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Thursday, December 11, 2025  

A 10-man Preston North End club and Coventry City drew 1-1 in a football match on Tuesday, in Deepdale, Lancashire with an attendance of 18,477 people. At halftime the score was 0-0.

Coventry City received one point against Preston North End. In the 70th minute Jack Rudoni took a shot, which went in off of North End player Andrew Hughes that resulted in an own goal. City led 1-0. In the 77th minute a goal by Preston North End tied the game at 1-1. Daniel Jebbison of North End scored and was assisted by Pol Valentín. Liam Lindsay received a red card for a foul on Haji Wright.

According to BBC Sport’s user-submitted player ratings, Preston North End goalkeeper Daniel Iversen was rated the player of the match. Matt Grimes was the top-rated Coventry City player under the same system.

The match was part of the 2025-2026 Sky Bet Championship season. Coventry manager Frank Lampard said they were "obviously frustrated not to win the game."

• Stuart Brennan. Preston North End 1-1 Coventry City — BBC Sport England, December 9, 2025
• Andy Turner. Full-time: Preston 1 Coventry City 1 as Sky Blues frustrated by ten men at Deepdale — Coventry Telegraph, December 9, 2025

Wednesday, December 10, 2025  

Last Thursday, the European Broadcasting Union confirmed Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. In response, four countries, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia withdrew from the 2026 contest, citing a "loss" of neutrality and the humanitarian impact due to the war in Gaza.

RTÉ, the broadcaster for Ireland, said that participating in the 2026 edition was "unconscionable" due to the "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza as well as the large number of deaths there. Taco Zimmerman, the chief executive of AVROTROS, the broadcaster for the Netherlands, stated that "Culture unites, but not at any price." José Pablo López, president of RTVE, Spain's broadcaster, opined that "what happened at the EBU Assembly confirms that Eurovision is not a song contest but a festival dominated by geopolitical interests." Natalija Gorščak, the president of Radiotelevizija Slovenija, Slovenia's broadcaster, said that Israel and Hamas' ceasefire agreement was "not a real" one due to ongoing casualties. Meanwhile, RÚV, the Icelandic broadcaster, contemplated if Iceland should participate in the 2026 contest.

According to Politico, the four withdrawals generated major turmoil; CNN noted Spain is a part of the "Big Five," comprising the five biggest financial generators of the competition. Newsweek reported that the withdrawals were the largest "upheaval" in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Furthermore, the broadcaster for Radiotelevizija Slovenija reported that they requested a secret vote along with Spain, the Netherlands, Montenegro, Turkey, Algeria, and Iceland, but the vote was not held. Instead, officials in Geneva passed new rules limiting governments from influencing the results of the contest. The officials also implemented a limit of 10 public votes "per payment method", which RTVE called "insufficient".

CNN and Rappler reported that some countries, namely Austria, the host of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026, Germany, France, Britain, Portugal, and Sweden, supported the inclusion of Israel in the 2026 edition of the contest.

Golan Yochpaz, the chief executive of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, called it a “cultural boycott.” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar articulated his shame for countries boycotting the contest.

Ben Robertson from Eurovision fansite ESC Insight highlighted that "never in the history of the contest have we had such a vote, and such a split, between the member broadcasters of the European Broadcasting Union."

Israel reached second place, securing the largest public vote in Eurovision 2025 when Yuval Raphael performed "New Day Will Rise". Riot police were deployed in Basel due to large protests by Palestinian demonstrators against Israel's participation. Due to Israel's broadcaster being part of the European Broadcasting Union, the country is eligible to compete in the competition.

• Israel cleared to stay in Eurovision; Spain, Ireland and others quit in protest — Rappler, December 5, 2025
• Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant. Eurovision 2026: Full List of Countries Boycotting Contest — Newsweek, December 4, 2025
• Sascha Roskalyov and Ellen O'Reagan. Eurovision in turmoil as countries stage boycott over Israel's place in contest — Politico, December 4, 2025
• Charlotte Reck and Billy Stockwell. Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Netherlands boycott Eurovision over Israel’s participation — CNN, December 5, 2025

Sunday, November 9, 2025  

The annual cultural and educational event, “Night of the Arts,” was held on the eve of Russia’s National Unity Day, continuing a series of cultural festivals such as “Night at the Museum,” “Night at the Theatre,” “BiblioNight,” and “Night of Music.” Wikinews interviewed Crimean explorer and photographer, Viktor Pinchuk, who is currently holding photography exhibitions at the event, centered around one of his greatest passions: traveling, documenting and exploring.

Q: Where did you participate in the event this year? How was the scale and audience enthusiasm of the 2025 Night of the Arts?

A: This year, I participated in the 2025 Night of the Arts by holding two photo exhibitions in Simferopol on the same day. The first, a digital exhibition, was at the Central Museum of Taurida and featured 310 photographs titled “Unique Objects of Roman-Phoenician Architecture.” The second, a smaller exhibition with 20 printed works titled “Vietnam Through the Lens,” was held at the Museum of the History of Simferopol. Since the two museums are less than 300 meters apart, I could manage both events in a single day. The audience was very interested and engaged, asking many questions not only about the exhibitions themselves but also about long intercontinental travels in general.

Q: Compared to last year, were there any special differences in the atmosphere, content, audience, or ways of celebrating in 2025?

A: Yes, there were noticeable differences. Due to the complex, almost militarized situation in the country, cultural institutions were prohibited from widely promoting large-scale events. I have participated in five Art Nights, this is unlike previous years, when events could be openly advertised. Despite these restrictions, the audience was enthusiastic and receptive. The atmosphere was more intimate, as visitors approached the exhibitions voluntarily rather than through mass promotion, giving the events a quieter but very genuine engagement.

