Author: staff

This is no longer just about a frozen accession file. It is about strategic direction, and whether the EU and Turkey can still imagine a meaningful future together. It is also where the deadlock in relations becomes most visible. As pressure on the country’s opposition hardens into a durable method of government, the issue moves well beyond the narrow confines of foreign policy and fundamentally becomes a question of regime. That is why so much of Turkey’s tensions with the EU are driven by the external consequences of its internal democratic decay. As a founding member of the Council of…

Published on 05/05/2026 – 18:10 GMT+2 Egypt accepted a vessel said to be carrying the grain stolen from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, sparking criticism from Kyiv on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha slammed Cairo on X, saying that “despite repeated warnings, the Asomatos vessel has been permitted to unload 26.9k tonnes of stolen Ukrainian wheat at Abu Qir.” Sybiha said that four days ago, Ukraine’s prosecutor general formally requested legal assistance from Egypt’s ministry of justice regarding this illicit cargo, exported by the sanctioned “Agro-Frigat” via Russian-occupied Crimea, and provided all necessary data and legal grounds to seize the vessel…

Troops rehearsed for the upcoming traditional Victory Day parade on Wednesday in Moscow, which the Russian Defense Ministry says will take place without military equipment. Video showed troops preparing for the rehearsal and moving into formation near the parade route. This year’s Victory Day parade will not include heavy military vehicles, marking a departure from previous years. The decision comes as authorities face increased Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and other regions of Russia in recent months.

Former European Council President Charles Michel criticized the Commission chief’s remarks, defending Turkey as a “core NATO ally” and “key migration partner.” EU Parliament Rapporteur for Turkey Nacho Sánchez Amor called the comments “totally inconsistent with recurrent signals for stronger cooperation on security and defense.” Despite his detention, the top political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has not given up hope on his country joining the EU. However, he holds both sides responsible for the long-stalled process. While admitting the Turkish government is “eroding the rule of law and fundamental rights” in his country, İmamoğlu accused the EU…

Published on 05/05/2026 – 16:29 GMT+2 Ukraine struck a critically important military-industrial complex in Russia on Tuesday, just days before the Kremlin’s Victory Day parade on 9 May. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published a video of launches of domestically-made Flamingo cruise missiles, which he said covered a distance of more than 1,500km to strike a facility in Cheboksary in the Russian Federation’s Chuvash Republic. The facility in question is a Russian state institute that produces components for high-precision weapons used by Moscow to attack Ukraine. “The struck military production facility manufactured relay protection systems, automation equipment, and low-voltage apparatus,” Zelenskyy…

As dozens of European leaders converged in Yerevan this week for a summit of the European Political Community (EPC), it was French President Emmanuel Macron who was having the time of his life as he used the occasion to proclaim Armenia’s “new era” with Europe, now that peace is settling in the South Caucasus. Having arrived early on Sunday evening, Macron received nothing short of a hero’s welcome, as Armenians recognised their historic moment of closer relations with the continent backed by France after decades of tumult in Russia’s orbit. The French president was seen confidently strolling down the main…

Atlético Madrid and Arsenal will face each other in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night. With the aggregate score from the first leg at 1-1, the tie is perfectly balanced as Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta and Atlético’s Diego Simeone seek to become European champions for the first time in their respective careers. Under Simeone, who took over at Atlético in 2011, the club has experienced an unprecedented period of stability and, above all, has accumulated a handful of trophies: two La Liga titles (2014 and 2021), a Copa del Rey (2013) and a Supercopa (2014).…

Published on 05/05/2026 – 15:45 GMT+2 A team of astronomers has identified what they believe are 27 “candidate planets” orbiting binary star systems, using a radical new detection method. Instead of spotting a planet crossing in front of a star, which has been the usual way of detecting new planet-like objects — known as the transit method — researchers looked for tiny changes in the timing of how two stars eclipse each other. These tiny shifts in eclipse timing can reveal the gravitational influence of an unseen planet orbiting the system. The study, published in the Monthly Notices of the…

When you think of Welsh artists, chances are your mind will wander to Bonnie Tyler and Tom Jones. Connoisseurs will mention Manic Street Preachers, Feeder, Funeral For A Friend, Stereophonics, Catatonia and The Joy Formidable. However, even they would be missing the most important band to hail from Cymru: Super Furry Animals. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet, this Welsh rock group was formed in Cardiff in 1993. Led by singer-guitarist Gruff Rhys (and featuring actor Rhys Ifans on lead vocals during an earlier incarnation of the band), the five-piece were at the forefront of what many referred to…

LONDON — PornHub, which partially blocked access to its platform in the U.K. back in January amid concerns about the implementation of the Online Safety Act, has fully restored access to U.K.-based Apple users, the porn site’s parent company announced Tuesday. Under the OSA porn providers are required to have highly effective age assurance in place to prevent children from accessing adult content. PornHub argued that instead of going through its age-checks, would-be visitors were flocking to non-compliant sites en masse, and that only device-based age checks from the likes of Apple, Google and Microsoft would level the playing field.…