Author: staff
The European Commission disputed Russia’s claim on Tuesday that the EU spent $320.7 billion (€286 billion) on energy from Moscow since 2022, citing a significantly lower figure, according to a Commission spokesperson. Contrary to Moscow’s claims, Russia supplied the EU with €197 billion ($209 billion) worth of energy between March 2022 and July 2026, the Commission spokesperson said, citing COMEXT data, the official reference database managed by Eurostat. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said late Monday that the EU had purchased €302 billion ($320.7 billion) worth of Russian energy resources since 2022, highlighting the bloc’s continued reliance on Moscow…
Published on 13/10/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2•Updated 10:17 Rental prices in Georgia and Armenia rose 20–30% year-on-year over the summer as Russians fearing a new wave of mobilisation for Russia’s war in Ukraine sought accommodation in neighbouring countries. Georgia remains the most accessible destination: Russian citizens can stay for up to 360 days without a visa and reset the clock with a brief visit to a neighbouring country. Tens of thousands now live there. In Tbilisi, monthly rents for standard housing start at €450, rising to €2,700 or more for larger flats or upmarket apartments. The average nominal monthly wage in…
Privacy regulators are putting forward a united front on smart glasses, as privacy concerns about the wearable technology have multiplied since videos made with them have begun spreading online without the knowledge or consent of those being filmed. The statement is not legally binding but will guide how privacy regulators in Europe assess whether smart glasses users and manufacturers are complying with EU privacy rules like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The regulators said smart glasses manufacturers should implement a combination of transparency measures to make other people aware that they are being recorded. The measures may include lights…
Felipe VI has taken 12 years on the throne to make it to Ceuta, and he is doing so in the same month, intriguingly, as his great-grandfather. The King and Queen Letizia will enter Ceuta’s City Hall, in Plaza de África, launching a two-day trip that continues tomorrow in Melilla. It is the first time they have officially set foot in both cities as monarchs. The last royal visit was by Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, in November 2007, after an 80-year gap. This time the backdrop is very different: around 72,000 people crossed over illegally from Morocco to…
Belgian police arrested ten people, including nine minors, after clashes involving hundreds of young people near Brussels-Midi railway station on Monday, 12 October. Officers reported being targeted with stones and fireworks as unrest broke out on the sidelines of a national strike and a student gathering. Police deployed tear gas and water cannon as groups moved between the station, Place Bara and the Cureghem neighbourhood, occasionally dispersing into Anderlecht and Saint-Gilles before returning. The Clemenceau metro station was temporarily closed, while a car, several scooters and street furniture were set alight. Officers also seized fireworks, flammable liquids and aerosol cans.…
“My message to the Ukrainian people could not be clearer, we are with you for as long as it takes, and we will go further and faster in our support to back your courageous fight for peace in Europe. It is not just the right thing to do, but it’s the necessary thing to do. Russia’s aggression cannot be allowed to succeed on our continent.” Downing Street said the U.K. prime minister has asked ministers to draw up proposals for further sanctions, military aid, and fiscal packages to support Ukraine in the coming weeks. Britain will deliver £45 million of…
When Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv on Monday night, residents were caught off guard. There was no advance air-raid warning, leaving people confused and with no time to seek shelter as explosions rocked the capital. Such incidents have occurred before, but this time the lack of warning fuelled speculation that Washington might have suspended intelligence-sharing with Kyiv amid escalating diplomatic tensions. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Tuesday that Ukraine had received no advance warning from its partners about the incoming missiles, stressing that such intelligence was critical to save civilian lives. Ukraine’s Air Force initially reported that Russian forces had…
Published on 13/10/2026 – 7:59 GMT+2 One person has died and several others were injured in an incident on a roller coaster at a Six Flags park in the US state of Georgia, prompting the company to temporarily shut nine similar rides at six of its parks on Monday. A Six Flags spokesperson said the attractions, which resemble the coaster involved at Six Flags Over Georgia, were closed “out of an abundance of caution.” The park lies about 24 kilometres (15 miles) northwest of Atlanta. Officials have not said how the person died, how the others were hurt or what…
A senior German official welcomed the Beijing deal as a first step in the right direction. “It’s a positive sign — which, of course, doesn’t fully solve the problem of the trade deficit with China,” the official said. But Berlin’s support for a tougher line might prove short-lived. Alicia García-Herrero, a senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank, argued that Beijing’s concessions had been calculated to assuage Berlin, given the importance of the automotive industry to the German economy. “I’m just hoping Merz doesn’t turn away from the letter he sent to the Commission,” she said. With the German chancellor…
Published on 13/10/2026 – 19:13 GMT+2 At least 25 people were injured after a Russian strike hit an educational institution in Ukraine’s Rivne on Tuesday, local authorities said. Police said two people who are in a serious condition are undergoing surgery, while three more people were being treated by medical staff. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said five ballistiv missiles also hit civilian infrastructure in the country’s capital Kyiv, adding that Ukraine received no early warning from its partners about the attack. Zelenskyy characterised the barrage on the capital as “particularly vile,” and emphasised that receiving intelligence from Ukraine’s partners on such…