Q: How did the organizers coordinate with the artists?

A: In my case, the relationship with the museums was complicated. The museums did not take responsibility for inviting visitors, leaving that to the artists or to chance. I was concerned that attendance might be low, but in the end, people did come. This approach required artists to take a more proactive role in presenting their work and connecting with the audience directly.

Q: How were your photo collections created, and did the audience give any interesting feedback?

A: The first collection, “Unique Objects of Roman-Phoenician Architecture,” was photographed in Tunisia in May 2025, during visits to five historical and archaeological parks. The second collection, “Vietnam Through the Lens,” was shot in February 2020 during a two-week trip to Vietnam, which was limited to 15 days for Russian citizens at that time. The audience showed genuine curiosity and asked many questions about both the technical aspects of photography and the broader experience of travel.

Q: How did you arrange and design these travel photographs into an exhibition? Was there an overall concept?

A: Careful selection of photographic material is essential. Some images may require lightening or cropping to remove distracting elements. In my first exhibition, this was challenging, but now it is manageable. Attention is also given to the artistic component: even when the exhibition is reportage in style, I strive to ensure that each work has an artistic dimension. The overall concept is to present not just images but an experience—each exhibition tells a story, either of architectural heritage or of the cultural landscape of Vietnam, guiding the viewer through the visual journey I experienced during my travels.

Q:What impact has the nearby war had on this event, the artists, and the audience? Could you elaborate? Are you familiar with the situation in eastern Ukraine and near the front lines?

A:What I wrote earlier (the lack of widespread announcement of events involving large gatherings) is simply a precautionary measure, regulated at the state level. No problems have arisen so far. I speak in various cities throughout Crimea and have not seen anything "like this." My knowledge of the political situation (including the military conflict) is limited to the news, meaning accessible sources online.

Based on my personal observation, the majority of people living in Crimea (myself included) are Russian. Consequently, attitudes toward any "Ukrainianism" are universally negative. I am not aware of the situation regarding arts activities in the four eastern provinces and near the front lines. However, we are not experiencing military action; everything is calm. Enemy drones are being shot down by specially trained personnel right now. We will win. No pasaran! (Spanish)

Q: Now, let's talk about one of the things you love most: traveling and exploring. The vast majority of people spend their lives in only one or two countries. What made you set out on your first journey and decide to be an explorer for life? Did you ever imagine you would become a traveller?

A: I was born in the Soviet Union and back then I never imagined I would become a genuine traveller, because the country’s borders were closed. It was not until 2006 that I truly set out as a “traveller” for Ethiopia. That trip had a clear purpose: I was commissioned by an arts association and planned to hold a photography exhibition upon my return. I never travel without a purpose; each trip is accompanied by a creative project. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1992 I travelled to many countries as a tourist or with tour groups. But “traveller” and “tourist” are entirely different concepts.

Q: Besides “traveller”, the word “explorer” is familiar yet strange — would you call yourself an “explorer”? What, to you, is an explorer?

A: I certainly am an explorer; I try to go to places almost no foreigners set foot in. That said, if I have the opportunity I’ll visit some tourist countries on the way.

Q: With rising living standards and technology, travel has become a more mass activity. How do you think travellers can use such activity to broaden their understanding?

A: True travellers never go afar merely for leisure. Those people are called “tourists” or “holidaymakers”. This year I gave a talk on this subject at a meeting of Russian travellers in Moscow.

Q: You once said, “Travel is not the same as having a holiday.” Could you talk about what you consider “real travel” and “pure exploration”?

A: A holiday is time people spend to rest, relax and be entertained so they can return to work refreshed. Travellers do not relax on the road — it is not easy, and sometimes the psychological strain is heavier than the physical burden. At a seminar in Crimea someone once asked if I would take a companion; when I pressed for details I found he simply planned to use his holiday (at most a month) for the trip, whereas a real journey often lasts half a year — and the matter resolved itself.

Q: Have you ever had an experience of purely relaxing holiday?

A: In childhood I enjoyed leisure and entertainment. I lived on the Black Sea coast of Crimea, not far from Simferopol. As an adult — never; such holidays are too boring.

Q: On the road, have there been times when you felt truly afraid or wanted to give up? How did you get through them?

A: Yes. In the second month of a trip I sometimes experience exhaustion and feel it is difficult to continue; I feel very tired. Then a “second wind” comes and I’m on the road again. There are also moments of not knowing what will happen next — that uncertainty… Once in Bolivia I got lost on a mountain path, had to descend another way, fell and came away bruised. The next day I washed my clothes and continued. That was in Tupiza, a place with many canyons. I’ve gone through many extreme situations, including infectious disease and being washed into a neighbouring country; experiences and notes on them can be found on the Russian Wikibooks.

Q: You have been to many culturally different regions, including areas that retain much more of a natural way of life — these can surprise visitors accustomed to their own culture. What attitude should a traveller adopt when visiting and observing?

A: I even wrote a little primer specifically on that question; I call it “cultural immersion”, which is entirely different from what is commonly meant by cultural travel. I consider myself an expert in this field.

Q: Suppose someone decides to take time off and go on a purely cultural or natural exploration — what practical advice would you give based on your experience?

A: I’ve been to countries where almost no one speaks English (let alone Russian), such as China and Mongolia, but I still managed to communicate with “body language”. I advise people not to be afraid of not knowing the local language and not to fear anything. “Those who want to do something will find a way; those who don’t will find an excuse.” — Socrates (or some other figure).

