World

The now widely used Mercator map was created in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. Its main purpose was to help European sailors navigate the oceans, as cartography Professor James Cheshire at University London College explained. “He wanted a straight line to be drawn on a map to look like …

Two of US President Donald Trump’s top envoys have arrived in Moscow, Russian media has said, ahead of a weekend of talks aimed at accelerating efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were due in the Russian capital on Saturday, where they will hold talks …

Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial has ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to unanimously decide on a verdict. The US mother was on trial for strangling her three children. In a number of other western countries, there’s a specific law on the books to deal with mothers who kill …

Donald Trump has signed an executive order to remove endangered species protection for the grey wolf and a subspecies, the Mexican wolf. The US president’s decision could pave the way for pastoral farmers to kill the canines to protect their livestock. His order said ranchers played a “vital role” in …

The case became a flashpoint for gender discussion, too, with opinions often divided along gender lines. Father-of-three Vincenzo Vazquez, who followed the trial from Illinois, believes gender has a lot to do with Clancy’s treatment, doubting that the public would show similar sympathy if a father were on trial for …

When the USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand this week some people were quick to criticise the condition it was in. The US aircraft carrier has been at sea for about nine months where it’s been supporting the US-Israel war with Iran. BBC Verify has spoken to military experts who …

When the central bank of the Netherlands confirmed this week that it had moved tonnes of the country’s gold out of North America, it said the relocation would make it “better prepared for severe crises”. Some 86 tonnes from the combined total of about 313 tonnes held in the US …

Niger’s government is facing threats on two fronts: extremist militant groups attacking the state, and grievances within its armed forces responsible for fighting them. Africa Corps may have helped contain the latter this past weekend, but it has yet to resolve the former. Unlike Wagner mercenaries, whose status in a …

At least 10 people have been killed and dozens more injured after an explosion at a military barracks in Bolivia. Local authorities said the blast occurred around 2.30pm local time in an area used to store pyrotechnic material at the barracks in the municipality of Viacha. The cause of the …

At least two people have been killed after an explosion at a military barracks in Bolivia but authorities fear the toll could be higher. Bolivian Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano said at least 58 people had been injured when “pyrotechnic material” detonated at the barracks, where an artillery regiment is stationed, …

The brothers – former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship – have been under criminal investigation in Romania since December 2022. They have been mainly based there since 2017, drawing a large social media audience – many of them young men – through misogynistic messages and images of a …

There have been recent incidents of privacy breaches that have caught national attention. Last week, a police officer in Kentucky was charged after using the Flock system to track his ex-girlfriend – who filed a protection order – over 2,000 times. He was caught using Flock’s newly mandatory, AI-powered audit …

Germany is holding its breath this weekend as there is a seismic election in the country’s east. The Alternative für Deutschland party is aiming to secure a majority in the regional parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. An outright win would mark the first time a far-right party has held state-level power in …

The mistrial came after six weeks of court proceedings and after jurors deliberated for more than 40 hours over seven days. “There will be no decisions made today,” Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said on Friday on what could happen next in the case. He said he would meet …

Hydropower continues to dominate large-scale investments in Nepal, and some climate activists say the funding has continued despite known disaster risks. The Upper Trishuli-1 project, which has been all but destroyed after last week’s floods, was one of Nepal’s largest foreign direct investment ventures, valued at about $647m. Its backers …

<a href='https://news.sky.com/video/could-the-uk-defend-the-falkland-islands-today-miluitary-analysis-with-sean-bell-13581344'>Could Argentina take the Falklands? And how prepared is the UK to defend them again?</a> Source link

Over 160 countries have voted at the United Nations to move away from a traditional global map that is nearly 500 years old towards a newer one that more accurately reflects Africa’s true size. It follows a campaign by African states to limit the use of the 16th-century Mercator map …

A painting which was stolen by the Nazis and only recovered in Argentina last year must now be returned to the heir of its rightful owner, a court has ruled. The late-baroque Portrait of a Lady was lost for 80 years until it was spotted in photographs of a house …

A Russian drone has struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s state security service (SBU), president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. At least seven people were injured in the attack on the building in Kyiv, across from the historic St Sophia Cathedral. Heavy black smoke was seen rising from the city centre, along with …

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia and Ukraine this weekend, reports say, as efforts to end the war appear to be gathering pace. The envoys will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday in Moscow, and then will hold talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday …