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The political situation in Albania
The Prime Minister defends Kushner's plans in Albania

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama dismisses criticism of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's plans for a luxury resort in the country.

- If it hadn't been for Jared, they wouldn't have cared in the slightest about what's happening in Albania, Rama tells Politico.

The planned luxury project is to be built on the island of Sazan, a relatively untouched natural area, and has led to widespread protests from a movement that has come to be called the "Flamingo Revolution".

The name refers to the flamingos that live in the area and that critics fear may be threatened by the exploitation.

However, Rama dismisses the concerns and tells Politico that the project will not harm the flamingo population. According to him, the protests have also been reinforced by people who hate Trump.

Greenland crisis  US threats
Ambassador: Trump never threatened to invade Greenland

Donald Trump has never threatened to invade Greenland. That is a misunderstanding, says US EU Ambassador Andrew Puzder according to Politico.

– It was interpreted as if we were somehow threatening the territorial integrity of Greenland, says Puzder.

Trump has said several times that he wants Greenland to become part of the US and he has not ruled out the possibility of using military means. Earlier this year, this led to a major crisis between the US and Europe.

But Puzder likens the European reactions to buying a cappuccino.

– You buy it for the coffee, not the foam. So let's focus on the coffee, not the foam. A lot of this is foam. 

The murder of Henry Nowak
Starmer on Vance's criticism: "It's getting in the way of our democracy"

Earlier in the day, US Vice President JD Vance came out and criticized Britain's handling of the murder of teenager Henry Nowak. In a post on X, he blames the murder on “mass migration.”

Now Prime Minister Keir Starmer is responding.

“In recent days, we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy, with the aim of creating division on our streets,” says a spokesperson for Starmer.

Furthermore, the spokesperson says that Henry Nowak’s family has said that they do not want his death to be used to create hatred or tension in society.

The climate threat Global challenges
Important mangrove forests around the world are doing better

The world’s coastal mangrove forests, which protect millions of people from storms and absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, have recovered in a way that surprises scientists, reports the BBC.

For several decades, the swampy mangrove forests have been steadily decreasing in size due to deforestation for fishing and human expansion. But new protection rules combined with the forests' incredible resilience mean that growth since 2010 has been greater than loss.

Mangrove forests are identified as a key factor in the fight against climate change as they can store more than five times as much carbon dioxide as forests on land. Their extensive root system binds soil and protects against erosion and tsunamis, while also providing home to a multitude of marine species. 

International Space Station ISS
Air leak on the space station – repairs suspended

An air leak has occurred on the International Space Station ISS, reports Sky News. It initially prompted Nasa to prepare an evacuation, but after about an hour the repair was put on hold.

The leak is in the Russian part of the space station. According to Nasa, cracks and leaks have been a problem they have been monitoring for a long time. A source tells Reuters that the leak worsened dramatically this week.

On Friday afternoon, NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens announced that the astronauts on the ISS had been ordered to take safety measures such as heading to their space capsule. But shortly afterwards it became clear that the repair work had been paused while more data was collected. The astronauts have been given the go-ahead to return to their normal work.

Gang violence in El Salvador
Gang leaders in El Salvador could face 25,000 years in prison

Several leaders of the criminal gang MS-13 in El Salvador could be sentenced to several thousand years in prison during the ongoing mass trial of gang criminals in the country, writes AFP.

A total of 485 people are accused of a total of around 47,000 crimes. 22 of the accused are considered to have leadership positions. They were previously convicted of other crimes but have now been charged with an additional 29,000 murders that MS-13 has been behind.

– These people will definitely never leave prison. They will not even live long enough to serve the sentence they will be sentenced to, says Max Munoz, assistant prosecutor against organized crime.

He mentions, for example, 47-year-old Borromeo Henriquez, who is already serving an 87-year prison sentence but could have his sentence extended by between 15,000 and 25,000 years.

Violence in Somalia
Government regains control in Mogadishu

Somali security forces have regained control of two districts in the capital Mogadishu after violent clashes between government forces and militias with links to the opposition, Reuters reports.

The fighting broke out ahead of planned protests against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose term ended last month. The protests never took place.

The government says militias have been disarmed through military operations, while residents in the area say calm has returned after mediation with clan elders.

Turkish fishing boat attacked in the Black Sea – one dead

One person has been killed and four injured after a Turkish fishing boat in the Black Sea was attacked, the Turkish coast guard said according to AFP.

The boat is said to have been attacked just west of the Russian-occupied Crimea.

The fishing boat is said to have sunk. The Turkish coast guard did not share further details about the attack, nor did it say who was behind it.