Новости за 18.12.2025

"We've passed the recent peak in inflation and it has continued to fall, so we have cut interest rates," BoE governor Andrew Bailey said. The widely expected quarter-point reduction followed a regular policy meeting and came ahead of the European Central Bank's rate decision Thursday. Expectations for the reduction were cemented by official data Wednesday showing Britain's annual inflation rate had slowed more than expected to 3.2 percent in November. Analysts forecast the BoE to cut borrowing... Читать дальше...

Until recently, such scenes would have been unthinkable in the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose strict dress code for women has required they wear the hijab in public since shortly after the 1979 revolution that ousted the pro-Western shah. But while casually flouting the rule has become increasingly common, Iran's leadership insists the hijab is a legal obligation and is implementing a crackdown that has seen dissident figures who oppose the mandatory headscarf detained. The tension has come at... Читать дальше...

PSG won the Intercontinental Cup against Flamengo on penalties (1-1., 2-1 on pens). Jorginho Kvaratskhelia opened the score before halftime, Jorginho equalised from the spot, and Matveï Safonov shone in the shootout with four consecutive saves. Paris claims a sixth trophy in 2025, marking a historic year for the French side.

London-based energy giant BP announced on Wednesday it was appointing Meg O'Neill as CEO starting on April 1. The executive, who has been at the head of Australian group Woodside Energy for the past four years, is expected to focus her efforts on the company's core oil and gas activities in a bid to catch up with rivals. Also in this edition: YouTube gains the rights to broadcast the Oscars ceremony starting in 2029, underlining streaming's increasing power in Hollywood.

The Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 armed group said Wednesday it had begun withdrawing its troops from Uvira, a strategic town in eastern DR Congo that it captured in early December.

As 2025 draws to a close, all year long one question has dogged the most plugged-in of football fanatics: what's up with Gianni Infantino? Why all the cameos by the head of an international sports body at the US president's inauguration, a Middle East peace signing and another for DR Congo and Rwanda?

The 38-year-old, a classical spinner who flights the ball, bowled England's Ben Duckett to reach the milestone of day two of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide -- his 141st Test. It was one of two wickets in a sensational opening over which also accounted for Ollie Pope. "I grew up idolising Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath and these guys in my childhood were my heroes," he said. "And to think of being able to overtake Glenn ... it's pretty humbling to be honest with you, and it's something that I'll look back on at the end of my career... Читать дальше...

The natural disaster affected 2.3 million people, more than 10 percent of Sri Lanka's population, and floods and landslides caused by the cyclone left extensive damage throughout the country. The government convened parliament on Thursday, interrupting a month-long recess, to discuss what President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described as the most challenging natural disaster to hit the island. Dissanayake presented a request for an additional 500 billion rupees ($1.66 billion) for rebuilding devastated homes... Читать дальше...

Thousands of European farmers are converging on Brussels on Thursday to protest against the EU-Mercosur treaty as European leaders meet for a summit. Protesters are worried about the prospect of an influx of South American products into the bloc and the reform of agricultural subsidies.

At stumps on a sweltering day two, the visitors had ground to 213-8, trailing by 158 after Australia added 45 to their overnight 326-8 as temperatures soared to 40 Celsius. A gutsy Ben Stokes was a weary not out 45 after facing a marathon 151 balls in searing heat with Jofra Archer on 30 in a Test England must win and on a pitch ideal for batting. "He's worn out as you can imagine," said England batting coach Marcus Trescothick of Stokes. "Lots of cramping, he's struggling to get the fluids in. Читать дальше...

Thai forces "dropped two bombs in the area of Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey Province" at around 11:00 am (0400 GMT) Thursday, the Cambodian defence ministry said in a statement. Thailand has not yet confirmed any strike on Poipet -- a bustling casino hub popular with Thai gamblers. The renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours this month has killed at least 21 people in Thailand and 17 in Cambodia, while displacing around 800,000, officials said. The conflict stems from a... Читать дальше...

Queen Suthida, the wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, competed in the mixed keelboat SSL47 category, on a 47-foot (14-metre) sailboat with nine other crew members. The queen, 47, served as tactician and helmswoman to lead the Thai team to victory in the waters off Pattaya, ahead of Malaysia and Myanmar. Her gold medal is to be presented to her Thursday by King Vajiralongkorn, 73, whom she married in 2019. A communications graduate, Suthida worked as a flight attendant for Thai Airways before embarking on a career in the military. Читать дальше...

