioned to embalm the Argentine first lady using advanced preservation methods similar to those employed on Lenin and Stalin in the Soviet Union. Evita,

Voters in São Tomé and Príncipe head to the polls on Sunday for a presidential election, as one of Africa’s smallest nations aims to reinforce its record as a stable democracy. The National Election Commission reports that roughly 142,000 citizens are registered to cast ballots in the island state, with about 15% of eligible voters residing abroad. Since achieving independence from Portugal in 1975, the country, located off the western coast of Africa, has earned recognition for holding calm

The daughter of well-known Ukrainian singer Pavlo Zibrov, Diana, has ended her relationship with her fiancé. According to recent reports, the артист recently shared details about changes in his daughter’s personal life. Diana had been in a relationship with businessman Andrii Ishchenko, and the couple got engaged in 2021. However, despite the engagement, they never made it to the wedding ceremony. "Diana is now single, young, and beautiful. She has lost 25 kilograms, and perhaps her