Author: staff
Orbán, who has led Hungary for 16 years straight, took a somber tone throughout the interview, describing the aftermath of the election in personal terms. “I felt pain and emptiness,” he said, adding that he has been throwing himself into his work as “occupational therapy” to cope with the shock. “Even I thought we were going to win,” he admitted. Magyar has already begun signaling a break with Orbán’s nationalist-populist rule, pledging to relocate the prime minister’s office from Budapest’s Carmelite Palace. Orbán will also skip next week’s informal European Council meeting in Cyprus, according to an EU official who…
The German group also cited rising costs linked to recent strikes, which on Wednesday overshadowed the airline’s 100th anniversary celebrations. Legacy airline groups aren’t the only ones struggling with the impact of high fuel prices on their balance sheets. Budget airline easyJet said Thursday that its fuel costs had risen by almost €29 million in March alone, and that its before-tax losses were expected to increase to between €620 million and €640 million in the six months to March, up from €450 million a year earlier. Latvian carrier airBaltic is also in a critical situation and is dependent on financial support. Prime…
Published on 16/04/2026 – 17:15 GMT+2 European Commission officials will meet Péter Magyar’s incoming team on Friday, as Brussels races against time to release EU funds that have been frozen during the current Orbán administration. Magyar secured a sweeping victory in last Sunday’s election, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule. A key campaign pledge was to restore Hungary’s ties with the EU and unblock billions in funding that had been withheld over rule-of-law and corruption concerns. Of the €27bn earmarked for Hungary, €17bn remains frozen. “The clock is ticking for several topics, whether we’re talking about the Ukraine loan, whether we’re…
The development will renew questions about Starmer’s judgment in appointing Mandelson to the diplomatic post, with opposition parties already accusing the prime minister of being misleading. Starmer had earlier told members of parliament that “full due process” was followed during the appointment. Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch seized on that comment on Thursday, saying Starmer should resign if he misled parliament. “If Mandelson failed the security vetting, full process was not followed. Misleading Parliament is a resigning offense,” she added. Earlier this year MPs passed a motion requiring that documents on how Mandelson was appointed be handed over to the U.K.…
Staff at immigration offices across Spain cancelled plans to strike after a deal was reached with the government that took into account their concerns about an uptick in workload following an amnesty programme for undocumented migrants, the union group CCOO said on Thursday. Unions representing immigration officers cancelled the walkout that was due to start next week after securing a 10-18% pay rise and a pledge to fill 700 vacant positions, union leader César Pérez said. Union leaders had warned that an already stretched system would struggle to cope with the increased volume of applications after Spain’s government finalised a…
Updated: 16/04/2026 – 19:31 GMT+2 French President Emmanuel Macron met with pupils in Villers-Cotterêts to promote a new “Offline Day” initiative aimed at reducing screen time among young people. The visit took place at the Cité internationale de la langue française, where students participated in reading and theatre workshops. … More
In France, where deaths outpaced births in 2025 for the first time since the end of World War II, President Emmanuel Macron has called for “demographic rearmament,” warning that falling birth rates are tied to rising infertility and people having children later in life. In February Paris urged 29-year-olds to have children while they still can, while announcing plans to expand fertility services and increase support for families. The demographic shift will mean fewer workers and more retirees across Europe, putting extra pressure on pension systems and healthcare services as the population ages. Migration has helped to offset the population…
Pope Leo XIV criticised the “tyrants” ransacking the world on Thursday, on a high-security visit to a “bloodstained” region of Cameroon following a war of words with US President Donald Trump. Since his landmark four-nation African tour started earlier this week, the pope has abandoned his previous restraint in speaking out in favour of world peace, particularly after Trump lashed out against his criticism of the Iran war. “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” Leo said in…
Published on 16/04/2026 – 17:55 GMT+2•Updated 18:40 Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Doha on Thursday for talks with Qatar’s leadership as momentum builds for a possible new round of negotiations between the US and Iran to end the ongoing war. The meeting comes as the fragile ceasefire continues to hold and diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran show signs of picking up again. US President Donald Trump suggested that talks could take place within days, potentially in Pakistan, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it is “highly probable” that discussions will restart. Sharif’s visit to Qatar follows a…
Members of the Trump administration have portrayed the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran as a religious crusade. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month claimed troops participating in the operation were being protected by “the providence of our almighty God.” On Thursday he erroneously cited a Bible verse while describing the rescue of a downed pilot, compared reporters to the self-righteous Pharisees of the Bible, and said U.S. troops were fighting “in the name of Jesus Christ.” The religious references have irked the pope, who has been one of the war’s most vocal opponents. “God does not bless any…