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  • Businessman and philanthropist Martin Naughton dies

    Businessman and philanthropist Martin Naughton dies

    One of Ireland’s most celebrated entrepreneurs and generous philanthropists, Martin Naughton, has passed away at the age of 87, leaving behind a decades-long legacy of transformative contributions to business development, cross-border cooperation, education and the arts across the whole island of Ireland.

    Naughton began his remarkable business journey in 1973, when he established Glen Electric in the border town of Newry. Just four years later, he pulled off a bold acquisition of a much larger British competitor, rebranding the combined entity as Glen Dimplex in 1977. Under his steady leadership, the company grew exponentially into a global multinational electrical goods giant, today boasting a portfolio of well-known household brands including Morphy Richards and Lec.

    Rather than hoarding the wealth generated by his business success, Naughton channeled much of his fortune into supporting public good initiatives across Ireland. His philanthropic track record is marked by multiple landmark donations that have reshaped cultural and educational institutions. In 2001, Naughton and his wife Carmel gifted £500,000 to endow the Naughton Gallery at Queen’s University Belfast, a space that has remained a hub for artistic expression and public engagement ever since. Six years later, the couple contributed £1 million to the reconstruction project of Belfast’s iconic Lyric Theatre, cementing their support for Northern Ireland’s cultural sector.

    The most significant of the Naughton family’s donations came in 2018, when they gave €25 million (£21.4 million) to Trinity College Dublin – a contribution that still stands as the largest single private philanthropic gift in the history of the Irish state. Academic leaders across Ireland have paid tribute to Naughton’s decades-long commitment to education and institutional growth.

    Professor Sir Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast, remembered Naughton as an “exceptional entrepreneur, philanthropist and lifelong champion of education”. He emphasized that Naughton’s vision, generosity and dedication to supporting higher education have created a permanent, lasting impact. “The Naughton Gallery continues to inspire creativity, culture and public engagement, while his longstanding commitment to our university has benefited generations of students and researchers,” Greer noted.

    Dr Linda Doyle, Provost of Trinity College Dublin, echoed these sentiments, saying that Naughton’s legacy at the institution will be felt for hundreds of future students. “It’s been my great honour and privilege to have known such an inspiring and generous man,” Doyle shared in the college’s official statement.

    Beyond business and philanthropy, Naughton – a native of Dundalk, County Louth – was a dedicated advocate for cross-border cooperation on the island of Ireland following decades of division. When InterTradeIreland, the trade promotion body established under the historic Good Friday Agreement, was founded, Naughton served as its very first chairman, helping lay the groundwork for greater economic integration between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

  • Home field advantage has been a big part of World Cup history. Now Mexico hosts England

    Home field advantage has been a big part of World Cup history. Now Mexico hosts England

    This weekend, the 202X FIFA World Cup delivers one of its most anticipated knockout round matches: England’s Three Lions will square off against host nation Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Sunday, a clash that poses stiffer challenges than any opponent the squad has faced in the tournament to date.

    Beyond the on-pitch quality of El Tri, England must contend with unique obstacles that only a hostile away match in the Mexican capital can bring: the high altitude that alters pacing and endurance, a raucous, pro-home crowd that will create a cacophonous intimidating atmosphere, and the intangible edge of host nation gamesmanship that has become a staple of World Cup football at Azteca. Even with all these pressures, the match is poised to be unmissable, high-stakes football theatre.

    Hosting the World Cup brings a legendary, well-documented advantage for the home nation, and Mexico boasts one of the most formidable home records in international football at Azteca. Six times in men’s World Cup history, the host nation has lifted the trophy, with France’s 1998 win marking the most recent host victory. But for England, there is tangible precedent for hope: some of the tournament’s most iconic upsets have seen home sides fall to visiting underdogs. This report examines the history of host nation advantage throughout World Cup history, to frame what England might expect on Sunday.

