Author: staff

Published on 10/04/2026 – 12:08 GMT+2 It welcomes approximately 7 million visitors each year. It has survived two world wars, endless refurbishments, and has played host to more marriage proposals than perhaps any other structure on earth. Now a small piece of the world-famous Eiffel Tower is looking for somewhere quieter to live. An original section of the tower’s spiral staircase – the very steps that carried the first visitors upward when the iconic Parisian monument opened in 1889 – is going under the hammer on 21 May, courtesy of auction house Artcurial. Estimates put the likely sale price at…

France’s current legislation only allows businesses deemed essential, including restaurants, to remain fully open. The owners of nonessential shops can operate on the holiday but only without employees — a rule that several bakeries reportedly breached last year. The controversial measure proposed by conservative party Les Républicains was approved last year in the Senate. President Emmanuel Macron’s party, Renaissance, recently put it on the agenda of the National Assembly, the more powerful lower house of parliament, in a bid to adopt it before May 1 this year. Gabriel Attal, the former prime minister who now leads Macron’s party, has emerged…

Published on 10/04/2026 – 12:31 GMT+2 Ukrainian military personnel have already successfully shot down Iranian Shahed-type drones targeting countries in the Middle East, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed in his first public acknowledgement of Kyiv’s specialists’ first results in the Gulf region. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian experts on the ground are part of a broader Kyiv’s effort “to help partners counter the same weapons used by Russia in Ukraine.” Ukraine’s president made these remarks to reporters on Wednesday, but the briefing content was embargoed until Friday. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces took part in active operations using domestically produced interceptor drones. “We sent…

Tensions flared further in December when President Vučić snubbed an EU-Western Balkans summit. Vučić, who has maintained close ties with Moscow throughout its war with Ukraine, bemoaned the sluggish pace of negotiations for EU membership. In a joint article with his Albanian counterpart in February he said he would prefer to pursue closer economic alignment with the EU, such as joining the single market and free travel zone, rather than full political membership. Kos rejected those proposals, arguing that significant reforms would still need to be delivered to make that happen. Then, last month, Serbia came under fire over reports…

Pakistan was poised on Friday to host Iranian and US delegations for negotiations in its capital, although Tehran’s participation remained uncertain after an exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah threatened this week’s temporary truce. Separately, Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week, a US State Department official said, amid mounting international concern that Israel’s bombing campaign on the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militants could shatter the already fragile two-week US-Iran ceasefire. Islamabad was pressing ahead with its preparations for the high-stakes negotiations, which official sources say will canvass several sensitive points, including Tehran’s nuclear enrichment and the free…

Published on 10/04/2026 – 10:06 GMT+2 A well curated wake-up playlist is essential to start the day, as the right choice of tracks can make a morning feel brighter by dispelling the sounds of a blaring alarm clock. Ever wondered what astronauts listen to in the mornings, 406,771 kilometers from Earth? Well, wonder no more. NASA Mission Control uses music to greet astronauts and kick off their day in orbit – a practice which reportedly helps build camaraderie and boost morale among astronauts and ground teams. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has revealed the playlist of wake-up songs handpicked…

KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an Orthodox Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, following repeated calls by Kyiv for a pause in hostilities over the holiday period. The ceasefire would start at 4 p.m. on Saturday and last until the end of Sunday, the day Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, the Kremlin said in a statement late Thursday.  “The commander in chief ordered a stop to military actions in all directions for that period of time,” the Kremlin said, adding that it has expectations the Ukrainian side would follow the example of Russia. “At the same time, the troops have to…

The latest poll was conducted from Apr. 3 to Apr. 7, surveying more than 2,000 respondents each from Canada, U.K., France and Germany. It comes as transatlantic relations sour further over British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s refusal to support U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Starmer has allowed the use of British airbases for defensive purposes, but has continued to receive regular criticism from a president he was at pains to build links with. The latest numbers show nearly two thirds (65 percent) of British adults now think America tends to create problems for other countries, up from 46 percent…

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter weekend after rejecting Ukraine’s similar proposals for a truce. “In connection with the approaching holiday of Orthodox Easter, a ceasefire is declared from 1600 on April 11 to the end of the day of April 12,” the Kremlin said in a statement. “We proceed on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation.” For the past few weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been calling for a ceasefire for the upcoming Orthodox Easter weekend. Ukraine’s leader proposed the Easter truce to Russia…

European stocks were mostly up in the opening on Friday, and oil prices were inching upwards amid uncertainty as the ceasefire between the US and Iran appeared fragile and the Strait of Hormuz largely remained closed ahead of talks between the two sides on Saturday. Talks between the US and Iran are expected to begin on Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan, aimed at securing a permanent ceasefire in the Iran war, with US Vice President JD Vance set to lead the American delegation. But ahead of the talks, deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday raised questions about whether the two-week…