Geologists have confirmed the age of the oldest impact crater on Earth - a structure in the North Pole Dome area in Western Australia. A team from Curtin University led by Christopher Kirkland determined that a meteorite fell on this site about 3.02 billion years ago. If the assessment is correct, this structure remains the only reliably dated Archean impact crater on the planet. The work was published in the journal Geology.

The Romanian Chamber of Deputies automatically approved the bill to begin the unification process with Moldova after the deadline for discussing and voting on it had expired. According to Romanian legislation, if deputies do not make a separate decision on an initiative within the allotted time, it is considered adopted and submitted to the Senate for consideration, reports the Moldovan agency IPN.

At least 5,063 people out of 21,541 included in Rosfinmonitoring’s list of “terrorists and extremists” are being prosecuted in politically motivated cases. This constitutes at least 23.5% of the list, according to a report by Andrei Pivovarov, Maxim Kondratiev, Alexander Finiarel and Evgenia R, published by the Anti-War Committee.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said an airstrike in northwestern Syria last week killed a senior member of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group, the Associated Press reports . According to the military, the killed militant's name was Ali Hussein al-Ulaywi, who was struck on Friday. CENTCOM clarified that the operation was part of the US military's ongoing efforts to combat terrorists who are planning attacks on Americans abroad or directly on US soil.

Despite the fuel shortage and the introduction of restrictions on the sale of gasoline in dozens of regions, Vladimir Putin never publicly commented on the situation during the crisis.

Venezuela will reveal a national debt of almost $240 billion, which is significantly more than the market thought, the Financial Times writes , citing sources familiar with Caracas’ plans. The disclosure to creditors is expected in the coming weeks and will be part of the largest sovereign debt restructuring in history that began after the United States ousted Nicolas Maduro from power. Previous market estimates of the debt fluctuated between $150 billion and $200 billion.

Andy Burnham. Photo: Alamy Keir Starmer, who has served as British Prime Minister since July 2024, announced on June 22 that he would resign. The most likely candidate for the post of the ruling Labor Party and, accordingly, the post of prime minister is the former mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. “His [Starmer's] decision marks the beginning of a transition period and it is important that this process proceeds in an orderly and responsible manner.

Russia is negotiating with Kazakhstan on the supply of about 50 thousand tons of AI-92 gasoline to close the fuel shortage that arose after Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries. This was reported by Reuters, citing four industry sources. According to the agency, gasoline supplies to Russia can be organized in exchange for Russian aviation fuel. At the same time, Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov previously stated that Astana has not yet received an official request from Moscow.

The Federal Bailiff Service, at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office, seized the assets of the largest bearing manufacturer in Russia - the European Bearing Corporation (EPC). Kommersant writes about this. Interim measures were taken on June 15. EPK - New Technologies LLC, EPK Volzhsky OJSC, EPK Samara OJSC, EPK Kuznitsa LLC, EPK Saratov JSC and EPK Trading House LLC were arrested.

In the Isilkul district of the Omsk region, where more than 29 thousand people live in 16 settlements, there has been no water for more than three weeks. NeMoskva Speaks reports this. Residents of the area launched a petition demanding a solution to the water supply problem. According to them, there has been no water since the beginning of June, and the water supply schedule promised by Omskoblvodoprovod is in fact not being observed.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has exhausted its available funds and is staying afloat only by borrowing from the pension funds of its own employees, reports Reuters. Postmaster General David Steiner wrote in testimony to a Senate committee ahead of Wednesday's hearing: “The fact is that we don’t have money.

German prosecutors carried out the searches as part of an investigation into an alleged attempt to disrupt the country's gas supply, linked to an opaque 2022 operation surrounding the German arm of Russian energy giant Gazprom Germania. The German federal prosecutor's office announced this on Wednesday, reports the Associated Press.

The price of Brent oil fell by 3% overnight and reached its lowest level since late February, when the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran. The price of August futures on the ICE exchange fell below $75 per barrel during the day. American West Texas Intermediate oil also fell in price by almost 3%, to $71. Experts attribute the decline in prices to the first signs of a revival in tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

Bashkortostan sold 6% of Bashneft shares owned by the republic to Rosneft. This was announced by the head of the republic, Radiy Khabirov, in an interview with the Bashinform agency. He called it "pure financial calculation": “People often perceive this as some kind of blow to the republic. Bashneft is part of the structure of the Rosneft company, with which we work on a parity basis.

Rebuilding a Moscow oil refinery damaged by Ukrainian drone attacks will take at least six months, two industry sources told Reuters. As Reuters notes, Ukrainian attacks on oil refining infrastructure have already led to a reduction in refining capacity, a shortage of petroleum products, rising fuel prices and queues at gas stations in several regions of the country. The Moscow Refinery is the largest supplier of fuel for the Moscow region and a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft PJSC.