    The first two editions of the men’s World Cup both ended in host nation triumph, starting with Uruguay in 1930 and followed by Italy’s 1934 win on home soil. That Italian victory gained lasting infamy, however, after fascist dictator Benito Mussolini co-opted the tournament as a political propaganda tool, with widespread speculation that his influence compromised match officiating. Writing nearly 80 years after the tournament, Italian author Marco Impiglia noted that “The fascist regime made a political abuse of the event. It was a questionable win and it raised many doubts at the time.” Notably, just four years later Italy made history by becoming the first nation to win a World Cup on foreign soil, claiming the title in France.

    No discussion of home team heartbreak is complete without Brazil’s 1950 Maracanazo. While Brazil has claimed a record five World Cup titles, it has never won gold when hosting the tournament. In 1950, the tournament used a final round-robin group format instead of a single championship match, meaning Brazil only needed a draw against Uruguay to secure the trophy. Playing in front of an estimated 200,000 fans at Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Maracanã Stadium, Brazil suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat. Alcides Ghiggia, the Uruguayan player who scored the historic winning goal, later joked that only three people had ever silenced the Maracanã: “The Pope, Frank Sinatra and me.” When Brazil hosted the tournament again in 2014, this history of home disappointment repeated itself in even more humiliating fashion: the home side suffered a lopsided 7-1 semifinal defeat to Germany, with the visitors scoring a flurry of early goals that drained all suspense from the match before halftime.

    England’s only men’s World Cup title came as hosts in 1966, a win that remains wrapped in controversy decades later. In the Wembley final against West Germany, Geoff Hurst’s extra-time shot bounced off the crossbar and down onto the goal line. With goal-line technology still decades from existing, match officials could not confirm definitively whether the whole ball crossed the line. Officials ultimately awarded the goal, putting England up 3-2, before Hurst completed his hat trick late in extra time to seal a 4-2 final score.

    In 1978, the Netherlands suffered a bitter second consecutive final loss to a host nation. Four years after falling 2-1 to hosts West Germany in the 1974 final, the Dutch traveled to Buenos Aires to face Argentina in front of a frenzied home crowd. The Argentines delayed their entry onto the pitch by several minutes, leaving the Dutch alone on the field to face the jeers of thousands of hostile fans, and a public dispute broke out over whether Dutch player Rene van de Kerkhof would be allowed to play with a protective cast on his arm. Argentina claimed a 3-1 extra-time win, but the result was clouded by longstanding conspiracy theories: Argentina needed a six-goal win over Peru in its final second-round group match to advance to the final, and its 6-0 victory sparked widespread speculation of match fixing.

    The 1990 World Cup in Italy produced one of the most unusual tests of home nation loyalty, when Argentina faced host Italy in a semifinal in Naples. Argentina legend Diego Maradona was a beloved star for local club Napoli, and he attempted to capitalize on long-simmering tensions between southern and northern Italy to sway local fans to his side. Speaking to outlet Corriere dello Sport, Maradona said: “After so much racism, only now they scurry to remember that Naples is part of Italy. Now that they have slapped the Neapolitans in every possible way, someone tells them they are Italians, that only Italy counts. It is incredible, absurd, offensive.” While local fans ultimately still cheered for the Italian national side, Argentina made history as the first team all tournament to score against Italy, securing a 1-1 draw before eliminating the Azzurri in a penalty shootout. Argentina went on to face West Germany in the Rome final, where they received a hostile reception from home fans and lost the title.

    The most recent World Cup win by a host nation remains France’s 1998 victory. Les Bleus had failed to qualify for both the 1990 and 1994 tournaments, but the home field advantage propelled them to their first ever World Cup title, defeating defending champion Brazil in the final to deny the South American side a repeat championship.

    The 2002 co-hosted tournament by Japan and South Korea produced another controversial host nation run, as South Korea advanced further than any Asian men’s team in World Cup history, reaching the semifinals. But the Korean run was marred by outrage from fans of eliminated sides Italy and Spain, who both argued that biased officiating favored the host. After Italy lost to South Korea in extra time in the round of 16, FIFA reported receiving hundreds of thousands of complaints from irate Italian fans. In the quarterfinals against Spain, multiple Spanish goals were ruled offside, and South Korea advanced on penalties. Then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter denied any organized conspiracy to favor the host, but acknowledged that multiple incorrect officiating calls had been made during the matches.

