Author: staff

Published on 10/09/2026 – 10:26 GMT+2 Singapore’s ministers, already among the world’s highest-paid, are getting a raise for the first time in 15 years, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said, explaining that the government cannot attract top talent into politics if salaries remain unchanged. Wong told Parliament on Tuesday that under a revised salary framework, the benchmark annual pay for a minister at the lowest grade will rise to 1.8 million Singapore dollars (€1.2 million), from Sg$1.1 million (€747,564). The prime minister’s benchmark salary will jump to Sg$3.6 million (€2.4 million) from Sg$2.2 million (€1.5 million), he said. Ministers’ pay has…

Published on 11/09/2026 – 5:16 GMT+2 Algeria has closed its airspace to Emirati-registered civilian and military aircraft after cutting diplomatic ties with the Gulf country on Thursday following years of tension. In a statement announcing the severing of diplomatic relations, Algiers accused the Gulf nation of “provocative and hostile acts”, though the precise catalyst for the sudden rupture remained unclear. The Algerian defence ministry announced that an airspace ban targeting Emirati aircraft would take effect on Friday, with an exception for commercial flights to and from Algiers airport, which will be permitted to operate until the end of 2026. On…

Is Europe winning the ‘fight’? Von der Leyen’s SOTEU, one year on – POLITICO Skip to main content

Published on 10/09/2026 – 11:05 GMT+2 British police said Wednesday that they have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that anti-immigration party Reform UK broke rules barring foreign donations. The allegations emerged from an undercover investigation aired by Channel 4 News. Under UK law, political parties cannot accept foreign donations. The Metropolitan Police said that after the broadcast, the force “received a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party. “Detectives have assessed the information provided and determined that there are potential offenses requiring investigation,” it said. Reform UK said it “denies any wrongdoing and will…

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed allegedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major offensive in Israel just days before the militant group launched its attack on 7 October 2023, Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz claimed on Tuesday. Haaretz reported that at the end of September 2023 — 10 days before the attack — the UAE president spoke with Netanyahu for 45 minutes and said the leader of Hamas in Gaza at the time Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation. The newspaper reported that Bin Zayed told Netanyahu that the attack would lead to bloodshed and…

Published on 10/09/2026 – 11:45 GMT+2 More than 100 MEPs have called on European Union leaders to reopen talks on using Russia’s frozen assets to support Ukraine, as Kyiv flags a €23 billion shortfall in defence funding and EU countries remain reluctant to commit more money from their national budgets. A letter sent on Wednesday and seen by Euronews argues that Moscow should pay for the damage caused by its war, backing a renewed push started by four EU countries at the end of August to unlock the immobilised assets. The EU holds more than €200 billion in Russian assets,…

Passengers rest on the floor and queue at Heathrow Airport as flight disruptions continue following a technical issue with the UK’s air traffic control system. Departure boards show delays and cancellations while aircraft remain on the tarmac. Airports across the UK reported disruptions to departing flights on Tuesday, with nearly 300 cancellations recorded by Flightradar24. The problem affected several airlines, including British Airways and easyJet, and caused disruption at Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham and airports across Scotland. The UK’s National Air Traffic Services said engineers were working urgently to resolve an issue with its flight processing system. The service warned…

In 2024, there were 23.2 million primary school students in the European Union, a figure virtually unchanged from the previous year, but the underlying trend has shifted over the past decade: today there are fewer students per teacher than in 2014. The latest Eurostat data, released to coincide with International Literacy Day, confirm this and not only set out enrolment numbers but also detail how many teachers are in Europe’s classrooms, who they are, and what types of schools they work in. France remains by far the country with the most primary school children: 4.1 million in 2024. It is…

King Harald V’s coffin leaves the Royal Palace in Oslo on Wednesday, 9 September, as a funeral procession makes its way to Oslo Cathedral. King Haakon VIII walks behind the coffin and salutes the troops, followed by senior members of the royal family. Harald died on 28 August aged 89, after 35 years on the throne. His son Haakon succeeded him as king and leads the royal family at the funeral, joined by foreign royals, political leaders and other dignitaries. The ceremony marks the final farewell to a monarch who modernised Norway’s royal house but chose to remain on the…

Published on 10/09/2026 – 16:36 GMT+2 A 31-year-old man from Swindon, in the south of England, has appeared in a London court accused of passing information about drone factories to people linked to Russian military intelligence. Joshua Cammidge was charged this week with two offences under Britain’s National Security Act: helping a foreign intelligence service, and preparing to commit sabotage. In plain terms, prosecutors say he shared screenshots from Google Maps pinpointing one drone factory and four other drone-manufacturing sites in his hometown, and that he offered to carry out an act of sabotage himself. He is also accused of…