Author: staff
There have been “drone sightings in proximity to offshore energy structures,” reported Offshore Energies UK in April. “Our platforms are 100, 150 miles out in the middle of the sea, so you don’t typically have many neighbors — you don’t have people coming and visiting unless they are there for a very good reason,” Graham Skinner, the trade body’s health and safety manager for offshore infrastructure, told the BBC. “When the crews spot lights in the sky, or things moving around, suspicious activity in general — it’s very obvious that it’s out of place. It may well be that they…
Morning Brussels. Angela Skujins here ringing out the hopefully penultimate day of this heatwave in the Belgian capital, and the final day of the working week. Here’s what’s driving your Friday: Discussion on the 21st package of sanctions fires up, Commissioner McGrath’s trip to Malta prompts questions, and an environment council’s first infantile guest. Negotiating the blacklist. EU ambassadors are set to discuss today a revised compromise for the 21st package of sanctions against Russia, my colleague Jorge Liboreiro writes in to report. The proposal, unveiled earlier this month, still contains some points that need to be ironed out before…
Published on 26/06/2026 – 11:48 GMT+2 A deadly heatwave is straining hospitals, transport systems and public services across Europe, as authorities from France to Poland warn that the continent is struggling to cope with days of punishing temperatures. At least 101 million Europeans have endured temperatures above 35C, according to AFP, with several hundred people thought to have died, including a three-year-old found dead in a car in Paris and people who drowned while trying to cool off. The heat has hit health systems particularly hard. In France, emergency rooms have reported a fourfold increase in heat-related visits, while cardiac…
Published on 26/06/2026 – 13:38 GMT+2•Updated 13:39 The deadly rampage at the Magdeburg Christmas market on 20 December 2024 shocked the whole of Germany. The perpetrator Taleb al Abdulmohsen was arrested at the scene and on Friday was sentenced to life imprisonment. The 51-year-old was found guilty of six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder, as well as causing grievous bodily harm. He was ordered to be detained for the purpose of preventing reoffending. During the trial, Abdulmohsen admitted to driving the BMW X3 compact SUV through the crowd but denied deliberately running people over. Prosecutors described…
The assessment by the Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, Carlo Buontempo, on the current heatwave hitting Europe is clear. “There’s a clear need to develop strategies to cope with these extremes (as) they have the potential to kill us,” Buontempo warned. He made the comments on Euronews’ flagship morning programme Europe Today on Friday — a day where extreme weather warnings have been issued for France, Belgium, Germany and Britain, following half-a-week of soaring temperatures sizzling capitals and citizens. These increased temperatures are “a natural consequence of the fact that the world is warming up”, Buontempo said. These…
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon, announced on Friday a framework agreement described as an initial step toward peace after months of conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah. The officials did not disclose details of the deal, which was signed by Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, and Nada Hamadeh, Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States. Hamadeh said the framework marks “a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to return to…
The World Cup has officially kicked off, and with it so has a wave of AI-generated misinformation — ranging from fake fans in the stands, fabricated political appearances and false quotes attributed to players. One viral image, which garnered more than 3 million views in one post on X, showed a football supporter resembling Adolf Hitler, who allegedly attended the Germany-Curaçao game on 14 June. The image spread across Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Reddit, accompanied by posts in English, Spanish and Russian, some gaining thousands of views. But in fact, it was digitally manipulated: a review of the original footage…
At Rome’s Bioparco Zoo on 26 June, giraffes, hippos, tapirs, capybaras, lemurs and seals received frozen fruit, vegetables, fish and specially prepared ice treats designed to cool them down while encouraging natural behaviour. Zoo staff also maintained cooled pools and climate-controlled indoor spaces for the most heat-sensitive species as temperatures were forecast to reach 36 to 37°C in the Italian capital. The Italian Ministry of Health has issued its highest heat warning as a prolonged heatwave affects much of the country. According to Bioparco zoological supervisor Yitzhak Yadid, some amphibious species require air-conditioned shelters or water-cooling systems to survive extreme…
Sweltering temperatures across Western Europe triggered by a heat dome have transformed air conditioning into an increasingly topical — and contentious — debate. European countries that have not historically relied on air con are navigating a complex decision: whether to embrace it fully — which experts have warned could come with environmental and financial concerns — or to resist, as part of a quest for alternative solutions. In France, politicians laying the groundwork for their electoral campaigns ahead of the 2027 presidential election have seized upon the air conditioning debate. Leading far-right figure Marine Le Pen has renewed calls for…
By Farsi team Published on 26/06/2026 – 21:49 GMT+2•Updated 21:49 “Following claims by US officials that a direct hotline has been established between Iran and America regarding the Strait of Hormuz, it is declared that this matter is a sheer lie and is strongly denied; this has not happened and will not happen.” This is what General Mohabi, the IRGC spokesperson, wrote on social media. He further emphasised that “the Strait of Hormuz is Iranian territory and has nothing to do with the US.” Coinciding with this stance, Iranian state television reported that at least three foreign oil tankers attempting to…