The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule dubbed Freedom, was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, along Florida’s Atlantic Coast

International News via Reuters:

A SpaceX rocket lifted off from Florida early on Friday with a crew of two U.S. NASA astronauts, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut headed to the International Space Station for an eight-month science mission in Earth orbit.

The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule dubbed Freedom, was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, along Florida’s Atlantic Coast, at about 5:15 a.m. EST (1015 GMT).

A live NASA-SpaceX webcast showed the 25-story-tall vehicle rising from the launch tower as its nine Merlin engines roared to life, gulping 700,000 gallons of fuel per second, emitting clouds of vapor and a reddish fireball that lit up the predawn sky.

The four crew were set to reach the space station on Saturday afternoon after a 34-hour flight, docking with the orbiting laboratory platform some 250 miles (420 km) above Earth.

The mission, designated Crew-12, marks the 12th long-duration ISS team that NASA has flown aboard a SpaceX launch vehicle since the private rocket venture founded in 2002 by billionaire Elon Musk began sending U.S. astronauts to orbit in May 2020.

Crew-12 was led by Jessica Meir, 48, a veteran astronaut and marine biologist on her second trip to the space station, nearly seven years after making history with NASA colleague Christina Koch by completing history’s first all-female spacewalk.

Joining her was Jack Hathaway, 43, a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot and rookie astronaut; European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, 43, a master helicopter pilot from France; and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, a former military pilot on his second mission to the ISS.

Upon arrival, the team will get busy with a host of scientific, medical and technical research tasks in microgravity, according to NASA.

Those include studies of pneumonia-causing bacteria to improve treatments on Earth, and experiments with plant and nitrogen-fixing microbe interactions to boost food production in space.

Crew-12 will be welcomed aboard the space station by three current ISS occupants – NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev.

Four Crew-11 members who were supposed to have stayed aboard until the arrival of Crew-12 departed a few weeks early, when an undisclosed serious health condition affecting one forced an unprecedented medical evacuation flight home in mid-January.

The ISS, which spans the length of a football field and ranks as the largest human-made object in space, has been continuously operated by a U.S.-Russian-led consortium that includes Canada, Japan and 11 European countries.

The first hardware for the outpost was launched more than a quarter century ago. It was conceived as part of a multinational venture to improve ties between Washington and Moscow following the Soviet Union’s collapse and the end of Cold War rivalries that spurred the original U.S.-Soviet space race in the 1950s and 1960s.

NASA has said it is committed to keeping the space station operating until the end of 2030.

Reporting by xxxxx in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Clarence Fernandez

Leaders met yet again on Thursday to brainstorm about ways to survive aggressive economic rivalry from the U.S. and China

International News via Reuters:

The EU’s trade surplus kept shrinking, data showed on Friday, as tariffs weighed on exports to the U.S. and rising Chinese imports crowded out domestic production, highlighting existential threats to the bloc’s economic model.

Shifting trade and political relations with the world’s biggest powers have been squeezing Europe for years, and leaders met yet again on Thursday to brainstorm about ways to survive aggressive economic rivalry from the U.S. and China.

The European Union’s trade surplus fell to 12.9 billion euros in December from 13.9 billion a year earlier as machinery and vehicle sales, the engine of export growth for years, kept falling, and chemicals sales were also down.

Exports to the U.S., the bloc’s biggest export market, fell by 12.6% from a year earlier, pushing down the surplus by a third to 9.3 billion euros, while the bloc’s trade deficit with China rose to 26.8 billion euros from 24.5 billion.

Exports have been volatile since the U.S. announced a raft of tariffs in early 2025 but, smoothed for this volatility, the trend shows significantly lower sales as higher prices force U.S. importers to either cut purchases or source their products from elsewhere.

Economists say it will take years for Europe to regain this lost market, leaving a large gap in the economy as net exports have been the key plank in growth and the euro zone is now facing years of expansion barely above 1% per year.

Still, the domestic economy appears to be resilient to the trade shock for now as AI-related investments and domestic consumption are kicking into higher gear, keeping GDP growth at a modest but still respectable rate.

In the final quarter of 2025, the euro zone grew by 0.3%, in line with a preliminary estimate, Eurostat said in a separate release.

In another hopeful sign, employment in the euro zone rose by 0.2% over the previous quarter, holding steady from three months earlier.

Some optimism is also fuelled by rising domestic spending, particularly in Germany, where the government is boosting investment into defence and infrastructure, two long-neglected areas.

This spending is slow to pick up pace but should already lift second quarter figures and be at full speed by the end of the year.

The bloc’s external economic challenges could also kick start long-stalled reform efforts at home and the European Central Bank estimates that breaking down external barriers could offset trade lost to U.S. tariffs.

Reporting by Balazs Koranyi

Kos said the commission was reviewing funding for Serbia under the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, aimed at aligning the region to EU rules and ultimately bringing countries such as Serbia into the bloc

International News via Reuters:

The European Union could withhold funds from a 1.6 billion euro allocation of loans and grants to Serbia, after Belgrade passed laws that are “eroding trust” in its commitment to the rule of law, the bloc’s enlargement commissioner said.

