World

A new study reveals a decline in dragonfly and damselfly species in India’s Western Ghats. Source link

The Icelandic star reflects on a phenomenal year, and the music video that let her go “primal”. Source link

The executive director for the Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre for Human Rights, Roya Boroumand, says that an information vacuum in Iran “allows the state to broadcast its narrative, ie portray protesters as violent actors or foreign agents, while its victims, including those sentenced to death, and informed sources are silenced”. Source link

While a Shahed can cost between $80,000 and $130,000 (£59,500 and £95,500), Zelensky says it can be intercepted with systems costing as little as $10,000 (£7,400). That’s far cheaper than traditional air defence missiles which cost millions of dollars. Source link

Trump’s strikes on Iran, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have driven oil prices up, with a barrel of Brent crude, a major oil benchmark, hitting a four-year high of $126 on Thursday. It has since fallen back to $111 but it was trading at around $73 before the war broke out…

The estimated 2,000-pound Steller sea lion nicknamed ‘Chonkers’ is hanging out at San Francisco’s Pier 39 and drawing fans from across the country. The massive mammal made waves about a month ago when he hauled himself onto the pier and decided to stay. While California sea lions typically crowd the area, ‘Chonkers’ quickly stood out…

The new measures come on top of a US blockade of oil to Cuba that has caused widespread blackouts and fuel shortages. Source link

It is unclear how he reached Eswatini. China described his visit as a “stowaway-style escape farce”. Source link

Somali piracy, which was on the decline since 2011, has surged again since late 2023, when Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. The attacks forced international navies to instead tackle the Houthi threat, thus allowing armed groups on the Somali coast to take advantage of the security lapse….

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops was to be expected. Source link