Author: staff

Published on 19/09/2026 – 8:54 GMT+2 Bolivian lawmakers approved a $1.9 billion (€1.65bn) loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund on Friday, delivering the conservative government a key victory in its efforts to ease the country’s deep economic crisis as unions threatened to renew protests. Just hours after Congress approved the loan, President Rodrigo Paz announced an immediate end to subsidies for the diesel powering Bolivia’s trucks, buses and tractors — a step towards meeting IMF demands. Gasoline, used mainly in private cars, would remain subsidised for now, though Paz had already scaled back that support in recent months. The…

Published on 19/09/2026 – 9:50 GMT+2•Updated 10:13 Ed Sheeran is set to resume his tour on Saturday, possibly solo, after all his supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opening-act Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments on-stage. It remains to be seen how Sheeran will handle the performance at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field given the departure of his opening acts and supporting band. Sheeran has performed much of his Loop Tour concerts solo, but he had been joined for several songs at each stop by the Irish folk band Beoga. Macklemore, Sheeran’s original US opener, had been replaced by…

Ein historisches Novum rückt in greifbare Nähe: Fliegt die CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern womöglich aus dem Landtag oder schrammt haarscharf daran vorbei? Während Manuela Schwesig auf einen Wahlsieg mit für die SPD triumphalen Werten zusteuern könnte, kämpfen die Christdemokraten an der Fünf-Prozent-Hürde und ums politische Überleben im Land. Gordon Repinski und Rasmus Buchsteiner analysieren, warum die Polarisierung die Parteien erdrückt und welche bundespolitischen Ambitionen die amtierende SPD-Ministerpräsidentin Schwesig hegt. Hinter den Kulissen in der Union brodelt derweil weiter die Kanzlertausch-Frage. Also geht es bei den beiden im Gespräch auch darum, wie zum Beispiel ein CSU-Kanzlernachfolger ein beispielloses Stühlerücken im Kabinett auslösen…

Taunted, scorned, belittled, pushed aside, ditched – it is fair to say that the European Union and Canada each know how the other feels. For the past 20 months, the two have been relentlessly subjected to Donald Trump’s threats, demands and commands. Their experiences have been nearly identical: punitive tariffs, annexationist attempts, regulatory intrusion, bitter recriminations, all amplified in scathing personal attacks splashed all over social media. The breakup has been painful, to say the least. After all, both the EU and Canada have long defined the United States as their closest ally, their main security provider, their trade partner…

French President Emmanuel Macron is travelling to Saint Pierre and Miquelon this weekend to discuss the future of the archipelago, as well as France’s geostrategic presence in the North Atlantic, maritime sovereignty and cooperation with Ottawa. The last French president to make a trip to the overseas collectivity, which is located some 20 kilometres off the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, was François Hollande back in December 2014. Eleven years on, Macron will be there on Sunday alongside Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister. Their meeting comes amid Carney’s apparently blossoming relationship with Brussels and European Commission President Ursula…

Published on 19/09/2026 – 8:46 GMT+2 Flights were temporarily suspended at Luxembourg airport overnight due to “unauthorised” drone activity. “Flight operations at Luxembourg Airport (ELLX) have resumed following the temporary suspension on the evening of Friday, 18 September 2026, due to the detection of unauthorised unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the vicinity of and subsequently over the aerodrome,” a statement on the airport’s website said. The airport – the main hub for Luxembourg’s national airline Luxair and cargo airline Cargolux – did not provide any details on where the drones may have come from or who was operating them, but…

Published on 19/09/2026 – 8:20 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump signed into law a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russian officials and key pillars of its economy on Friday, that is meant to punish and pressure Moscow for its ongoing war against Ukraine. The measure was a final legacy item for the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally and friend of the president who had just returned from Ukraine when he unexpectedly died in July. In the works for more than a year, the bill passed with large bipartisan margins; 86-11 in the Senate and 262-159 in the House. It’s…

It’s the head-turning, eye-popping announcement of the week: Ursula von der Leyen has invited Canada to make history by becoming the first-ever “associate member” of the European Union. “We want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible,” the European Commission president said in her State of the Union speech. The following day, speaking from the same lectern in Strasbourg, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country “welcomes” the offer and hailed the dawn of an “alliance for the future”. “Europe and Canada are stronger together,” he said. The back-to-back speeches made international headlines, caused a…

Published on 19/09/2026 – 7:42 GMT+2•Updated 7:46 The United States and Denmark have announced that they have come to an agreement over Greenland, with US President Donald Trump saying the deal would give Washington “permanent control” of the island’s security. “I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account on Friday. “From now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military…

Filling up a car has never cost more on average across the European Union, according to European Commission data going back more than two decades. At the latest average prices, it costs about €103 to fill a 50-litre tank with petrol and €108 with diesel. Retail fuel prices have surged since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, adding to inflationary pressures. Eurozone energy inflation rose to 14.3% in August, up from 10.3% in July, according to the European Central Bank. A litre of petrol cost a weighted EU average of €2.063 as of 14 September, while diesel…