    As England prepares to step onto the Azteca pitch Sunday, this long history of host advantage, upset and controversy sets the stage for what is already being called one of the most gripping matches of this year’s tournament.

  • Paris summer ritual returns with 3 supervised Seine swimming spots

    Paris summer ritual returns with 3 supervised Seine swimming spots

    PARIS — A century after public swimming was banned in the Seine due to unsafe water pollution, a new summer tradition is taking root in the heart of the French capital. For the second consecutive year, Paris city authorities launched three supervised, free public swimming sites along the iconic river on Saturday, opening the once-forbidden waterway to locals and tourists alike.

    The three swimming zones are strategically located across the city: one near the Paris City Hall, a second at the Grenelle site within sight of the Eiffel Tower, and a third in eastern Paris. They are scheduled to remain open throughout the warm summer months, with operations contingent on daily water quality assessments and prevailing weather conditions. To ensure visitor safety, all sites operate under constant supervision from certified lifeguards, and official testing of water purity is conducted every single morning before opening to the public.

    This milestone comes after the Seine hosted open-water swimming and triathlon events during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The high-profile international competition accelerated a massive, multibillion-euro river cleanup initiative launched by city authorities. The project included sweeping upgrades to Paris’s aging sewer network, construction of large-scale new rainwater storage facilities, and a series of other targeted interventions designed to cut polluted runoff into the river — work that finally reversed a century of declining water quality.

    Public swimming in the Seine was outlawed nearly 100 years ago because of rampant pollution from untreated urban waste. For decades, Parisians seeking open-water summer swimming have only had access to designated public sites along a canal in the city’s northeast. Even after the 2024 rule change, last summer’s launch faced setbacks: multiple swimming days had to be canceled after heavy rainfalls increased pollution levels in upstream sections of the river, triggering health safety protocols.

    This year, site managers have put new crowd control measures in place to handle the expected influx of visitors seeking relief from summer heat waves. At the popular Grenelle site near the Eiffel Tower, deputy site manager Clémence Donazzan explained that the zone has a maximum capacity of 200 swimmers at any given time. A queuing system operates at the entrance, with staff monitoring visitor numbers in real time to prevent overcrowding. “Everyone will eventually have access, even if there’s a short wait,” Donazzan noted.

    For the many visitors already trying out the new sites, the experience has exceeded expectations. Stewart Talbot, a tourist from Melbourne, Australia who is spending a week in Paris, called the opportunity to swim in the Seine against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower unforgettable. “It’s amazing to be swimming in the Seine while looking at the Eiffel Tower,” Talbot said. “Maybe it’s not as good as the sea in Australia, but it’s better than our rivers.”

    The initiative has also proven popular with Parisians of all ages, who have embraced the new public amenity. Nineteen-year-old Hermine Jegou, a local resident, praised the inclusive, cross-generational atmosphere of the swimming sites. “It’s great because it’s such a mix of people,” she said. “I love that everyone can get into the water — grandmothers, children — it’s just really nice.” Her 21-year-old sister Joanne Jegou agreed, saying she already planned to return. “It’s such a cool experience, especially being out in the sun and cooling off,” she said.

  • Former chess champion Kramnik banned over cheating remarks

    Former chess champion Kramnik banned over cheating remarks

    The global chess governing body FIDE has issued a one-year active competition ban to former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik, following a disciplinary ruling that found the Russian grandmaster repeatedly violated the organization’s code of ethics through aggressive verbal attacks on fellow competitors—accusations that included false cheating claims against the late American star Daniel Naroditsky.

    Per FIDE’s official announcement, the ruling concludes an investigation into Kramnik’s pattern of public behavior, confirming that he committed multiple violations of the federation’s ethics and disciplinary regulations. The 12-month active ban is paired with a suspended additional 12-month sanction that will only take effect if Kramnik commits further ethics breaches over a three-year probationary period. Crucially, the governing body emphasized that its ruling addresses the improper, public manner of Kramnik’s accusations, not the underlying validity of his claims about cheating in the sport. FIDE reiterated that rooting out chess cheating remains a top institutional priority, but stressed that all allegations must be pursued through the federation’s formal, confidential procedures rather than public harassment.

