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The folk song “Frog Went a-Courtin’” recounts the efforts of a sword- and pistol-toting frog to woo a mouse, who warns him that without the consent of her Uncle Rat she “wouldn’t marry the president.” The courtship rituals of Darwin’s frogs, in the cool, temperate rainforests of southern South America, are not nearly as conditional. … Read more
A teenage motorist who was arrested following a fatal road crash in Letterkenny, County Donegal, on St Patrick’s Day has been released without charge. A man in his 60s, named locally as Anthony Gallagher, died after he and his brother, who is also in his 60s, were hit by a car on Lower Main Street … Read more
Tim Dodd Climate and science reporter NASA The crew aboad the International Space Station sent Christmas greetings last year and enjoyed a space-food festive “feast” Voting, enjoying Christmas dinner and keeping fit in zero gravity – that’s just some of what has kept Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams busy during their prolonged stay on the … Read more
Two Nasa astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since last June have begun their journey back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon flight. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were sent on an eight-day mission that turned into a nine-month stint following technical issues with their Boeing Starliner capsule. The trip back home is … Read more
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become one of the few world leaders to join Truth Social, the social media platform owned by US President Donald Trump. In his first post on Monday, Modi shared a photo with Trump taken in Houston, Texas, during his 2019 US visit and said he was “delighted” to be … Read more
Rayhan Demytrie South Caucasus correspondent Reuters Bidzina Ivanishvili is beloved by some Georgians and loathed by others Most of the villagers in Chorvila in north-west Georgia adore Bidzina Ivanishvili, their proudest son who’s widely seen as the country’s real man in power. It’s a picture postcard settlement where the roads are good, the houses well-maintained … Read more
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research arm, firing as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists, according to documents reviewed by Democrats on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. The strategy is part of large-scale layoffs, known as a “reduction in force,” being planned by the Trump … Read more
Sean Coughlan Royal correspondent, BBC News Getty Images King Charles is visiting Rome next month, on a state visit King Charles III and Queen Camilla are going ahead with the state visit to Italy and the Vatican, including plans for a meeting with Pope Francis. The Pope has been ill – but Buckingham Palace says … Read more
Frank Gardner Security correspondent Reuters Germany has been Europe’s main donor of weapons to Ukraine What happens today, here in Berlin, will impact the entire future of Europe’s defence and its ongoing support for Ukraine. Germany’s Parliament, the Bundestag, is voting on whether to take the brakes off defence spending. This could pave the way … Read more
The Israeli military says it is carrying out “extensive strikes” in the Gaza Strip. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was targeting what it called “terror targets” belonging to Hamas. Three houses were hit in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, a building in Gaza City, and targets in Khan Younis and … Read more