Q: How do you keep yourself safe abroad, especially when you need to record and photograph?

A: If someone chooses Ethiopia as the starting point of their travel career, they won’t get lost in other countries. Ethiopia is a great “school”: locals might throw stones at you for photographing them. I remain tolerant. If I personally dislike certain religions or traditions, I don’t tell others, because I am a guest on their land, not the other way around.

Q: You’ve carried out several projects in Crimea and even received government support. Are there many people engaged in exploration like you? Do you have organisations for communication or cooperation?

A: The government has indeed offered support, but not financial: all projects were completed at my own expense. There are very few people willing to pay all the costs themselves and work without pay. I think these people are mostly concentrated in various Wikimedia projects — for example, writing free articles for Wikinews — which most journalists would not do. Most journalists won’t write for free.

Q: You have been to China. What kind of exploration did you do there, and how did you find it?

A: I prefer countries that still retain ancient traditions, even vestiges of medieval life. China is very modernised and prices are not low, especially accommodation (unlike Vietnam or Laos, which are cheaper). As a record-collector I have to say China, Korea and Japan have largely lost ethnic distinctiveness in music. But China has many ancient relics, which is very attractive. I visited an “ethnic village” in China, but it was only a tourist attraction, not authentic. I also visited Hong Kong and Taiwan; their atmospheres differ from that of the Chinese mainland.

Q: How do you document each trip? Do you value preserving images, text, or memory itself? How do you turn travels into art or academic works?

A: On the last day of a six-month trip I was robbed in broad daylight in the city centre and all my recorded material was gone. I always only start organising my writing after returning home, and experience cannot be stolen. So I eventually published a book without illustrations. Photographs are mainly used to accompany books and news articles, or to stage a photography exhibition.

Q: You are over fifty. Do you plan to undertake more of these crazy intercontinental trips? Have you felt any ageing-related hindrances, and how do you maintain your mental and physical condition?

A: I live in Europe and the destinations I choose are usually in Africa, Asia, Oceania and Latin America, so every journey is intercontinental. I walk 8.5 kilometres every Monday. On the road I can walk up to 20 kilometres a day. If I walk 30 kilometres I feel very tired; I simply can’t go on beyond 30 kilometres in a day.

Q: Some say growing up is a form of cultural travel. You were born in Soviet Ukraine and lived through changing times — how did your childhood and youth in the Soviet Union influence you?

A: I’m glad the borders opened and we gained freedom of movement. Some people don’t realise that freedom, or they simply don’t need it. I wrote a short essay on this called “Learned helplessness of long-distance travel”. As for me personally, I was born in Crimea. That region was at the time transferred to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic without the consent of the population.

Q: Looking back at your youthful experiences abroad, how have time and developments such as technology changed the travel experience itself?

A: I didn’t travel in my youth because the borders were closed. Of course I did visit places such as Moscow, Leningrad and Tallinn, but Soviet cities resembled one another. In my childhood the word “tourist” was often illustrated by a person in trainers with a rucksack climbing a mountain. Today the same word more often conjures another picture: someone on a beach wearing sunglasses, lying on a deck chair under a palm tree, with turquoise sea nearby. Everything flows, everything changes. (Victor’s quotes.)

Q: Many people are stuck in jobs and need a thorough rest during their holidays. For those who can’t travel far but need relaxation and a sense of meaning, what would you suggest?

A: Those people are not free; I don’t really want to talk about them. They say they “can’t” go abroad, but in fact they simply don’t want to.

Q: World Tourism Day this year hasn't been over for very long. How do you think commercial tourism can be connected with exploratory travel?

A: They have nothing to do with each other, nor is there any need to link them. There’s a Russian proverb: don’t compare God’s gift to a fried egg.

Q: Have you encountered legal or judicial problems while traveling? How did you handle them?

A: I was expelled from Fiji. To get to Vanuatu, Tonga or Samoa one must often transit through Fiji. The fourth time I returned to Fiji I had no onward ticket. I had intended to try to apply for an Australian visa in Suva, but I was detained at the airport. After being “detained” (in practice kept in a hotel) for two weeks I was deported back to Moscow via Singapore, even though there were four three-month Fiji visas in my passport. I also wrote a book about that trip, Two Months of Wandering and Fourteen Days Behind Bars.

Q: Are the scarcely visited and described-as-“primitive” regions always dangerous in your view?

A: No — on the contrary, those places are not dangerous. I was robbed in a big city centre (an African-style robbery), in full view of dozens of passers-by who were not surprised; they were used to it. That happened in Johannesburg, a city with a high Human Development Index. Someone had warned me I would be robbed there in public and I thought it was an exaggeration. A Chinese translation of a newspaper article about that incident can be found on Wikisource.

Another dangerous place is the big cities of Papua New Guinea. The reason is that local people are very poor while prices are extremely high. They may take knives to the street to get food in order to survive. Small villages are safer.

Q: When you encounter sharp cultural clashes or misunderstandings, how do you usually handle them? Any memorable experiences?

A: I always adapt to local realities, and for that reason I have rarely had conflicts. I wrote an online textbook on cultural travel.

Q: Long journeys with creative purpose are full of uncertainty — how do you adjust your mindset, especially when coping with setbacks?

A: Indeed, travel often brings unplanned situations. For example, on my most recent African trip I planned to go to Niger, Nigeria and Algeria but did not succeed. There is an old saying: “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” I even obtained a visa and paid for Gambia, but in the end I did not go because of lack of time. Online you can find project files for my international “Maghreb+” project (files 4, 5 and 6 concern Gambia, Senegal and Niger respectively).