    The case carries heavy emotional weight for the global chess community, centered on Naroditsky—a beloved figure who built a massive audience of hundreds of thousands of followers across Twitch and YouTube as a player, commentator and educator, known affectionately to fans as “Danya.” Naroditsky earned his grandmaster title as a teenager shortly after winning the 2013 U.S. Junior Championship, and quickly became one of the most recognizable faces of modern online chess. He died suddenly in October 2025 at age 29, and a 2026 toxicology report confirmed his death was the result of an accidental overdose that triggered an irregular heartbeat. Before his death, Naroditsky publicly denied any wrongdoing in a final Twitch broadcast, acknowledging that the unsubstantiated cheating controversy had severely harmed his mental and emotional well-being.

    Shortly after FIDE’s ruling was announced, Kramnik confirmed via a post on X that he intends to appeal the ban. The former 2000–2007 world chess champion has long positioned himself as a public advocate for fair play in competitive chess. The ruling has already drawn broad support from leading figures across the chess world: top-ranked players including world number two Hikaru Nakamura, former world champion Magnus Carlsen, and Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin previously publicly condemned Kramnik’s harassing conduct toward other players.

  • Defending champion Swiatek & Rybakina out in Wimbledon shocks

    Defending champion Swiatek & Rybakina out in Wimbledon shocks

    Wimbledon’s 2026 tournament delivered one of its most dramatic days of upsets in recent memory on Saturday, as two recent Grand Slam champions crashed out of the women’s singles draw within hours of each other, capping off a historic afternoon for two unheralded contenders. Defending singles champion Iga Swiatek, the world’s third-ranked player and a six-time Grand Slam title holder, fell in straight sets 7-6 (11-9), 6-2 to rising Filipino star Alexandra Eala on the sport’s most iconic court, Centre Court. The upset came just 60 minutes after 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina suffered an equally surprising defeat at the hands of Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who wrapped up a 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 third-round win.

    Rybakina’s premature exit carries significant ranking ramifications: it guarantees that Aryna Sabalenka will retain her position as the women’s world No. 1, no matter how far Sabalenka advances in the remainder of the 2026 tournament. Analysts have noted that Rybakina’s upset is arguably more staggering than Swiatek’s, given the Pole has struggled for consistent form since lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish last summer. Swiatek’s title defense got off to a notoriously rocky start this year, when she broke down in tears after scraping through a tight three-set opening round clash against Taylor Townsend. Adding context to Saturday’s result, Eala already notched a breakthrough win over Swiatek at the 2025 Miami Open, a result that left the defending champion vulnerable to an upset from the rising young contender.

    The final game of the clash stretched across multiple lead changes, with Eala saving four break points before converting her third match point. After sealing the win, the rising star collapsed to the Centre Court grass and buried her face in her hands, overwhelmed by the historic result. Swiatek’s defeat extends a long drought for defending women’s singles champions at Wimbledon: no player has successfully retained the Wimbledon singles title since Serena Williams achieved the feat back in 2016. Saturday’s upset also marks the third time in five years that Swiatek has been eliminated in the tournament’s third round. The Pole has failed to claim a tour-level title in 2026, and has not won any Grand Slam title since her 2025 Wimbledon victory, extending a challenging run of results for the former world No. 1. She finished the match against Eala with 44 unforced errors, five double faults, and only one ace, capping the performance with a misfired long forehand that summed up her off-day.

    For Eala, the result makes history: she is the first player from the Philippines to reach the fourth round of any Grand Slam in the Open Era. Eala has been steadily climbing the rankings in the months since her Miami breakthrough, and she carried that momentum into Wimbledon by claiming the WTA 125 title on the grass courts of Birmingham in the lead-up to the Grand Slam. Against Swiatek, Eala made a nervous start, with the two players exchanging breaks early on to keep the first set tight. Swiatek battled back from 5-3 down to force a tie-break, but Eala held her nerve through a series of blistering baseline rallies, clinching the first set when Swiatek fired a forehand long. A frustrated Swiatek yelled at her coaching team before heading off court between sets to reset, but she came out flat, dropping the first four games of the second set. Though she had brief flashes of her top form, Eala stayed aggressive on the big points, and closed out the win to set up a fourth-round clash against 2024 Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini.

