Author: staff

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will join European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the most high-profile political moment in the EU’s calendar, amid a worsening rift between the U.S. and Ottawa. A European Commission official close to von der Leyen confirmed to POLITICO that Carney had accepted an invitation to attend the State of the EU address in Strasbourg, where the president sets out her priorities for the bloc. “Before the summer break, the European Commission President invited Prime Minister Carney for [the State of the Union] both as a strong sign of the closeness of the EU…

The Ionian Islands region was placed under a Code Red alert on Wednesday, as a very high risk of wildfires (Category 4) is forecast. The decision was taken by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. Under the alert, the National Civil Protection Mechanism is fully activated, deploying the necessary personnel, equipment and resources required to prepare for imminent threat, respond to emergencies and manage the consequences of any destructive event. Short-term recovery, relief and support measures are also activated to help mitigate the impact of the disaster. A high wildfire risk (Category 3) is forecast for Attica, several…

A rare 1920 painting by Dutch master Piet Mondrian, Composition III, is set to go under the hammer at Christie’s in London this October. The abstract work, unseen in public for more than 25 years, is expected to fetch between £20m and £30m during the auction house’s Frieze Week sale. The video shows an art handler adjusting the canvas in a hidden gallery at Christie’s. Close-ups reveal the bold blocks of primary colour and straight black lines that define Mondrian’s signature neoplastic style. The piece marks a pivotal moment as the artist moved from traditional landscapes to pure abstraction. Works…

For most people, September might seem like an unlikely month for a holiday. It’s a month when the summer is winding down and kids are going back to the classroom. In the last three years, however, the trend has been heading in the opposite direction. ABTA’s Travel Trends 2026 report highlights the “Super September” trend, as more and more travellers seek out the month to venture abroad. Since 2023, travellers’ intention to holiday abroad in September has steadily risen, with almost a quarter (24%) saying in 2025 that they are planning on taking a holiday in that month. This is…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded his country’s Order of Freedom to Elon Musk Wednesday, amid efforts to persuade Musk to expand access to his Starlink network. Zelenskyy’s presidential decree praises Musk for “protecting people’s lives and freedom, and developing relations between the peoples of Ukraine and the United States of America.” Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service has helped Ukrainian forces maintain communications and coordinate operations since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. In February 2026, SpaceX disabled thousands of Starlink terminals used by Russian forces, weakening their military capabilities. Ukraine is trying to convince the tech mogul…

Published on 26/08/2026 – 11:30 GMT+2 A second man has been arrested over a sword attack at a school in central Sweden that left a 17-year-old girl dead and three other students wounded, prosecutors said on Wednesday. The man is suspected of assisting murder and attempted murder over the attack at Brinell School in Fagersta, northwest of Stockholm, on August 21. Prosecutors have not disclosed his age or said how he is suspected of being involved. They are expected to decide by noon on Thursday whether to ask a court to detain him or release him. An 18-year-old student at…

Published on 26/08/2026 – 10:50 GMT+2 US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nearly 50,000 people in July, the highest monthly total since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to new figures. ICE made 49,571 arrests in July, up 15% from 43,021 in June and 70% from 29,241 in February, according to government data analysed by the Associated Press news agency. The surge in immigration arrests comes as the Trump administration continues to pursue its mass deportation agenda, shifting from high-profile operations in major US cities to less visible enforcement actions. As arrests have surged in recent…

Archealogists in Peru have discovered the remains of a colonial-era hospital dating back to the 16th century that treated sick sailors who stopped at Pacific ports when Peru was a Spanish colony. Six human skeletons that had been buried, likely belonging to patients, were uncovered in rectangular structures. A ceramic oil lamp, used to provide light in the dark with candles, was found at hand level of one of the skeletons. The hospital was likely founded in the 1570s by a Greek sailor named Miguel de Acosta and had a capacity of up to 70 beds, according to Spanish Jesuit…

Three successive search-and-rescue operations involving migrants were carried out in the early hours of Wednesday off the Greek island of Crete, with about 218 people rescued from three boats. The operations took place in waters south and southwest of Ierapetra and were coordinated by Greece’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC). According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, a Frontex unmanned aircraft spotted the first boat, carrying around 71 people, about 15 nautical miles southwest of Ierapetra. Those on board were rescued by a passing Malta-flagged tanker and taken to the port of Kaloi Limenes. In the same area, a second boat…

More than a thousand people gathered in Aomori Prefecture to pull Japan’s historic Hirosaki Castle back to its original site after years of renovation. The wooden keep, one of only twelve original castles left in the country, was moved in 2015 so engineers could repair the stone base beneath it. Now, teams of volunteers have guided it home. The video opens with a wide view of the castle, thick ropes laid out on the grass. A mascot waves participants into position, and soon hundreds stand shoulder to shoulder on either side of the ropes. Drums beat a steady rhythm as…