Q: Taking a few photos and jotting down notes is not hard, but how do you produce long travelogues or systematic works?

A: I never write anything while travelling. In the early 2000s I used to travel with film cameras (Zenit, FED, etc.) and trips were short enough that I could barely organise the material. But if a trip lasts half a year and involves ten or more countries you cannot do without digital cameras. I always mark the location, time and content of photos in a notebook. Back home I then reorder events chronologically. That is the only method; there is no alternative.

Q: Are there tools, simple tricks or methods you use on the road that you find particularly useful for travel and creation?

A: I use techniques from my own manual “Hobo Tourism” (that’s a literal Russian title and is difficult to translate). The most interesting part describes seemingly extreme lodging methods: graveyards, public toilets, police stations, etc. This manual is important to me; much of my exploratory activity is founded on it. There is also an English translation.

Q: Do you encourage more people to go and research scarcely visited regions?

A: No — everyone should do what they are good at and interested in. Dropping everything to copy me is wrong. I wrote a psychological essay, “Learned helplessness of long-distance travel”, about the mindset of people born in the Soviet Union; this may be hard for foreigners to understand.

I’ve also written a new article about my ideas for the “photography exhibition of the future”. By the way, I am the author of a textbook that lists almost every school, style and direction of photographic art. Nowadays most readers dislike long texts, so it is full of illustrations — all of them my own works for interested readers to explore further.

Q: Anything else you’d like to say?

A: I’m not prepared at the moment. Improvisation is impossible; it requires careful thought.

• 
  In Soddo, Ethiopia, 2006
• 
  In Khartoum, Sudan, 2011
• 
  On Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, 2013
• 
  Overnight stay in Kamakura, Japan
• 
  One of the recognitions and honours received for cultural activities
• 
  Teaching session held in hometown: “Low-Cost Global Travel” masterclass
• 
  Visitors view the Vietnam-themed exhibition at Art Night
• 
  Poster for an art night exhibition
• 
  A floating restaurant in Hue

Image: Виктор Пинчук.

This exclusive interview features first-hand journalism by a Wikinews reporter. See the collaboration page for more details.

World Tourism Day Celebrations — UN Tourism, Accessed on October 15 2025

Tuesday, November 4, 2025  

On Saturday, Italy's Dolomites experienced an avalanche. Total dead included five German climbers. The avalanche happened around 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The avalanche happened on Cima Vertana or (Vertainspitze) in the Ortler Alps. Cima Vertana has a 3,545-meter peak, in South Tyrol near the Switzerland border. A father and daughter from a second group of climbers were taken down into a gully and died.

Rescuers said the hikers were climbing very late in the day. Two survivors were air lifted to a hospital in Bolzano. Reports say recent snow drifts did not bond with the under ice, creating the sliding. Another group of three people were buried in the snow and recovered deceased on Saturday evening.

Part of the search was made by Avalanche dogs.

• Dearbail Jordan. Avalanche in Italy kills five including father and daughter — BBC News, November 2, 2025
• Sonja Issel. Five German nationals killed in avalanche in Italy's South Tyrol province — Euro News., November 2, 2025

Tuesday, September 24, 2024  

On Tuesday, a series of coordinated pager explosions occurred in southern Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, in Lebanon, resulting in twelve deaths and 2,800 injuries. According to CNN, the blasts targeted Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. The cause of the explosions was still under investigation. Early evidence suggested the pager explosions were triggered by explosives planted in the pagers, or faulty batteries, Reuters reported. The following day, walkie-talkies, laptops, and radios also exploded, killing 20 people and injuring 450.

Representatives from consulting firms Predicta Lab and Le Beck told CNN that hardware tampering was likely involved in the pager explosions. They ruled out cyber attack as a possible cause. The latter firm suggested the malicious modifications could have been made before shipping the bulk order to the country.

Aljazeera reported that a shipment of pagers was in a port for three months awaiting import paperwork. They also reported that early investigations suggested the pagers included one to three grams of pentaerythritol tetranitrate along with metal balls, presumably added to increase the impact of an explosion.

The attack was allegedly timed to occur before Hezbollah started an investigation into inconsistent battery life of several pagers from the batch, The National (Abu Dhabi) reported.

The pagers were a brand owned by a Taiwanese company called Gold Apollo. On Wednesday, Gold Apollo released a statement saying the AR-924 pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, a company based in the capital of Hungary. Hungarian authorities denied that the pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, CNN reported. The CEO of BAC Consulting KFT told NBC News that the company did not manufacture the pagers, citing its role as "just the intermediate". According to the BBC, records indicated BAC was registered to a building with several organisations registered at the same address—which was not a manufacturing facility for BAC.

Mary Ellen O'Connell, a Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, United States condemned the attacks saying "[w]eaponising an object used by civilians is strictly prohibited", while the UN called for an investigation.

Lebanon's foreign ministry called the incident an "Israeli cyberattack", according to Reuters. Israel did not take responsibility.

The incidents came amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah following the Israel-Hamas War which had began in 2023.