    In the earlier upset, Mertens, a 30-year-old two-time Wimbledon women’s doubles champion, pulled off one of the biggest wins of her singles career against Rybakina, the Australian Open champion who claimed the Wimbledon title in 2022. Rybakina entered the tournament just 947 ranking points behind Sabalenka, meaning she needed to reach at least the quarter-finals to have any chance of claiming the world No. 1 ranking. She was taken to a deciding set in her opening match against France’s Lois Boisson, but cruised through the second round with a comfortable win over American Caty McNally, dropping just three games. But Mertens proved too strong on Saturday: after edging a tight first-set tie-break, the Belgian dominated the second set, winning nine consecutive points to take command of the match. Though she dropped two match points late on while serving for the win, Mertens sealed victory with a match-winning ace, booking a fourth-round meeting with 21st seed Marie Bouzkova, who came from a set down to defeat Liudmila Samsonova earlier on Saturday.

    “I have no words, actually. I’m very happy I won that first set and kept the momentum going,” Mertens said after the match. “This is definitely one of the biggest wins of my career, especially here at Wimbledon. I’ve had some success here before. I’m just very pleased with my performance today.”

    The day of upsets did not end there: 2025 Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova also exited the tournament, falling 3-6 6-2 6-3 to former Australian Open champion Madison Keys of the United States.

  • Japan stifles Italy for the first time since 2018 in Nations Championship rugby

    Japan stifles Italy for the first time since 2018 in Nations Championship rugby

    TOKYO — In a standout display of defensive grit and clinical finishing at a packed, red-and-white clad Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Japan secured a landmark 27-10 victory over Italy in the Nations Championship, claiming their first win against the European side in six years.

    Italy got off to a promising start, drawing first blood when flyhalf Paolo Garbisi slotted a pass through a gap in Japan’s defense for midfielder Juan Ignacio Brex to score, before converting the try to put Italy up 7-0. But it took Japan less than 10 minutes to turn the tide and seize control of the scoreboard.

    Buoyed by quick, clean ruck ball from scrumhalf Naoto Saito, Japan captain Warner Dearns powered across the try line to level the scores. Fullback Takuro Matsunaga, who would go on to anchor Japan’s performance with 17 total points, finished a sharp break from winger Yuya Hirose to score, converted his own try, and added a penalty kick to push Japan to a 17-7 lead. Italy closed the first half with a strong push, but Japan’s defense held firm against Garbisi’s repeated grubber kicks into the in-goal area, forcing Italy to settle for just three points from a scrum penalty. That left the host with a 17-10 lead going into halftime.

    The second half belonged entirely to Japan. The Brave Blossoms’ defense locked down, holding Italy scoreless for the full 40 minutes while notching 12 dominant tackles that left the Italian offense with no space to generate attacking opportunities. Just minutes after the break, after 16 consecutive phases of sustained pressure, man of the match Ben Gunter broke through four Italian defenders to score Japan’s third try of the match, extending the lead to 24-10.

    As Japan rotated in five fresh substitutes including veteran flanker Michael Leitch, Italy’s error rate climbed sharply under unrelenting defensive pressure. Matsunaga, who finished a perfect five-for-five on kicking attempts, slotted his third penalty just after the 60-minute mark to cap the 17-point win.

    The upset win came as a surprise to many pre-match analysts, who had questioned how Japan would perform starting without star flyhalf Seungsin Lee. Lee, who started every test match for Japan last year, finished as the top point-scorer in global test rugby with an 88% goalkicking success rate, and was set to miss the match to undergo hand surgery. His replacement, 20-year-old Ryunosuke Ito called up directly from Meiji University, delivered a composed, error-free debut that included setting up Matsunaga’s first try, quieting all pre-game concerns.

    After the match, Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada acknowledged his side’s struggles, saying: “We were tired and physically challenged, and when you lose 25 possessions it’s difficult to create opportunities.”

