Author: staff
LONDON — British Defense Secretary John Healey resigned from Keir Starmer’s beleaguered government Thursday’s amid a long-running row over funding for the country’s armed forces. In a scathing letter to Starmer, Healey said he was quitting with “great regret and reluctance” — but said the PM had “been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.” This developing story is being updated.
Pope Leo XIV landed in Gran Canaria on Thursday, where he will begin the third leg of his visit to Spain and follow a packed schedule focused on migration and meeting the faithful. The pontiff touched down at Gando Air Base shortly before 10:40 local time and was greeted by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, together with national, regional and local authorities. Strong winds forced changes to be made to part of the protocol planned for his arrival. After the official welcome, Leo XIV travelled to the Arguineguín harbour to meet migrants, as well as staff and volunteers involved in…
The 2026 World Cup is set to kick off on Thursday, as cohosts Mexico take on 2010 hosts South Africa. A record 1,248 players from 48 teams will take part in this year’s expanded version of the tournament, with 104 matches to be played across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Euronews has broken down everything you need to know about the World Cup 2026. Key facts Host cities in 2026 include Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey in Mexico, and Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco…
By Una Hajdari with AP Published on 11/06/2026 – 12:28 GMT+2 Payments giant Visa has embedded its network inside ChatGPT, allowing the chatbot to shop and complete transactions independently on behalf of users in a move that marks a significant expansion of AI-powered commerce. The tie-up means AI agents can not only recommend products but complete purchases at any merchant that accepts Visa. Previous attempts at this kind of technology had been confined to a single retailer or a small set of enrolled merchants. OpenAI will provide the technology allowing agents to interact, make decisions and initiate purchases through ChatGPT. Visa, the world’s…
The spectacular inauguration of the last major tower of the Sagrada Familia turned Barcelona into the stage for a historic celebration on Wednesday. Thousands of people packed the streets around Antoni Gaudí’s basilica to attend a ceremony marked by emotion and music, a drone show and an impressive display of lights and fireworks that lit up the city’s most iconic monument. The ceremony was presided over by Pope Leo XIV, who celebrated a special Mass to mark the centenary of Gaudí’s death; the architect devoted more than four decades of his life to designing and building the basilica. He also…
“2029 is not a German timeline. It’s NATO-agreed intelligence,” Freuding said. “All 32 NATO partners agree that Russia might have the capability to invade a NATO partner country in 2029.” But he warned that Russia could move before then, despite the war in Ukraine entering its fourth year and Kyiv saying that Moscow has suffered over 1.3 million casualties as well as losing vast amounts of equipment. Freuding’s comments come as European defense officials warn that Russia could rebuild enough military strength in the next few years to pose a direct conventional threat to NATO territory, despite its losses in…
Faced with rising energy costs, geopolitical instability and mounting pressure on Europe’s power grids, the European Commission wants to make electricity taxation more favourable than natural gas in a bid to lower bills, according to a document seen by Euronews. The measure would be a partial response to industry demands that the EU lower electricity bills while accelerating the bloc’s efforts to electrify transport, heating and industry and removing fiscal incentives that currently encourage continued reliance on fossil fuels. The draft proposal from the Commission emerges against the backdrop of a renewed energy price shock linked to conflict in the…
Published on 11/06/2026 – 11:20 GMT+2 Fancy becoming mayor, postmaster, publican and motel manager all at once? An entire Australian town – complete with a pub, restaurant, motel and general store – has hit the market for less than the price of many homes in Europe. With just two residents left, the tiny outback settlement of Cooladdi is looking for a new owner willing to swap city life for mulga trees, wide-open skies and the chance to run a town almost entirely single-handedly. Known as Australia’s tiniest town, it could be yours if you have a spare AUD$400,000 (€243,000). Some…
By Nina Borowski with AP Published on 11/06/2026 – 10:55 GMT+2•Updated 11:32 In France, singer Patrick Bruel, who is the subject of several complaints from women accusing him of sexual violence and has been placed under formal investigation in four cases concerning alleged acts committed between 2008 and 2019, was released but placed under judicial supervision after 48 hours in police custody. The artist has also been given assisted-witness status in four other cases. “Formal charges against Mr Patrick Bruel had been envisaged in nine case files. Of these nine, the investigating judges decided to place him under formal investigation in four of…
Berlin was historically one of the few EU countries to run surpluses with Beijing. But since the Covid pandemic, Germany’s trade relationship has flipped to an eye-watering deficit — €90 billion in 2025 — and China is widely blamed for much of the hemorrhaging of jobs in Germany’s all-important manufacturing sector — now running at roughly 10,000 job losses per month. This is prompting calls from some in German industry for Europe to take a tougher approach to China. Berlin has recently started to shift its position — driven in part by sluggish growth and an industrial downturn exacerbated by Chinese competition…