• 2024 Lebanon pager explosions

• Mohamad Ali Harisi. Hezbollah got suspicious, Israel pushed the button: Why pagers exploded in Lebanon at 3.30pm on Tuesday — The National (Abu Dhabi), September 20, 2024
• Tom Bennett. Hezbollah device explosions: The unanswered questions — BBC News Online, September 19, 2024
• Johnson Lai, Bassem Mroue. Lebanon is rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares a 'new phase' of war — AP News, September 19, 2024
• What we know about firm linked to Lebanon pagers — BBC News Online, September 19, 2024
• Mithil Aggarwal, Peter Guo, Dan De Luce, Andrea Mitchell. Who made the exploding pagers? A messy global trail emerges behind deadly Lebanon blasts — NBC News, September 18, 2024
• How did Hezbollah get the pagers that exploded in Lebanon? — Aljazeera, September 18, 2024
• Hezbollah blames Israel after pager blasts kill 9, wound 2,750 in Lebanon — Aljazeera, September 18, 2024
• Ramishah Maruf. We still don't know how the Lebanon pager attack happened. Here's what we do know about our own electronic devices — CNN, September 18, 2024
• What we know about the deadly pager blasts in Lebanon — Reuters, September 18, 2024

Wednesday, September 3, 2025  

Preliminary data released on Friday by Germany's labour market agency, Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA), showed that the national unemployment rate reached 6.4% (or 3.025 million people) in August, up 0.1% from last month. This milestone marks the first time since February 2015 that the three-million mark was reached, according to Deutsche Welle.

According to RTÉ, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 6.3% (2.96 million), decreasing by 9,000 from July. Compared to the previous August, the number of unemployed increased by 153,000, or 0.3%. BA's broader underemployment figure – encompassing both unemployment and short-term work incapacity – stood at 3.634 million, representing an increase of 25,000 from August 2024. The inflation rate rose to 2.1% in August, exceeding the 2.0% estimated by analysts, according to CNBC.

The labour demand in the primary market has been in decline, with 631,000 job openings reported to the agency in August, 68,000 fewer than the same month last year. The monthly Federal Employment Agency Job Index (BA-X), an indicator of labour market demand according to the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, remained unchanged at 98 points.

In a press statement published on Friday, BA director Andrea Nahles stated that the labour market bore the brunt of consecutive years of economic contraction, but that it is beginning to show tentative signs of stabilisation. She also said the figures reflect the struggles faced by the manufacturing sector. According to a report released by professional services firm EY, the car industry alone lost 110,000 jobs in the last 12 months, France 24 reported. Nahles said she expects the typical seasonal recovery in September to improve the situation but cautioned the number of unemployed could again exceed three million during the winter.

• Richard Connor, Rana Taha. German unemployment rises above 3 million — Deutsche Welle, August 29, 2025
• Arbeitsmarkt im August 2025 — Bundesagentur für Arbeit, August 29, 2025 (German)
• Reuters. Number of unemployed people in Germany passes 3 million mark — RTÉ, August 29, 2025
• Agence France-Presse. German unemployment tops 3 million, highest for a decade — France 24, August 29, 2025
• Sophie Kiderlin, Ruxandra Iordache. Higher inflation and unemployment cast shadow over Europe’s biggest economy — CNBC, August 29, 2025

Monday, July 28, 2025  

On Sunday evening, three people were killed after a train carrying over one hundred passengers derailed and crashed in a sylvan area in southwest Germany. Several more were injured in the incident.

The derailment remains under investigation. The number of injured passengers continues to be clarified by local authorities.

The crash occurred at Riedlingen in Baden-Württemberg, close to the city of Ulm and the town of Biberach near Stuttgart.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the derailment. Several reports indicated a landslide had occurred following heavy storms in the area. One source reported local authorities believed an overflowing sewage shaft might have triggered the landslide, scattered debris onto the train tracks. Two of the train's carriages derailed after striking the debris, climbed a sixteen-foot embankment, and came to rest after crashing into trees, according to United Press International (UPI).

German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz addressed the incident on social media. According to a translation by United Press International, he said: "The train accident in the Biberach district is a shock to me. I am in close contact with the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Transport and have asked them to support the rescue services with all means possible. We mourn the victims."

• Emily Atkinson & Bethany Bell. Three killed and others injured in German train derailment — BBC, July 27, 2025
• Stefanie Dazio. At least 3 killed and others injured in train derailment in southern Germany — AP News, July 27, 2025
• Allen Cone. At least 3 dead in train derailment in Germany — UPI, July 27, 2025

Wednesday, July 23, 2025  

In the United Kingdom (UK), the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government unveiled plans on Thursday to lower the voting age to 16, following successful reforms by Scotland and Wales.

According to official data cited by Reuters,the population of 16–17 year olds in the United Kingdom was 1.6 million, compared to the 48 million eligible to vote at the 2024 general election.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told ITV News that he supported the changes for 16 and 17-year-olds, "because they're old enough to go out to work, they're old enough to pay taxes," adding that, "I think if you pay in you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on." Lowering the voting age was a manifesto promise for his party at the 2024 general election.

A poll by Merlin Strategy for ITV News found that 51% of 16–17 year olds supported lowering the voting age to 16, and that 33% of 16–17s would vote Labour. The polling also found that, among respondents in that age group, former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was the most popular of the listed politicians.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticised the move, despite his party polling second place at 20% in that age group, saying that "I don't think you should be able to vote in an election unless you're also eligible to be a candidate, and I don't think 16 year olds should stand for Parliament."

The plans were part of wider electoral reforms announced by the Ministry, including classifying bank cards as a valid form of voter ID, introducing automatic voter registration and restricting political donations.

