These are the best Christmas cruises to book this festive season

The Independent - Oct 7, 2026

It’s not too late to spend Christmas on a cruise this year

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Trump to speak to Putin on plague as US, UN urge transparency

Oct 7, 2026

Trump to speak to Putin on plague as US, UN urge transparency

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would speak very soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the reported plague death of a laboratory technician, as Washington and the United Nations called for transparency from Moscow. Russian authorities denied that they were imposing anti-plague measures and played down the reports of an incident at a plague research institute in Siberia's Irkutsk region last week. But Washington is showing growing concern, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling on Russia to be open about the situation. The World Health Organization issued a similar appeal Tuesday. "We encourage Russia to be transparent and share more information with the world so that all of us could react accordingly and appropriately," Rubio said during a trip to Iceland. Trump later said he would be speaking to Putin about what happened. "I have a call scheduled, yes," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he had spoken to Putin on the issue yet, adding that it would happen "very soon." Asked what US intelligence agencies were saying about the situa

California couple arrested on child abuse charges in horrifying surrogacy probe

Oct 7, 2026

California couple arrested on child abuse charges in horrifying surrogacy probe

LOS ANGELES — An extremely wealthy Chinese immigrant and his wife amassed a brood of 21 children through a surrogacy scheme and raised them in a “house of horrors,” prosecutors alleged Tuesday. Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, were arrested at their sprawling mansion in Arcadia, a city about 13 miles (20 kilometers) northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The children suffered daily beatings from cruel nannies as the couple watched over a network of surveillance cameras and laughed, according to prosecutors. The couple allegedly recruited women across the country to serve as surrogates, promising them that they were just looking for another child to grow their family. The couple face several counts of child abuse as well as conspiracy to commit child abuse, accessory after the fact and dissuading a witness, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. “This case is unprecedented. It is horrific,” he said during a morning news conference. “The physical abuse, beating and punishment that these very young children received is despicable.” In an afternoon c

Iran-backed Houthis claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Aden airport

Oct 7, 2026

Iran-backed Houthis claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Aden airport

CAIRO — Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Wednesday claimed attacks on military facilities and airports in neighboring Saudi Arabia as the escalation deepened the latest front in the Iran war and threatened a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said on social media that the rebels launched ballistic missiles and drones in the attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in the capital, Riyadh, but didn’t provide evidence. Flights to and from the airport were briefly disrupted, according to Flightradar24, a tracking platform. Saree said Abha airport, a frequent target of Houthi drones and missiles, was targeted. The rebels also claimed to have hit an air base in the city of Khamis Mushait and two military bases Najran and Asir. All are in southwestern Saudi Arabia and near the border with Yemen. The spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said they intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile north of Riyadh. Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces

Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities kill at least 8

Oct 7, 2026

Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities kill at least 8

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian missiles and drones hit residential and civilian sites in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight into Wednesday, killing at least eight people, Ukrainian officials said. The attacks came the morning after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on X that Russia was preparing a massive strike. In the northern city of Pryluky, in the Chernihiv region, a missile struck a high-rise apartment building, and there were reports of dead and injured, said Viacheslav Chaus, head of the regional military administration. All services were at the site, and rubble removal was ongoing. At least four people were killed there and 20 injured, including three children, according to preliminary information from the State Emergency Service. Chaus posted photos showing one entrance of the apartment building partially collapsed. In Kyiv, ballistic missiles hit the capital, with explosions heard across the city center at around 3 a.m., and two people were killed, the city military administration said. A rocket struck a nonresidential building in Kyiv’s Podilskyi district and sparked a

School protests sweeping France cause 'heaviest toll in decades'

Oct 7, 2026

School protests sweeping France cause 'heaviest toll in decades'

STRASBOURG/LYON/PARIS — Demonstrations swept across France on Tuesday as teachers and parents took to the streets with high school pupils on the biggest day of what Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu described as the most violent student demonstrations in decades. Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent groups on the fringes of marches in Paris, Strasbourg, Rennes and Toulouse, among other cities. The marches drew more than 250,000 people in dozens of cities, the interior ministry said, though organisers said 450,000 had participated. The protests, in which a teenager lost a hand on Monday, were the latest manifestation of public anger in a country where support for populist parties on the far right and far left has surged ahead of a presidential election in the spring. The government is under pressure to tame public debt amid weak growth, and has struggled with basic tasks such as passing a budget since President Emmanuel Macron's allies lost their majority in a 2024 parliamentary vote. Lecornu told lawmakers at least 215 teenagers and 85 school staff had so far been