    Both teams will head to the Southern Hemisphere for their next matches next weekend. Japan will travel to Sydney to face Ireland, while Italy will take on the All Blacks in New Zealand.

  • Ukraine hits major oil terminal in Russia’s St Petersburg

    Ukraine hits major oil terminal in Russia’s St Petersburg

    In an escalation of long-range strikes targeting Russian war-related infrastructure, Ukrainian forces launched a major overnight drone attack that hit one of Russia’s largest oil terminals in St Petersburg, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Saturday. The attack also targeted a key Russian Baltic Fleet naval base in the nearby Kronstadt area, marking one of the deepest strikes into Russian territory from Ukraine in the ongoing conflict.

    Located roughly 850 kilometers (528 miles) from Ukraine’s border, the St Petersburg oil terminal identified by Ukraine’s military as a critical revenue source for Moscow’s full-scale invasion, which launched in February 2022. Ukrainian military officials describe the facility as one of Russia’s largest oil infrastructure hubs, with an annual output capacity of 12.5 million metric tons of refined petroleum products. Zelensky emphasized the terminal is core infrastructure that directly funds Russia’s military campaign, framing it as a legitimate military target under Ukraine’s rules of engagement.

    St Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov acknowledged the oil terminal strike in an official statement, confirming the attack came as part of what he called a “massive” drone assault on the city and surrounding Leningrad region. Beglov claimed Russian air defenses shot down 72 inbound Ukrainian drones during the attack, and reported no fatalities or injuries from the terminal strike. He urged the city’s more than 5 million residents to remain indoors until all drone threats were neutralized, and issued a warning that temporary mobile internet disruptions could occur across affected areas. The BBC has independently verified that the St Petersburg oil terminal was indeed hit, and video published by Zelensky shows a drone approaching the target followed by a large plume of black smoke rising from the site. The full extent of damage to the facility remains unclear as of Saturday afternoon, and Russia has not yet issued any official comment on the reported strike on the Kronstadt naval base.

    This attack is part of a recent intensification of Ukrainian long-range drone operations targeting Russia’s critical energy infrastructure. Kyiv estimates that these strikes have disabled nearly 43 percent of Russia’s total oil refining capacity, a claim that has not been independently verified by third-party observers. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stated that Russian fossil fuel facilities are valid military targets, as export revenue from oil and gas remains the largest source of funding for Moscow’s war effort.

    In a separate development Saturday, Ukraine’s military directly refuted Russian claims that the strategically important eastern town of Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast has fallen under full Russian control. Andriy Kovalyov, a major and spokesperson for Ukraine’s military, told the BBC that Kostyantynivka remains firmly under the control of Ukrainian defense forces. Kovalyov acknowledged that small Russian infantry groups have carried out infiltration attempts into frontline Ukrainian combat formations, but added that these incursion teams are being rapidly identified and eliminated.

    Kovalyov’s statement came one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Russian forces established full control over Kostyantynivka back in June, a claim Putin made without providing any supporting evidence. Responding to Putin’s claim on his official Telegram channel Saturday, Zelensky issued a sharp rhetorical challenge. “If Kostyantynivka is now under Russian control, then Putin will probably have no problem meeting me there and finding diplomatic solutions to finally end the war,” Zelensky wrote. “But still, he will not cross the front line: the truth is very different from Putin’s words.”

    Kostyantynivka is a key fortified node in Ukraine’s so-called “fortress belt” of defensive positions in the Donetsk region, most of which is currently under Russian occupation.

  • Pope urges Europe to do more for migrants while visiting gateway island

    Pope urges Europe to do more for migrants while visiting gateway island

    Perched just 145 kilometers off Tunisia’s northern coast, the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa has long been the first European touchstone for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict, poverty and instability across Africa and the Middle East. It is here, on the frontline of the Mediterranean migration crisis, that Pope Leo XIV made a urgent appeal to European leaders to confront what he calls a defining moral and political challenge of the era, just two weeks after the European Union approved sweeping new rules that tighten border restrictions and expand detention powers for undocumented arrivals.