• YouGov Voting Intention Survey Results — YouGov, July 22, 2025 (PDF)

• Becky Morton, Adam Smith, Jonelle Awomoyi. Voting age to be lowered to 16 by next general election — BBC News Online, July 17, 2025
• Sam Tabahriti, Catarina Demony. UK to lower voting age to 16 in landmark electoral reform — Reuters, July 17, 2025
• Maya Bowles. Half of 16 and 17 year olds don't want the vote, despite government pressing ahead with votes at 16 — ITV News, July 17, 2025
• Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections — Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, July 17, 2025

Wednesday, July 9, 2025  

According to the BBC and Deutsche Welle, one person was killed and 26 others injured after a night of intensive Russian strikes on nearly every district of Kyiv, officials said. The reports said the attacks continued until around 4:30 a.m. local time (0130 UTC) on Friday. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 539 drones and missiles during the assault, the highest number launched in a single attack since the start of the invasion.

Air raid sirens sounded for more than eight consecutive hours as multiple strikes hit Kyiv, which the air force described as the "main target of the strikes" on the Telegram mobile app.

The strikes came hours after a call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which Trump said he was "disappointed" that Putin was not ready to end the war against Ukraine.

According to the BBC, the Kremlin said it would continue the war in Ukraine until it had addressed what it called "the root causes of the war in Ukraine."

• Paul Adams, Jessica Rawnsley. Kyiv hit by barrage of drone strikes as Putin rejects Trump's truce bid — BBC News, July 4, 2025
• Matt Ford, Amy Stockdale, Farah Bahgat, Louis Oelofse with AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters. Ukraine hit by major attack as Trump says Putin won't 'stop' — Deutsche Welle, July 3, 2025

Thursday, June 19, 2025  

On June 16, an international campaign to enhance traffic control started in 34 European countries that are members of the European Road Police Network (ROADPOL). The campaign, scheduled to run through June 22, aimed to enforce laws against driving under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances.

The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that on Friday, June 20, a 24-hour event referred to as an "Alcohol and Drug Marathon" would take place in 34 European countries. During this period, all available breathalyzers and drug detection devices would be used continuously on the roads.

According to the Ministry, between January and May this year, 1,100 drivers were detained for driving under the influence of drugs, and nearly 4,000 were caught operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level above 1.20 per mille (parts per thousand).

• Tanjug. Međunarodna akcija pojačane kontrole saobraćaja u 34 zemlje od danas do 22. juna — euronews, June 16, 2025 (Serbian)
• Police to conduct ‘intensive’ operation to weed out drunk drivers — Cyprus Mail, June 15, 2025

Saturday, June 7, 2025  

A source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed that on Sunday, the agency carried out drone strikes on four military airfields in Russia, damaging more than 40 military aircraft during the operation. Targets of the Ukrainian drone strikes reportedly included the Olenya airbase near Murmansk, and the Belaya air base near Irkutsk.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on Telegram that "a terrorist attack using First-person view (FPV) drones against airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions" had been carried out, adding that "the fires have been extinguished. There are no casualties among military personnel or civilian personnel." According to the Russian defense ministry, the attacks at the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur locations were repelled.

SBU head Vasyl Malyuk said "According to the laws and customs of war, we have worked out absolutely legitimate targets – military airfields and aircraft that bomb our peaceful cities". The attack targeted A-50 surveillance aircraft, strategic bombers including the Tu-22M3, Tu-95 and Tu-160, according to the BBC.

The SBU estimated that over a third of Russian Federation's strategic missile carriers have been hit, amounting to around $7 billion in damages. While the expenditures for the operation on the Ukrainian side have not been publicly quantified, it involved 117 quadcopter drones — a figure alleged by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky — carrying relatively heavy loads, as well as relevant equipment, with each of the FPV drones controlled remotely by its own pilot, and all participants evacuated from the Russian Federation before start of the operation — the Russian drivers of the lorries were unaware of the contents and purpose of their luggage. A source speaking with CNN and briefed on the operation confirmed that the attack was carried out with usage of the Russian telecommunications networks — a small device such as a mobile phone needed to work as the communication hub, connecting the drones and related mechanisms to the remote operators. The drones were hidden inside 'insulation' of the roofs of the "mobile houses", which then were placed onto trucks.

The governor of Irkutsk said that a truck coming from the backend, the drones were deployed into the area. Warplanes in Russia were also on fire at Dyagilevo and Ivanovo airfields, in central Ryazan and Ivanovo areas.

A source from the SBU told ABC News that this operation had been planned for "more than a year and a half". According to a Trump administration official in the United States, they were not given a heads-up about the operation.

• Operation Spider's Web

• Svitlana Vlasova, Victoria Butenko, Tim Lister, Mitchell McCluskey and Helen Regan. Ukraine hits air bases thousands of miles inside Russia in audacious military operation — CNN, June 2, 2025
• Laura Gozzi. How Ukraine carried out daring 'Spider Web' attack on Russian bombers — BBC, June 2, 2025
• David Brennan, Victoria Beaule, Natalia Popova and Oleksiy Pshemyskyi. Ukraine targets 4 Russian airfields in major drone attack, source says — ABC News, June 1, 2025
• Paul Adams, Jaroslav Lukiv. Ukraine says more than 40 Russian warplanes hit in massive drone strikes — BBC, June 1, 2025

Sunday, June 1, 2025  

On Monday, May 26, just after 6pm local time, in Liverpool, England, a motorist, allegedly a 53-year-old man local to the area, drove their Ford Galaxy car into pedestrians at the Liverpool FC trophy parade where hundreds of thousands of people celebrated the Liverpool FC winning the English Premier League football championship. Dave Kitchin from the Northwest Ambulance Service stated that three adults and one child were trapped under the vehicle, and numerous others were injured: altogether, twenty people were treated for minor injuries, and twenty seven had to be taken to the local hospitals, with a few more patients going to the hospitals by themselves. The alleged driver of the car, a white British man, was arrested shortly after the incident; on Thursday, May 29, he, Paul Desmond Sanders Doyle, 53 year old, of Burghill Road, West Derby, has been charged with dangerous driving as well as multiple counts of intending to cause, or wounding with intent to cause, or causing, grievous bodily harm.