China told the United States on Thursday to "immediately stop" arming Taiwan after Taipei said Washington had authorised a $11 billion weapons package to the island. Approved by the State Department but awaiting congressional approval, the sale would take effect in about a month, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry.

Conway ended the day 178 not out and captain Latham was out just before the close for 137. The pair put on 323, the second highest opening partnership for New Zealand, only bettered by Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis's 387 stand against the West Indies in Georgetown in 1972. It was only the eighth time New Zealand had registered a stand in excess of 300 in Tests. "I'm pretty grateful to be part of that partnership," Conway said of his stand with Latham "A lot of credit needs to go to Tom with the way he played. Читать дальше...

The law means that all social housing estates where more than half of residents are "non-Western" -- previously defined as "ghettos" by the government -- must rebuild, renovate and change the social mix by renting at least 60 percent of the homes at market rates by 2030. Danish authorities, which have for decades advocated a hard line on immigration, say the law is aimed at eradicating segregation and "parallel societies" in poor neighbourhoods that often struggle with crime. In the Mjolnerparken housing estate in central Copenhagen... Читать дальше...

US President Donald Trump gave an address at the White House on Wednesday, attempting to cast his first year back in office as a success, deflecting concerns about the cost of living and offering few new policy details as he looked ahead to the 2026 midterm elections.

Pope Leo has set a more guarded and formal tone than the charismatic Francis but is equally unafraid to speak his mind -- even on sensitive topics like social justice, poverty and immigration. "The pope communicates by how he dresses, his gestures, his signals," Roberto Regoli, an Italian priest and a professor at the Vatican's Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, told AFP. Whereas "Francis's style was very linked to his words" and improvisation, Leo XIV communicates emotions "with his face and his penetrating gaze". Читать дальше...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to visit Brazil on Saturday to sign the so-called Mercosur deal. Over 20 years in the making, the contentious pact would create the world's largest free-trade zone, but has critics up in arms over its far-reaching implications for European farmers. France and Italy oppose the deal currently on the table, as do the thousands of agricultural workers heading to protest in the Belgian capital on Thursday. What is the Mercosur deal? The free-trade... Читать дальше...

Now, it is just the odd "container or two", but that could change if Honduras's next president acts on an election pledge to forge closer ties with Taiwan. The country's decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing and scrap a free trade agreement with Taiwan was a huge blow for the Honduran shrimp industry. Imports plunged from around 13,000 tonnes in 2022 to nearly 4,000 tonnes in 2024, Taiwanese data shows, as 20 percent tariffs made Honduran shrimp more expensive. A diplomatic... Читать дальше...

Following a year-long series of cuts, the central bank for the 20 countries that use the euro has kept its key deposit rate on hold at two percent since July. Inflation has settled around the central bank's two-percent target in recent months and Europe has weathered US President Donald Trump's tariff onslaught better than initially feared, leaving little pressure for rates to move imminently. "There won't be a big surprise under the ECB Christmas tree," Berenberg bank economist Felix Schmidt told AFP. Читать дальше...

The US Senate has confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator, installing a strong advocate of Mars missions to lead the space agency as it faces deep budget cuts and intensifying competition with China to return humans to the Moon.

Hopes for an end-of-year rally have been dealt a blow after the Federal Reserve last week hinted that it could pause its interest rate cuts next month while more questions are being asked about the cash pumped into AI. While the US central bank's three successive rate reductions have provided a boost to equities in the back end of the year, some fear that support will be taken away. Key US inflation data due later Thursday could provide some idea about officials' plans after a jobs report Tuesday provided little clarity. Читать дальше...

"Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge, much more," Albanese told a news conference. The prime minister outlined a suite of measures to target extremist preachers, impose stiffer punishments, and refuse or cancel visas for people who spread "hate and division". As he spoke, mourners gathered for the funeral of a 10-year-old girl among those gunned down while celebrating Hanukkah on Sunday at Sydney's iconic beach. Critics in the... Читать дальше...

It is a battle that some fear they are now losing. Over recent years, large dunes have started encroaching on the land in the village, while rolling desert sands have forced residents to shift further downhill, local pensioner Kakabai Baimedov told AFP. For those who live in the desert -- known as "gumli" in Turkmen -- this has been "very difficult", Baimedov said. "The village of Bokurdak used to be on a hill north of this place. Then, due to the advancing desert, we had to move lower and lower," Baimedov told AFP. Читать дальше...