WHO says millions of Afghans at risk as fragile health system faces funding shortfall
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Afghanistan is facing a worsening humanitarian and health crisis in 2025, with millions of returni...
Telegram founder Pavel Durov stated on Saturday that he refused a request from French intelligence chief Nicolas Lerner to block Romanian conservative voices on the messaging platform ahead of the country’s presidential runoff election.
Writing on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Durov alleged:
“This spring at the Salon des Batailles in the Hotel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of elections. I refused. We didn’t block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won’t start doing it in Europe.”
Earlier in the day, Durov had made a general claim that a Western European government had requested Telegram to "silence conservative voices in Romania," but had not initially named the country or official involved.
The statement comes on the same day Romania held its runoff presidential election, a repeat vote following a Constitutional Court decision that annulled the original result of November 24, 2024. The court had halted the process citing concerns over alleged illegal campaign financing by nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu, cybersecurity threats, and unproven claims of Russian interference.
Durov’s public comments are likely to intensify scrutiny around foreign involvement and digital influence in electoral processes across Europe. Telegram has previously faced pressure from multiple governments to moderate content or block opposition voices, particularly in politically sensitive contexts. However, Durov has consistently positioned the platform as a pro-free speech alternative, emphasizing non-cooperation with political censorship.
Neither the French government nor the Romanian authorities have issued an official response to Durov’s allegations as of the time of reporting.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
Music mega-star Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce announced their engagement. “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married," the couple wrote in a joint Instagram post, alongside photos of Kelce proposing to Swift in a garden of pink and white flowers.
Russia has supported Azerbaijan and Armenia’s decision to dissolve the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, stating that the structure will be terminated by the end of 2025.
The Israeli military announced on Friday that Gaza City will no longer be covered by its limited daily humanitarian pause, citing the area as a "dangerous combat zone."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is highlighting Türkiye’s push for homegrown air defence, as the country develops new systems and deepens defence ties internationally.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has agreed to the visit by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) simply to monitor refuelling of its Bushehr nuclear power plant warning that return of nuclear sanctions will negatively affect its limited cooperation.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev welcomed Magdalena Grono, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus in Baku on Thursday.
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