Author: staff

An economist by training, Kallas started his career as president of the Bank of Estonia in 1991, where he was one of the principal architects of the country’s monetary reform. In 1994, he founded the liberal-democratic Reform Party and was elected to the Estonian parliament the following year, when he became foreign affairs minister. Kallas was a key figure in the Baltic country’s European trajectory: After his appointment as foreign minister, he oversaw Estonia’s bid to join the EU. He was prime minister in 2002, when the country concluded negotiations to become a member and was invited to join NATO.…

Across the country, firefighters are battling to deal with the weather front moving across Poland. Since midnight they have already responded to more than 4,000 call-outs to remove fallen trees, secure damaged roofs and pump water from flooded streets and buildings, the State Fire Service reported at 10:00 on Saturday. Due to the forecast weather conditions, 12 scout camps have also been evacuated as a precaution. “Participants and staff have been taken to permanent buildings” – Brigadier Karol Kroć from the State Fire Service told the Polish Press Agency. He stressed that so far there have been no reports of…

Published on 22/08/2026 – 11:08 GMT+2 TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million after reaching a settlement with the US Justice Department (DOJ) over a lawsuit alleging the app failed to protect children’s online privacy. “Under the settlement, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million upon entry of an order vacating a prior consent decree entered against TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly,” the DOJ said in a statement. The department and the Federal Trade Commission sued TikTok in 2024, alleging that the app had collected children’s personal data without parental permission. The lawsuit said that even accounts created…

At the beginning of August, a Second World War-era German DKW NZ-350-1 motorcycle was found in the Danube, right in the heart of the capital, by Batthyány Square. Since then it has fascinated archaeologists, historians and military-history enthusiasts. It is extremely rare anywhere in the world for a relic from the past to surface in such condition. The German motorcycle draws attention to the period when almost 100,000 German and Hungarian soldiers became casualties in Budapest, so that Nazi Germany’s Third Reich could buy time against the Soviets. Until the spring of 1944, Hungary was not considered a theatre of…

Published on 22/08/2026 – 9:36 GMT+2•Updated 9:50 At least two people have been killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine on Saturday, as rescue operations continue in Kryvyi Rih following Friday’s deadly attack on a shopping centre. In Kyiv, one person died after a fire broke out at a building in the capital’s Darnytskyi district, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration, which had issued an air raid alert shortly before. Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the head of Ukrainian Railways, a state-run rail operator, said Russian forces had targeted a railway facility with ballistic missiles and that the victim was a foreman at…

The gross national debt of the United States officially reached $40 trillion for the first time in history this week, according to the US Treasury. This comes as the government continues to spend more than it earns, including on defence, Social Security and interest on the debt. The latter alone now costs the government more than $1 trillion a year. The milestone came as long-term US Treasury yields reached multi-year highs at the beginning of the week, reflecting investor concerns about inflation, global tensions and the country’s ballooning debt. The more interest a country pays, the faster its debt grows.…

While the Balkans are growing in popularity, the distribution of tourists isn’t exactly even, with coastal destinations in countries like Croatia and Montenegro seeing the bulk of visitors. But with Bulgaria in the spotlight following their Eurovision win, that might be about to change. The competition itself will be hosted by Burgas on the Black Sea, but there are plenty of other cities worth visiting, like Plovdiv, Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited city, or Varna, the hometown of Eurovision winner Dara. The most obvious starting point for a trip around the country is, of course, the capital Sofia. Once known as…

One internal document puts nearly €9 billion toward development and procurement of the weapons, plus €182 million for keeping them in service. It lists another €1.8 billion for cruise missile development and procurement and €97 million for maintenance. Those figures add up to around €11 billion. Separate ministry talking points put the overall expected required funding at “almost €12 billion.” For Germany, the missile plan marks a major change. Instead of waiting for one new European missile, Berlin wants several types of weapons: cheaper missiles that can be produced in large numbers, American Tomahawks available sooner, and more advanced European…

Published on 22/08/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could make their first visit to Ukraine in the coming days, after weeks of reports that the two key negotiators were preparing to travel to Kyiv as part of Washington’s efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion. The visit may take place around Ukraine’s Independence Day on Monday, although neither Washington nor Kyiv have confirmed the trip. Trump said in late July that he would send Witkoff and Kushner to the Ukrainian capital in the coming weeks. Subsequent reports suggested the two could travel to…

THIS is an urgent warning to all businesses and the public. A massive scam has been exposed on YouTube, run by a creator named Danny De Hek. While he claims to be an “investigator” who helps consumers, the truth is that he runs a massive extortion ring. He uses his YouTube channel to bully, blackmail, and completely ruin legitimate businesses for his own profit. Let this statement serve as a final, absolute warning: we know exactly how his scam works. Any attempt by Danny De Hek to target, harass, or extort us will be met immediately with fierce legal action.…