    The pontiff’s one-day visit on July 4 began with a quiet act of remembrance: he walked through a local cemetery to pray at the graves of migrants who lost their lives attempting the perilous sea crossing, before stopping at Lampedusa’s iconic Gate of Europe monument, built to honor all those who have perished en route to the continent. After meeting with a migrant family that had recently completed the journey, Pope Leo celebrated open-air mass for a crowd that included new arrivals, Italian coast guard rescuers, aid workers and local residents.

    Speaking from what he described as Europe’s farthest Mediterranean outpost, Pope Leo framed migration as a test of the continent’s core values. “Those who have lost their lives in this sea are victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made,” he told the assembly, pointing to the human cost of both restrictive policies and inaction on the root causes of displacement. He called on European institutions to adopt a holistic approach to the crisis: one that combines immediate, humane support for new arrivals with targeted long-term investment in the developing countries that people are forced to leave. “Europe is capable of addressing the crisis in this region in a comprehensive manner, integrating immediate relief efforts into a long-term strategic plan capable of receiving, protecting, supporting and integrating migrants while assisting developing countries so that no one is forced to emigrate,” he said.

    Data from the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration underscores the urgent stakes of Pope Leo’s appeal: more than 1,400 people, including 28 children, have already died or gone missing in Mediterranean crossing attempts this year alone. Migrants typically travel on dangerously overcrowded, poorly maintained vessels, and Lampedusa’s main reception center has long struggled with chronic overcrowding and substandard living conditions for new arrivals.

    This visit is consistent with a clear pattern for Pope Leo, who has made expanding support for migrants and refugees a central pillar of his papacy since he was elected head of the Catholic Church in May 2025. He has repeatedly criticized the growing global trend of hardline anti-migration policies, a stance that has put him in direct conflict with political leaders ranging from U.S. President Donald Trump, whose anti-immigration posture he has openly labeled “inhuman.”

    Most recently, ahead of the 250th anniversary of United States independence, the pontiff released a public letter to American Catholics that tied the church’s core commitment to protecting life to the moral duty of welcoming immigrants. “The Catholic value of defending life includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants,” he wrote, noting that generations of migrant labor and sacrifice have shaped the United States’ national identity. “To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.”

    For migrants living and working in Europe, the visit carried deep personal meaning. Kandeh Abdourahman, a migrant who arrived in Lampedusa in 2015 and now works as a cultural mediator for the International Rescue Committee, called the Pope’s trip a powerful validation of migrant experiences. “It was a reminder that our stories are seen, that welcome is not just a word but an act of humanity,” he told reporters. Pope Leo closed his visit by reaffirming his ongoing solidarity with people displaced by crisis, telling the gathered crowd that he will “continue to accompany you, support you and encourage you” amid growing political pressure to restrict migration across the continent.

  • Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal in latest long-range attack on Russia

    Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal in latest long-range attack on Russia

    On Saturday, a Ukrainian drone assault targeted an oil terminal in Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, Russian regional officials confirmed, marking the latest escalation in Kyiv’s sustained campaign of strikes against Russian energy infrastructure amid the ongoing full-scale invasion that has stretched into its fifth year.

    Regional Governor Alexander Beglov reported that the attack targeted the Kirovsky district of St. Petersburg, which sits along the Baltic Sea coast. He added that Russian air defense systems intercepted and downed 72 Ukrainian drones across the city and its surrounding region. This is not the first time the district has come under attack: it was previously struck in June, just ahead of Russia’s high-profile St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy framed the strike as part of Kyiv’s deliberate “long-range sanctions” strategy targeting Russian war capacity. In a Telegram post, he confirmed that Ukrainian defense forces not only hit the St. Petersburg oil terminal infrastructure, which generates revenue that funds Moscow’s invasion, but also struck a key military target on the island of Kronstadt, located just off St. Petersburg’s coast.

    The intensified, near-daily long-range assaults on Russian oil and fuel facilities across occupied and Russian territory have triggered widespread fuel shortages, creating a domestic supply crisis that has piled growing political pressure on the Kremlin. The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, has faced particularly severe strike activity, forcing Moscow-installed local authorities to suspend civilian gasoline sales. In a separate Saturday attack on Crimea, the Kremlin-appointed Governor Sergei Aksyonov reported that one person was killed and three others injured, including a 10-year-old child.