Reforms to centralise the judiciary that came into force this week brought criticism from judges and prosecutors who see them as bolstering President Aleksandar Vucic’s hold on power, weakening the fight against organised crime and undermining Serbia’s bid to join the EU.

“These amendments are eroding trust. It is becoming harder for those in Brussels who are willing to advance with Serbia to make their case,” EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said in emailed comments to Reuters late on Thursday.

Kos said the commission was reviewing funding for Serbia under the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, aimed at aligning the region to EU rules and ultimately bringing countries such as Serbia into the bloc. Serbia was allocated 1.6 billion euros of loans and grants under the programme.

“These (funds) contain preconditions linked to the rule of law,” she said. 

Serbia began official talks to join the EU in 2014 but widespread corruption and weak institutions have slowed progress. 

The judicial reforms include limiting the mandate of chief public prosecutors and granting court presidents – responsible for court administration – greater powers over judges. Critics fear the reforms will erode judges’ independence and jeopardise high-level corruption cases overseen by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime.

The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. The justice ministry has said that the new laws will make the judiciary more efficient by streamlining the decision-making process.

Since the backlash, Serbia has requested the opinion of the Venice Commission, a panel of constitutional law experts of the Council of Europe, a human rights body. 

“Once that opinion is issued, we expect these laws to be revised accordingly and in an inclusive manner,” Kos said.

Reporting by Edward McAllisterEditing by Peter Graff

Business is booming for marriage proposal planners in Paris, dubbed the “City of Love,” with love-struck couples paying thousands of euros for bespoke proposal experiences

International News via Reuters:

When Texan Josue Perales brought his girlfriend Kayla Balboa to Paris, she thought it was just a romantic getaway. Instead, he had hired a marriage proposal planning agency to set up a dreamy scene overlooking the Eiffel Tower, complete with white roses and candles, to seek her hand in marriage.

The result? A tearful “yes” from Balboa.

“She’s always been mentioning how this is her dream. I would always say, ‘no, no’,” Perales told Reuters moments after getting down on one knee. “She wasn’t expecting it at all.”

Business is booming for marriage proposal planners in Paris, dubbed the “City of Love,” with love-struck couples paying thousands of euros for bespoke proposal experiences. For many, Valentine’s Day is the busiest of the year.

Proposal packages at Les Entremetteuses (The matchmakers), which curated Perales’ engagement, start at 590 euros ($699.56)for a proposal on the banks of the river Seine with ‘Marry Me’ letters, rose petals and candles. On average, their clients splurge between 1,500 and 2,000 euros, forking out extra for prime locations, champagne and more elaborate decorations.

Kiss Me in Paris has carved out a niche in the luxury market. It mostly organises highly choreographed proposals in high-end hotels, aboard yachts on the Seine, or in French castles. Its clients will pay up to 100,000 euros for that magical moment, often full-day experiences.

“To just be able to, in your social circles, say, ‘We got engaged in Paris’ is great,” said Cengiz Ozelsel, co-founder and president of Kiss Me in Paris. “It has prestige; it has cachet.”

Ozelsel and his wife, Chantelle Marie Streete, say annual bookings have doubled since 2015 as couples increasingly seek “Instagrammable” moments.

Social media and popular shows like Netflix’s “Emily in Paris” and events such as the Paris 2024 Olympics, have boosted the city’s global visibility as a proposal hotspot.

A 2023 study by France’s National Centre of Cinema and pollster IFOP showed one in 10 tourists decided to visit France after seeing it featured in a film or series, with “Emily in Paris” influencing 38% of respondents.

The 2024 Paris Olympics, a dazzling summertime event that charmed a global audience and showcased the city’s landmarks, had also provided a post-Covid boost, Les Entremetteuses founder Pauline Le Tendre said.

For Perales, it was money well spent to take the stress out of setting up his big moment.

“It was so much easier,” he said, than organising it all himself.

($1 = 0.8434 euros)

Reporting by Manuel Ausloos; Editing by Richard Lough and Susan Fenton

Taylor, a leading figure in the party’s conservative wing and the son of a fourth-generation sheep farmer, defeated Ley in a ballot of Liberal members of parliament by 34 votes to 17

International News via Reuters:

Australia’s opposition Liberal Party on Friday elected former Energy Minister Angus Taylor as its new leader, replacing Sussan Ley, as the conservatives seek to rebuild less than a year after a heavy election defeat by the centre-left Labor Party.

Taylor, a leading figure in the party’s conservative wing and the son of a fourth-generation sheep farmer, defeated Ley in a ballot of Liberal members of parliament by 34 votes to 17.

Taylor now faces the challenge of reviving support for Liberals, which has continued to erode since the May election. Recent opinion polls indicate the opposition coalition has lost a significant number of its voters to far-right populist Senator Pauline Hanson and her anti-immigration party, One Nation.

Two separate polls in January showed One Nation’s primary vote had overtaken that of the coalition.

Speaking to reporters, Taylor acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead, saying the Liberals’ position was the worst ever and acknowledging the party might not exist if an election were held now.

“The choice is simple for the Liberal Party: change or die, and I choose change,” Taylor said.

