Author: staff
“This [issue] hurts the PP, because it has had to make concessions which it doesn’t necessarily believe in,” said Vallespín at Madrid’s Autonomous University. “It has been very easy for Vox to have a clear position on this but the PP doesn’t seem to have managed that yet.” The Catholic Church, usually seen to be close to the PP, has also spoken out against national priority. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has recently boosted his international reputation by standing up to U.S. President Donald Trump. | Paolo Blocco/Getty Images Sánchez on the attack Even though Prime Minister Sánchez has recently boosted…
By Laila Humairah Published on 04/05/2026 – 12:41 GMT+2 Global container shipping giant, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has announced a new Europe-Red Sea-Middle East express service, linking key European ports with Saudi Arabia and other regional hubs. The announcement comes as companies across global supply chains respond to surging demand and mounting disruption across Middle Eastern trade routes as a result of the US-Iran conflict. MSC said its new service will offer faster, more efficient, multimodal alternatives in an increasingly volatile maritime landscape. Ships sailing from the Baltic sea and across Europe will be directly connected to Jordan’s Aqaba, Saudi Arabia’s…
3 p.m. It should become clear if the Green Party hype is real in London: the party hopes to win the Lewisham mayoralty, and make major inroads in Waltham Forest and Islington councils where Labour’s grip has already been loosened by Jeremy Corbyn‑linked independents. Epping Forest is another Essex Tory-resilience test against Reform. 4 p.m. We will get a clearer picture of how multi-party politics is realigning the country. Croydon’s mayoralty is on a genuine knife‑edge, with Labour, the Conservatives and Reform all in with a chance. In Newham Labour is under pressure from the Greens, Reform and Corbyn-backed Newham…
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran had “taken some shots” but caused little damage in the Strait of Hormuz, while urging South Korea to join the war after one of its vessels was hit. In a Truth Social post, Trump also made no mention of apparent attacks on the United Arab Emirates and Oman, in an apparent effort to downplay tensions in the face of surging oil prices. The developments have shaken an already fragile ceasefire, with US warships also moving through the crucial waterway on Monday in what Trump says is an effort to protect shipping.…
“Assistance with finding suitable accommodation can be provided, and personalized invitations to the St. Petersburg Economic Forum will follow in due course,” reads the letter, which was sent to a broad list of EU lawmakers. Kartheiser’s outreach is controversial due to restrictions on cooperation between the European Parliament and its Russian counterpart. The European Parliament officially suspended official dialogue with Russian parliamentary bodies in 2014, while Russian and Belarusian officials have been barred from accessing the European Parliament since shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. There have been 20 rounds of EU sanctions against Russia. None of…
Published on 05/05/2026 – 6:44 GMT+2 An explosion at a fireworks plant in a central Chinese province killed at least 21 people and injured 61 others, state-run media reported on Tuesday. China’s official news agency Xinhua said the blast occurred at a fireworks plant in Changsha city of Hunan province on Monday afternoon. The plant was operated by the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co. Aerial footage from state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday showed white smoke still billowing in certain areas of the site, with facilities collapsed or damaged. Nearly 500 rescue workers were deployed to the scene and residents…
Actors, musicians, athletes and fashion figures walked the red carpet at the 2026 Met Gala in New York on Monday evening. Among those attending were Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Lily-Rose Depp and Serena Williams, as guests showcased outfits inspired by this year’s theme, “Fashion is Art.” The annual event, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art, serves as a major fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute and regularly attracts some of the biggest names in entertainment, fashion and sports.
Residents of Saydnaya, a hilltop city north of Damascus known as one of Christianity’s most important pilgrimage sites, are demanding that media outlets and official bodies stop calling the notorious military prison on the road to their city “Saydnaya Prison” — a name they say is geographically wrong and has tainted a place of ancient sanctity. The facility in question is actually called the First Military Prison, a Syrian Ministry of Defence compound located 30 kilometres north of Damascus, on the road leading to Saydnaya, but outside the city’s administrative boundaries. Built under Hafez al-Assad and expanded under his son…
But in response to fierce opposition from industry, member countries and the U.S. government, the Commission is now floating a more relaxed approach to enforcement of the rules. Under the draft recommendations, companies would be allowed exemptions under three crisis conditions outlined in the EU’s security of supply regulation — including the “early warning” level, which can be triggered before any real disruption occurs. The recommendations emphasize that authorities can suspend or reduce fines on a case-by-case basis, citing a wide range of mitigating factors, including the availability of cargoes, ship terminal capacity, the ability of countries to meet EU…
Published on 05/05/2026 – 15:49 GMT+2•Updated 18:16 US President Donald Trump urged Iran to “do the smart thing” and make a deal on Tuesday, saying even as the ceasefire teeters that he did not want to kill more Iranians. “They should do the smart thing, because we don’t want to go in and kill people. Really don’t,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about Iran. “I don’t want to, it’s too tough.” Trump’s comments were in contrast to his Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth who warned earlier on Tuesday that any attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait…