Campaign groups welcome move on deep-sea mining
By Martin Banks Campaigners have welcomed a decision by the Norwegian Parliament to stop all plans for deep-sea mining in Arctic waters until the current parliamentary period ends in fall 2029.
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ENVIRONMENT
December 4, 2025 -
EUROPE 
December 4, 2025 Christmas concert at city’s cathedral
By Martin Banks Christmas is coming and that means the annual festive concert at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels.
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HISTORY
December 4, 2025 4 December 2025: This day in history
1534: Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent occupies Baghdad 1563: Council of Trent holds its last session after 18 years, the last ecumenical council for more than 300 years Famous and historically inaccurate painting of the English Pilgrims and Native American Wampanoag gathering and sharing a mealThe First Thanksgiving 1619: Thirty-eight colonists from Berkeley Parish, England, […]
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WORLD
December 3, 2025 Rare global attention firmly focused on Sudan’s disastrous conflict
By Martin Banks Recent events have led to fresh calls for the U.S. and its Arab allies should step up efforts to halt the carnage.
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EUROPE
December 3, 2025 Six of the best for the festive season
By Martin Banks You might be craving for Christmas and its comforts.
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TOURISM
December 3, 2025 Top award for leading airline
By Martin Banks Emirates has been awarded ‘Best Long-Haul Airline 2025’.
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HISTORY
December 3, 2025 3 December 2025: This day in history
1586: Sir Thomas Herriot introduces potatoes to England from Colombia 1854: Eureka Stockade: In what is claimed by many to be the birth of Australian democracy, more than 20 goldminers at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licences 1967: South African surgeon Dr. Christiaan Barnard performs the world’s first […]
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EUROPE
December 2, 2025 Roma community “Oscar” winner says: “I finally belong”
By Martin Banks A Romani-Bosnian artist who seeks to empower Roma communities through both her cultural and social work has won a top cultural prize.
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CYPRUS
December 2, 2025 Cyprus’s re-election to the IMO Council a major success
The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) elected 40 Member States to form its Council for the next two-year term, 2026–2027. The elections were completed on Friday during the proceedings of the Organization’s 34th Assembly, held at its headquarters in London. Cyprus was re-elected, ranking 7th, compared to 12th place in the previous election.
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GEOPOLITICS
December 2, 2025 Greece joins EU defense program
Greece joined 18 other European Union member-states in submitting national plans Sunday for the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) program, which offers low-interest loans to strengthen European defense capabilities.