"We were contacted at just after 6pm today, Monday 26 May, following reports a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians on Water Street", Merseyside Police said on Monday. "The car stopped at the scene and a male has been detained. Emergency services are currently on the scene." Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims clarified on Tuesday "It is believed the driver of the Ford Galaxy car involved in the incident was able follow an ambulance onto Water Street, after the road block was temporarily lifted so that the ambulance crew could attend to a member of the public who was having a suspected heart attack".

On Thursday, Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims provided an update on the incident "A total of 79 people who were injured continue to be in contact with our officers and staff, and seven people remain in hospital, receiving the expert care of our NHS colleagues. ... I would encourage anyone who has not yet contacted police who may have relevant information to please come forward and contact us. Information, including video footage, can be passed to us via the Major Incident Police Portal As always, my thoughts remain with victims and everyone impacted." Sarah Hammond, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire: "The investigation is at an early stage. Prosecutors and police are continuing to work at pace to review a huge volume of evidence. ... Please allow the legal process to take its course without undue speculation."

United Kingdom's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the incident was "shocking." Liverpool FC is helping with the police about the incident, which happened toward the ending of the parade.

• 2025 Liverpool parade incident

• Water Street update: Liverpool man charged with multiple offences - 29 May 2025 — Merseyside Police, May 29, 2025
• Water Street: Statements from Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims and Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill - 27 May 2025 — Merseyside Police, May 27, 2025
• Police incident - Liverpool city centre - 26 May 2025 <broken link> [archived version] — Merseyside Police, May 26, 2025
• Nicole Brown Chau, Kiki Intarasuwan. Man arrested after car hits people at Liverpool FC trophy parade — CBS News, May 26, 2025
• Meredith Deliso. Driver strikes pedestrians at Liverpool victory parade: Police — ABC News, May 26, 2025

Monday, May 26, 2025  

On May 17, 2025, Nasha Niva announced that Belarusian security forces had apprehended Maksim Lepushenka, the Belarusian-language Wikipedia sysop on May 15, 2025. This became the latest link in a chain of detentions of Belarusian Wikipedians in recent months.

Lepushenka was a highly experienced figure in the Belarusian-language Wikipedia: he was a veteran editor, the sole bureaucrat, and had been a sysop since 2007. Despite his academic focus on the ancient history of Belarus, he devoted considerable time to maintaining order and resolving conflicts within the platform.

Following the detention of the sole bureaucrat, the granting of sysop rights in Belarusian Wikipedia became technically impossible.

In early May 2025, the Belarusian authorities detained Olga Sitnik (nickname - Khomelka), an editor and another sysop of the Belarusian Wikipedia. She was given ten days of administrative arrest and placed in a detention center located in the 1st Okrestina Lane. Authorities had previously detained her on April 17 but later released her. The release date is unknown.

Oleg Yunakov, an active contributor to Russian Wikipedia, shared his comments on the events.

As can be seen from Okrestina article on Russian Wikipedia:

"Okrestina" has become a household name, and the expression "to end up in Okrestina" means "to be detained" or simply "to end up in prison." The term, named after the detention center, has become a symbol of the torture of peaceful citizens who disagreed with the election fraud and participants in the protests in Belarus (2020-2021).

Minsk resident Olga Sitnik, who dedicates herself to raising her three minor children, is an active participant in the Belarusian Wikipedia. In her free time from family responsibilities, she enriches the section with knowledge in the fields of motherhood, culture, and nature. Her contributions were recognized by the community in 2010 when she became a sysop.

These are far from the first and not the only two instances of repressive actions against members of the Belarusian wiki community.

On March 13, 2025, the editor with the nickname Kazimier Lachnovič (real name unknown) disappeared from the information space. In addition to creating articles, he was an sysop (one of four) and a bureaucrat (a user with the ability to grant sysop rights) of the "Tarashkevitsa" section. There are two language sections in Belarus – one in Belarusian and the other in Tarashkevitsa.

In addition to the disappearance of the sysop with the nickname Kazimier Lachnovič, at the end of 2024, a Wikipedia user with the nickname Stary Jolup, who works in the "Tarashkevitsa" section, was detained (though not formally for editing articles). Under Kazimier Lachnovič's activity, the section stated that the state language of Belarus is Belarusian, the flag is white-red-white, and the coat of arms is Pahonia. Lukashenka, who has controlled power for decades, was described as the "head of the occupation administration."

A week after the user with the nickname Kazimier Lachnovič disappeared, propagandist Lyudmila Hladkaya stated in her material that "Wikipedia is a weapon of mass destruction against post-Soviet countries, and the Belarusian section is edited from Poland." The "Nasha Niva" publication suggests that the arrests of several sysops of the Belarusian-language Wikipedia in a short period appear to be interconnected, especially in conjunction with the start of attacks by propagandists, for which there are no obvious reasons. A commentator with the nickname Mkh noted under the "Nasha Niva" article:

They brought order to the media, and now they've turned to Wikipedia. It seems they've just begun the second part of their plan:

1. They expelled all the activists to Poland.
2. Now they're shouting that "the entire Belarusian Wikipedia is edited from Poland."
3. They want to impose their version of "truth" on the youth. They scolded Grisha for extremism on YouTube, and even GUBOPiK (Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption) wasn't scared; as a result, they just barked at YouTube. Wikipedia has another feature: it stores the IP addresses of anonymous "lawyers" in open access. Just "take and go" from house to house.