    Alongside the St. Petersburg strike, another major Ukrainian attack left the border city of Belgorod, a frequent target of Kyiv’s drone campaign, almost entirely without power on Saturday, according to local Russian media reports.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has attempted to downplay the impact of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure strikes, dismissing the damage as “not critical” and insisting his full-scale invasion will continue until he achieves his stated war goals. Putin has claimed the strikes are a Ukrainian tactic to distract from what he says are advances on the front line, though independent military analysts note that Russian territorial gains have been effectively stalled in recent months.

    The day before the St. Petersburg attack, Putin visited the Russian military command center overseeing the invasion and was briefed on what Russian officials claim is the capture of Kostyantynivka, a key transport and industrial hub in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Following weeks of intense urban street fighting, Putin described the seizure of Kostyantynivka as a critical milestone toward capturing Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the last major heavily fortified Ukrainian-held strongholds in the Donetsk “forest belt” region. Speaking in televised remarks while wearing military fatigues, Putin emphasized that the city’s capture holds major strategic importance for Russia’s campaign.

    Ukrainian officials have immediately refuted Moscow’s claims, dismissing the announcement as outright disinformation. Andriy Kovalev, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s General Staff, told local outlet Ukrainska Pravda that Russian forces have not secured full control of the city and their capture claim is false.

    Despite Putin’s public efforts to downplay the impact of the strikes, the sustained campaign of drone attacks has brought the reality of the war directly to ordinary Russians across much of the country, shattering the Kremlin’s long-held narrative that the conflict is a distant operation that does not impact daily life inside Russia. Even as Putin projects confidence that the domestic fuel crisis will not erode his political authority or public support for the war, the strikes have created new domestic challenges for the Kremlin three and a half years after the full-scale invasion began.

    The escalation on Saturday was not one-sided: Ukrainian authorities in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region reported that a Russian strike on residential buildings wounded eight people, including two children.

  • Far-right Alternative for Germany party elects leaders as protesters and police clash

    Far-right Alternative for Germany party elects leaders as protesters and police clash

    ERFURT, Germany – Thousands of demonstrators gathered in this eastern German city on Saturday to mobilize against the national convention of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), with scattered confrontations breaking out between some protesters and riot-equipped police officers outside the venue.

    The biennial party gathering, called to formally reelect the AfD’s national leadership, is a critical moment for the party: current co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, who have steered the party collectively for four years, are seeking extended terms, and party organizers are pushing to present a unified front to voters and observers across the country.

    As Germany’s largest national opposition party, the AfD has remained one of the most polarizing political forces in modern German politics, a divide laid bare by the large-scale demonstrations that converged on Erfurt this weekend. Adding fuel to existing controversy, the convention’s date falls exactly 100 years after a foundational Nazi Party gathering held just miles away, an event that cemented Adolf Hitler’s total control over Germany’s fascist movement. Political opponents and leading historians argue that the overlapping timing carries ominous symbolic weight, a claim the AfD has flatly rejected.

    Mainstream German political parties have maintained a longstanding “firewall” policy that rules out any formal or informal cooperation with the far-right party. But that has not slowed the AfD’s growing political momentum. The party has successfully leveraged widespread public dissatisfaction with the current national government, which has faced repeated criticism over its slow progress on reforms to revitalize Germany’s sluggish economy. Beyond its signature anti-migration platform that drove its initial rise to prominence in the mid-2010s, the AfD has refined its strategy to tap into voter frustration on a wide range of policy issues, expanding its appeal across segments of the German electorate.

    The party is now setting its sights on a historic breakthrough in upcoming regional elections. For the September 6 state vote in eastern Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt, AfD leadership has set a goal of winning 40 percent or more of the popular vote. If the party hits that target, it could either secure an absolute legislative majority on its own or court defectors from other mainstream parties to form a governing coalition – a result that would put the AfD in position to claim its first-ever state governorship in German history. Weidel has framed coming electoral contests as transformative for the party, recently stating that “2026 is a year of destiny for AfD.”