Author: staff
European support for recognizing Palestinian statehood has grown in recent years due to Israel’s war in Gaza, which it launched in response to an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The Hamas attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, a large majority of whom were civilians, and took 251 hostages. The health ministry in Gaza, which was under the Hamas-run government, said that more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the beginning of the war, according to the latest figures; United Nations agencies and independent experts consider the ministry’s casualty records to be generally…
Un baromètre le plaçant en tête des bonnes opinions dans l’électorat de gauche, un accueil bienveillant par les patrons aux Rencontres d’Aix-en-Provence… François Hollande commence à récolter les fruits de la campagne de terrain ininterrompue qu’il mène depuis plusieurs mois. Anthony Lattier et Pauline de Saint Remy de POLITICO discutent des forces et des faiblesses de la stratégie de l’ancien président socialiste.
Published on 06/07/2026 – 15:24 GMT+2 Britain unveiled sanctions against seven Russian scientists and two research labs on Monday said to have helped develop chemical weapons used in two attacks. The sanctions target those involved in developing the Novichok nerve agent used in a 2018 attack on a former Russian spy hiding in England and a chemical believed to have fatally poisoned Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny in Siberia in 2024. “These new measures directly hit two leading scientific research centres and key individuals involved in the development and production of toxic chemicals,” the UK foreign ministry said in a…
While Kyiv has been notching military victories on the battlefield and increasingly striking targets deep in Russian territory, Moscow continues to attack Ukraine with dozens of ballistic missiles as the latter scrambles to shore up its dwindling air defenses. The latest attack on Monday, just before the summit, killed at least 22 people and wounded over 90 in Kyiv alone, with Zelenskyy admitting a lack of PAC-3 interceptors meant Ukraine did not shoot down even one of 20 ballistic missiles launched at it. He urged partner nations to deplete their stocks for Kyiv. Rutte condemned the attack and urged allies…
By Kamuran Samar & euronews Published on 06/07/2026 – 15:30 GMT+2•Updated 17:15 Belgian football fans criticised FIFA’s decision to overturn United States striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension ahead of Belgium’s World Cup round-of-16 clash with the USA. The decision came following reported intervention by US President Donald Trump. Speaking in Brussels, several supporters questioned the fairness of the ruling, arguing that a red card should carry the same consequences for every team. Some said the decision risked affecting confidence in the refereeing, while others described it as “not normal” and insisted that “a red card is a red card”. Watch the video to hear…
Conflicting assessments Belgrade’s parliament last month voted through a series of amendments relaxing controversial laws passed at the start of the year by the governing party, which legal experts said would undermine the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. On top of that, officials point to almost two dozen legislative changes that have been passed to comply with EU rules, including strengthening the management of EU funds and aligning with the bloc’s internal market. Yet the Commission’s own assessments appear to point in different directions. In an internal briefing paper circulated amongst ambassadors ahead of Wednesday’s meeting…
The European Union’s new Critical Chemicals Alliance (CCA), which has been presented as a strategic response to concerns about Europe’s industrial resilience and competitiveness, has become a front for industries pushing for deregulation and relaxed pollution rules, according to a watchdog report published on Monday. Launched in January 2026 with the European Commission’s endorsement, the CCA includes chemical giants like BASF, TotalEnergies, and Avantium. It was officially meant to identify chemical substances and production sites deemed “critical” to the European economy, potentially unlocking billions in future public support and state aid. But new research published by the Corporate Europe Observatory…
On the Croatian island of Rab, artists are carving large sand sculptures on the beach as part of the 15th Festival of Sand Sculptures. Visitors watch sculptors shape figures of a monk seal, a turtle and a giant squid. The beach gradually turns into an open-air exhibition, where each form emerges from wet sand. The festival brings together artists who build the structures over several days using sand and water for stability. Organisers say the event highlights the island’s natural sandy beaches, which are rare along much of Croatia’s coastline. Artists describe the process as physical but straightforward, relying on…
For 2027, the government is planning total expenditure of €555.4 billion, of which €109.7 billion, or around 20 percent, will be dedicated to defense spending. That share is set to grow in the coming years with €183.7 billion to be spent on defense in 2030 out of a projected €635.4 billion total. The 2027 spending plan was unveiled ahead of this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, where European leaders are expected to try to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that they are committed to boosting military spending and taking greater responsibility for Europe’s defense. “The United States spends more money…
Published on 06/07/2026 – 16:27 GMT+2•Updated 16:27 Ukrainian forces carried out a drone strike on an oil refinery in the Russian city of Omsk on Monday, hitting the country’s most important fuel production site more than 2,500km from the Russia-Ukraine border. The Omsk Oil Refinery is Russia’s largest, with a design capacity of around 22 million tonnes of crude oil per year. It produces gasoline, diesel, aviation kerosene and other petroleum products, including fuel used by the Russian military. The facility had previously been considered beyond the reach of Kyiv’s deep‑strike campaign, but according to Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, Monday’s…