Author: staff

A drone strike caused a fire on the perimeter at the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi officials said Sunday. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), responded to the incident with a statement saying “military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable.” Grossi called for “maximum military restraint near any [nuclear power plant] to avoid the danger of a nuclear accident.” There have been no reports of injuries or radiological release. No one has claimed responsibility for the strike and the UAE has not blamed anyone. The country’s defense ministry…

Published on 17/05/2026 – 16:35 GMT+2 Israel’s Noam Bettan secured second place at Eurovision 2026 despite a number of countries boycotting the event over Israel’s inclusion, citing the Gaza war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has congratulated Bettan for his efforts and told him he had the “gratitude of the entire nation,” while also commending him for standing “tall against those hollow verbal potshots.” The buildup to this year’s competition had largely focused on the controversy surrounding Israel’s entry, with five nations – Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland – pulling out in protest. It marked the biggest political…

Leaders of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) have announced at a summit in Kazakhstan that they are advancing their joint Eurasian forces towards the alliance’s strategic political and economic coordination amid rapid global geopolitical and technological developments, while emphasising that their alliance is not intended for military or geopolitical purposes. The leaders of Kazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and others gathered in the historic Kazakh city of Turkistan, the spiritual capital of the Turkic world, to work together on designing joint AI and digital developments and integration for the member states and the wider region, but also for the…

The announcement came a day after Pope Leo signed his encyclical, a letter drawn up by the pontiff and sent to bishops to provide instructions or guidance on moral questions. His new encyclical, which should be made public in coming weeks, is expected to consider the question of AI within the church’s social teaching, which also covers issues such as labor, justice and peace. It’s not the first time Pope Leo has waded into questions of AI. Just a few days after he was elected in 2025, he told cardinals that the Catholic Church owed it to the world to…

“I’m very worried, because I sometimes also see countries going down that lane,” she said. “The dividing is actually working.” Several EU countries have sought to preserve their own channels with Washington since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni positioning herself as a potential bridge between Europe and the U.S. before the strategy failed with Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV. Kallas urged EU countries to defend the European Union and make agreements through the bloc, saying about the U.S., China and Russia: “Why these powers want to dismantle the European…

Extra pressure The prospect of more country boycotts next year over Israel’s participation piles extra pressure on the EBU to be more consistent and clear in how it applies its own rules.   During the final week in Vienna, Eurovision officials became increasingly terse when fielding questions about Israel being allowed to participate, and whether it reflected a double standard given that Russia was banned from the contest in 2022 after it invaded Ukraine. A top EBU official explained the reasoning to POLITICO, that as long as national broadcasters follow EBU rules — like being sufficiently independent from the government — they should be allowed to compete. The official said Israel’s KAN is independent enough, while…

Published on 17/05/2026 – 12:59 GMT+2 A massive Ukrainian drone attack killed at least three people in the Moscow area overnight, Russian authorities said, in what was reported as the largest and most widespread drone attack since the invasion. In a post on Telegram, Moscow’s regional governor, Andrey Vorobyov, said that a woman had been killed after a strike on a private residence on the outskirts of Moscow and that two others were killed in the village of Pogorelki. The Russian Ministry of Defence said local air defences intercepted 556 Ukrainian drones across the country from Saturday night into early…

Taking a cruise holiday remains a popular choice in 2026, with millions of travellers expected to set sail this year despite a series of onboard health scares making global headlines. Recent outbreaks of hantavirus and norovirus on cruise ships have sparked concern among passengers, including the deaths of three travellers aboard the MV Hondius after the vessel stopped in Argentina and a norovirus outbreak on a British cruise ship docked in Bordeaux, France. But industry representatives and travel experts say the incidents are unlikely to dent demand, with cruise lines still forecasting record passenger numbers worldwide this year. Rob Kwortnik,…

Every year, more than a million people visit Les Invalides, its impressive gilded dome and Napoleon’s tomb. But behind the grand façade of this iconic building lies a much lesser-known mission: to serve as a home and hospital for wounded soldiers and war victims. A mission initiated by Louis XIV in the 17th century – the National Institution of Invalides welcomed its first former soldiers in 1974 – continues 350 years later. “Les Invalides is a unique place, a magical, incredible and grandiose site for two reasons_,”_ says General Christophe de Saint Chamas, a military officer who serves as governor…

‘One-sentence message’ The American message regarding the transfer of soldiers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team from Texas to Poland was extremely short, including neither explanation nor justification. “It was a brief, one-sentence message sent through routine military channels in an informal manner,” said one of the people in the circle of the Chief of the General Staff. “What happened at headquarters is a typical organizational mess,” said another of the people close to the General Staff. “The law on the protection of classified information stipulates that only the head of an institution may read classified correspondence. However, workarounds…