It's important to note that after 2022, in the Belarusian Wikipedia, the edit history of political articles, which allowed one to see who made the changes, became hidden at the oversight level. This means that the IP addresses and account names of editors are now inaccessible not only to readers and Wikipedia editors but even to the Belarusian section's sysops.

The tactic of concealment was first tried in the Russian-language section, and then followed in the Belarusian one, where it was raised to the level of auditors. As Radio Liberty wrote on the symbolic date of May 9, 2022, regarding the previous high-profile repressions against Belarusian Wikipedians:

"Any of us could end up in the place of Pavel Pernikov and Mark Bernstein," says Oleg Yunakov. "By default, everyone who edits an article remains in the edit history. And if someone previously mentioned their personal data on Wikipedia, then it's possible to link an edit to a person. We in the Arbitration Committee made an unprecedented decision a couple of months ago: to hide all authors of edits in articles on military topics. They remain authors, but they are not visible to outsiders. Therefore, it will be almost impossible to accuse someone now. The problem is that Mark and Pavel were taken before we implemented this."

As a reminder, Mark Bernstein was detained on March 11, 2022, by Belarusian security forces from GUBOPiK, presumably due to his alleged work on the article about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He was charged on March 26 under Article 342.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (organization or participation in actions grossly violating public order), and on June 24, he received a sentence of three years of restriction of freedom. This term expired in January 2025, but Bernstein is still restricted from leaving the country and is required to check in weekly. His arrest caused widespread resonance in the wiki community, and human rights activists recognized Bernstein as a political prisoner.

Human rights activist and editor of several language versions of Wikipedia, Pavel Pernikov, was sentenced on April 7, 2022, by the court of the Moscow district of Brest, presided over by Judge Yevgeny Bregan, to two years of imprisonment in a general regime colony at the request of prosecutor Yelena Tikhanovich. The basis for the verdict was several edits in articles on the Russian and Belarusian Wikipedias, as well as a publication on the website of the International Society for Human Rights. Belarusian human rights activists recognized Pernikov as a political prisoner.

• Задержали администратора белорусской Википедии Максима Лепушенко — Наша Нiва, May 17, 2025 (Russian)
• Администратора белорусской Википедии посадили на сутки — Наша Нiва, May 15, 2025 (Russian)
• Тарашкевица — Википедия, May 15, 2025 (access date) (Russian)
• Бернштейн, Марк Израйлевич <Марк Израйлевич broken link> [[{{{archiveurl}}} archived version]] — Википедия, May 15, 2025 (access date) (Russian)
• Павла Перникова Преследование Павла Перникова — Википедия, May 15, 2025 (access date) (Russian)
• "Никто не будет прогибаться под цензуру". "Википедия" во время войны — Radio Liberty, May 9, 2022 (Russian)

Wednesday, May 21, 2025  

On Wednesday, May 14, at Sheffield Crown Court in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, jurors convicted three UK extremists of "planning an act of terrorism" and other related charges. Arrested in February 2024, Christopher Ringrose, 34 years old, and Marco Pitzettu and Brogan Stewart, both of them 25 years old, had a nine-week trial which began in early March, with the court given evidence including that about over 200 weapons, including crossbows, machetes, and swords found in raids in the residences of the accused in the Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Yorkshire counties.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, stated "Some of their defence in court was that it was all fantasy or just part of harmless chat, however all three took real world steps to plan and prepare for carrying out an attack on innocent citizens." Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford told jurors "It was their belief that there must soon come a time when there would be a race war between the white and other races."

The three men were communicating only online, such as, on Telegram, including channel "Einsatz 14," where the undercover officer was able to infiltrate the group which was led by Stewart. Besides planning an act of terrorism, each of them was also charged with two counts of "collecting information which may be useful to someone preparing an act of terrorism." Also, Ringrose was charged with manufacturing a prohibited weapon, as he had 3D-printed components for a FGC9 semi-automatic firearm and had almost completed it. At a previous hearing, Pitzettu pleaded guilty to obtaining an illegal "stun gun."

The judge, Mrs Justice Cutts, told the convicted: "You must all expect substantial custodial sentences." The sentencing was planned for July 17.

• Three British neo-Nazis convicted of planning attack as part of 'race war' — Reuters, May 15, 2025
• UK neo-Nazis convicted of planning mosque, synagogue 'race war' attack — Aljazeera, May 14, 2025
• Will Conroy. Neo-Nazi extremists guilty of planning terror attacks — LBC, May 14, 2025

Tuesday, May 20, 2025  

A minibus in Bilopillia, Ukraine was hit, with at least nine people dead and four others injured early on Saturday morning local time, said the regional military administration of Sumy.

The bus was traveling toward Sumy near the border of Russia and was hit at around 6:17 a.m. Emergency personnel and police attended to provide assistance.

Based on initial reports, Sumy region's leader, Oleh Hryhorov, stated that a Russian ZALA Lancet drone caused the attack, and characterized the incident as "inhumane".

• Dragana Jovanovic. 9 killed in Russian drone attack on Ukrainian bus after peace talks — ABC 7 Chicago, May 17, 2025
• 9 Killed, 4 Injured In Russian Drone Strike On Passenger Bus: Report — Outlook India, May 17, 2025