US military on Okinawa face curfew, alcohol ban after murder case

Oct 7, 2026

US military on Okinawa face curfew, alcohol ban after murder case

TOKYO — U.S. forces on Okinawa were on Wednesday barred from drinking alcohol for 48 hours and also face a 30-day curfew after the murder of a woman allegedly committed by an American Marine. The case has triggered outrage in Japan, where any crimes involving U.S. forces have long inflamed criticism of the troops' presence. The governor of Okinawa, where the bulk on the 54,000 U.S. military personnel are based in Japan, is due to meet the Japanese premier on Wednesday to voice his concerns. Benjamin T. Watson, Okinawa area coordinator and commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force, announced a "complete prohibition of alcohol consumption on or off base" starting Wednesday. Watson said that the 48-hour period — described as "an operational pause" — would give commanders the time to lead training with all service members on "standards, discipline, and our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan community." During this period, operations will cease and "we will not allow off-base liberty," said Watson in a statement posted on X late Tuesday. The lieutenant general, the mos

Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to Kagan and Soai for research solving 'mirror image' mystery

Oct 7, 2026

Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to Kagan and Soai for research solving 'mirror image' mystery

STOCKHOLM — Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their efforts to resolve mysterious mirror images in chemical molecules, a discovery that transformed modern medicine. Many molecules of life come in versions that look alike but aren’t exactly identical, like right and left hands. One mirror image of the chemical carvone smells like mint, for example, while the other has a whiff of caraway. When designing drugs to treat diseases, scientists want to be choosy about which mirror image they’re getting. They want the version of a molecule that’ll treat a cold, not the kind that’ll make the sniffles worse. Kagan and Soai found ways to make chemistry pick a side, designing and manipulating reactions to produce the desired mirror image. “This is probably the coolest experiment in organic chemistry,” said Peter Somfai, a member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. “Taken together, the groundbreaking discoveries by Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have reshaped our understanding of molecular chirality — how it is created, amplified and transmitt

Russia plague scare: 200 quarantined, 5,000 tests, no confirmed cases, no epidemic risk; — latest updates

Oct 7, 2026

Russia plague scare: 200 quarantined, 5,000 tests, no confirmed cases, no epidemic risk; — latest updates

Here are the latest updates following the initial plague scare in Siberia: Russia has ruled out an epidemic risk, while the WHO continues to seek more information about the laboratory worker’s unexplained death.

Vance: Iran must make 'meaningful' enrichment reduction to end war

Oct 7, 2026

Vance: Iran must make 'meaningful' enrichment reduction to end war

Iran must do something “meaningful” related to their stockpile of enriched uranium to make progress in nuclear negotiations with the U.S., Vice President Vance said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. Iran’s claim of a right to enrichment is a key sticking point in negotiations over its nuclear program. While Iran says it does...

Opposition vs Gyanesh Kumar: Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi forcibly removed, detained during INDIA bloc protest in Delhi

Oct 7, 2026

Opposition vs Gyanesh Kumar: Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi forcibly removed, detained during INDIA bloc protest in Delhi

Congress leaders, including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, were forcibly removed by police while protesting against Election Commission irregularities. Priyanka claimed mistreatment by police, calling it an attack on democracy. The MPs were detained after attempting to stage a sit-in near Jantar Mantar.

What we know about espionage, treason allegations against Germany's ex-spy chief

Oct 7, 2026

What we know about espionage, treason allegations against Germany's ex-spy chief

A court on Wednesday ordered the former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service August Hanning to remain in pretrial detention after his arrest on suspicion of espionage and treason, along with a former deputy who allegedly supplied him with secret files. Here's what we know about one of the biggest security breaches in German history.

Poland school attack injures eight, 19-year-old arrested near Ostroleka campus

Oct 7, 2026

Poland school attack injures eight, 19-year-old arrested near Ostroleka campus

Poland school attack injures eight, 19-year-old arrested near Ostroleka campus

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