He said his core focus would be restoring living standards for Australians, tightening immigration rules and opposing the Labor government’s tax and spending policies that he said were increasing inflation and keeping interest rates high.

Migrants who do not believe in democracy, Australia’s rule of law and basic freedoms, should be prevented from migrating, he said. “The truth is that some people do not want to change in order to fit with our core values.” 

Following her defeat, Ley said she would resign from parliament, triggering a byelection in her rural New South Wales seat of Farrer, which she has held since 2001.

A former outback pilot who once mustered livestock, Ley made history in May by becoming the first woman to lead the Liberals after the party’s election rout but her tenure lasted only 276 days, the second-shortest in the party’s history.

Opinion polls in recent months showed Ley’s popularity falling amid infighting, both within the Liberal Party and with its National Party coalition partner, over issues including action on climate change, hate speech laws and immigration.

Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Chris Reese, Deepa Babington and Lincoln Feast

Brent crude futures gained 29 cents, or 0.4%, to $67.81 a barrel by 0958 GMT after falling 2.7% in the previous session

International News via Reuters:

Oil prices edged higher on Friday but were on track for a second weekly decline as concerns receded over the risks of a U.S.-Iran conflict that could affect supply.

Brent crude futures gained 29 cents, or 0.4%, to $67.81 a barrel by 0958 GMT after falling 2.7% in the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 25 cents, or 0.4%, to $63.09 after a 2.8% decline the previous day.

Both benchmarks are poised to register weekly declines, with Brent and WTI set to drop by 0.3% and 0.7% respectively. 

Prices had strengthened earlier in the week on concerns that the U.S. could attack Middle Eastern oil producer Iran over its nuclear programme. But comments on Thursday from U.S. President Donald Trump that the U.S. could make a deal with Iran over the next month drove down prices on Thursday.

Away from the Middle East, the Kremlin said on Friday that the next round of peace talks on Ukraine will take place next week.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Moscow and Washington have been discussing bilateral trade and economic cooperation. He said Moscow hoped that dialogue would continue, but said it was unlikely such discussions would move beyond talk before the conflict in Ukraine was settled.

Price pressure has also come from the International Energy Agency’s latest forecasts, saying in its monthly report that global oil demand growth this year will be weaker than previously expected, with overall supply set to exceed demand. 

“The fact that prices did not extend significantly lower in the face of bearish headlines is noteworthy, suggesting that downside momentum is slowing in the near term,” said XS.com analyst Linh Tran.

Thursday’s price falls were amplified by U.S. data showing a massive build in crude stockpiles and growing expectations that increased Venezuelan supply could soon hit the market, IG analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.

“There is an expectation that Venezuelan oil supply will return to pre-blockade levels in the months ahead,” he said, adding that supply is expected to rise from 880,000 barrels per day to about 1.2 million bpd.

The U.S. Treasury will issue more allowances easing sanctions on Venezuelan energy this week, a White House energy official said on Thursday.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said on Thursday that U.S.-controlled oil sales from Venezuela have totalled more than $1 billion since the capture of President Nicolas Maduro in January and will bring in a further $5 billion in the next few months.

Reporting by Stephanie Kelly, Sam Li, Lewis Jackson and Sudarshan VaradhanEditing by David Goodman

Eutelsat CEO Jean‑François Fallacher told reporters that comments made by Orange and Deutsche Telekom reflected what he was hearing across the market

International News via Reuters:

Eutelsat said on Friday that Europe’s planned IRIS2 satellite network must meet customer expectations in terms of pricing and performance to attract buyers, following remarks from major telecoms companies about the project’s commercial appeal.

Eutelsat CEO Jean‑François Fallacher told reporters that comments made by Orange and Deutsche Telekom reflected what he was hearing across the market.

“In my opinion, customers are expecting competitive services and competitive prices,” he said.

Executives from Orange and Telekom, subcontractors in the consortium building IRIS2, said at an industry event in January that the European Union programme would have to deliver performances close to Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s LEO.

Both operators told Reuters they fully support the IRIS2 constellation, which is expected to start operating around 2029.

Orange said a European system must be competitive with Starlink and Amazon’s planned low Earth orbit network, and that Europe should avoid fragmentation by aligning efforts behind a single solution.

Telekom said customers would ultimately choose based on performance, security and cost, and that IRIS2 was being developed to meet those expectations.

Fallacher said the IRIS2 project, which has a budget of about 10.6 billion euros ($12.6 billion), was being designed to deliver competitive services. He described the cost as significant but appropriate for a system of that scale.

Eutelsat plans to launch its next-generation OneWeb satellites along with IRIS2 after 2030, Fallacher added.

OneWeb’s second‑generation satellites are meant to be far more advanced than the current network, set to be replenished with slightly updated versions.

But despite an early lead in serving polar regions, the first‑generation fleet of 600 currently in service is based on technology designed a decade ago.

U.S. rivals Starlink – whose network already reaches 9,000 satellites – and Amazon are moving ahead with plans to deploy thousands of newer satellites.

($1 = 0.8430 euros)

Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro in Paris and Maria Rugamer in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak