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The political situation in Albania
“We are not criminals – we just want a better life”

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is calling for calm following several days of violent protests, AFP reports.

Protests against the government have been ongoing for months, and this week they have intensified due to dissatisfaction with the education system. Demonstrators have attacked government buildings in the capital, Tirana, and police have responded with tear gas.

“We are not criminals. We just want a better life for ourselves and our parents,” says 18-year-old student Ledia.

Revelations regarding German espionage
Analysis: German spy scandal could have unforeseen consequences

The scandal surrounding Germany’s former intelligence chief, August Hanning, is growing. Foreign correspondents from *The Guardian* and the American public broadcaster NPR agree that the revelations could have major—and as yet unknown—consequences.

Rob Schmitz of NPR states that suspicions point to Hanning having sold German intelligence data, seemingly with no restraint whatsoever. There is, therefore, a significant risk that intelligence information from other countries has also fallen into the wrong hands.

“It will not be easy to restore public trust,” says Rob Schmitz. Deborah Cole of *The Guardian* notes that the espionage activities came to light after police discovered intelligence documents in the possession of a criminal organization suspected of involvement in child abductions. "A series of troubling questions has been raised following the allegations of betrayal," she writes.

The climate threat  Bear attacks in Japan
Researchers: Behavior of some bears is completely abnormal

Last year, 238 people were injured by bears in Japan. Thirteen of them died, and the trend for 2026 suggests that last year’s record will be surpassed, *The Washington Post* reports.

Driving this trend are the climate threat and urbanization, which have reduced the foraging grounds available to Japan’s bears. As a result, the animals are entering villages and towns in search of food, leading to encounters with humans.

"Some bears are now exhibiting behavior that goes beyond what we previously considered normal," says Kiyoshi Yamauchi, a wildlife management researcher at Iwate University.

Advances in genetic research
Researchers cloned a horse – could do the same with a human: "Very simple"

Chilean researchers who cloned a horse state in an interview with *El País* that performing the same procedure on a human would not be particularly complicated.

"The only obstacle is ethical," says Lleretny Rodríguez. When she and her colleague Fidel Ovidio Castro recently oversaw the birth of a foal named Capacidad 01, it was the result of an embryo implanted from a polo horse named Capacidad. The outcome was an offspring genetically identical to the original horse. Lleretny Rodríguez points out that although many seem to believe that cloning a human would be more complicated, that is not the case—at least not in a laboratory setting. "It is very simple to culture human embryos."

The issue is controversial, not least because of concerns regarding what the technology could be used for.

Russia: “644 Ukrainian drones intercepted”

Russia claims to have intercepted 644 Ukrainian drones overnight, according to the country’s Ministry of Defence.

The drones were reportedly shot down over 26 Russian regions—including the region surrounding the capital—as well as over the occupied Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea.

In recent days, U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to cease its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. In an interview with the American television network Newsmax on Thursday evening, he launched a verbal attack against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to be dealing with. He says he wants to make a deal, but he doesn’t,” Trump said.

Russia also carried out attacks against Ukraine overnight, according to Ukrainian air defenses.