A bitter dispute over repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline has blocked a vital €90bn EU loan to Kyiv.The row pits Hungary and Slovakia against Ukraine after a Russian strike damaged the Brody pumping station on 27 January and stopped all flows.Satellite images and local reporting show a giant storage tank at Brody — one of Ukraine’s largest — burned for days after the attack. Engineers...

A civil action targeting former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams over a series of IRA bombings in Britain has been dropped.Lawyers for the people bringing the claim told the court on Friday that they were discontinuing the case, effectively ending the civil proceedings.The claim had accused Adams of being legally responsible for injuries suffered in three attacks linked to the IRA, dating from 1973...

King Charles has officially opened a new walking route that runs all the way around England’s shoreline.At 2,689 miles, Natural England says it is the longest managed coastal trail on the planet.Officially named the King Charles III England Coast Path, the route links beaches, salt marshes, cliffs, dunes and historic seaside towns. One highlight is the chalk downland of the Seven Sisters in...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has ignited a fresh political row after urging closer economic cooperation with the EU as a route to greater resilience.Speaking at the Mais lecture hosted by Bayes Business School in London, Reeves argued the UK should deepen its economic links with Europe to shore up growth and stability.Her call has prompted sharp criticism from opponents who say seeking tighter...

A 61-year-old woman has died after a ski gondola came off its cable and plunged down Mount Titlis at the Engelberg resort in central Switzerland on Wednesday morning.The crash happened at about 11:00 local time (10:00 GMT), officials said.Police in the canton of Nidwalden say the victim was alone in a Titlis Xpress cabin that had just left the Trübsee station and was ascending the middle section...

When Frances Tophill told colleagues she might end up living in a van after losing out on house bids, veteran gardener Alan Titchmarsh admits he was alarmed.The Love Your Garden star eventually secured a home in Devon, but she hasn’t ditched the van she once joked she could live in.Tophill, 34, from Kent, shot to fame after joining ITV’s Love Your Garden with Titchmarsh, Katie Rushworth and...

A leaked recording that reportedly shows US special envoy Steve Witkoff advising a Russian official on how to appeal to President Trump has stirred controversy in Washington.President Trump told reporters he had not listened to the audio but defended Witkoff, saying the envoy was doing what a dealmaker does to promote a peace plan.Bloomberg published a transcript of a call dated 14 October in...

Belgium is preparing for widespread disruption this week as unions launch a three-day national strike aimed at protest­ing government austerity plans.Key public services and transport links are expected to be hit, with airports among the worst affected.The industrial action responds to a package of reforms from Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s centre-right coalition that aim to cut the budget...

When 23-year-old Aishat Baimuradova left Chechnya earlier this year she hoped to build a life away from strict family controls and public scrutiny. Friends say she adopted a more modern appearance — shortening her hair, abandoning the headscarf and even altering an eyebrow — and began sharing candid photos online, telling people she finally felt able to breathe. In October, Armenian police...

Albania's prime minister has accused the UK Home Secretary of ethnic stereotyping after she highlighted Albanian families while unveiling major changes to Britain's asylum system. Shabana Mahmood told MPs that roughly 700 Albanian families were living in taxpayer-funded accommodation despite having had their asylum claims refused, and argued the government must remove people who have no right...