Author: staff
Seven member states have called for a fundamental rethink of the European Space Shield, proposing a new space security architecture that centres on protecting EU space systems and leaves capability development to national governments. Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden want the capitals in the driving seat and a narrower scope that respects national control over military space capabilities. Paris and Berlin have long been sceptical of the European Space Shield, an initiative Brussels pitched last year in the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030. Now the bloc’s two heavyweights have set out their own vision of space security…
A brown bear slammed its body against a car in northern Japan. The incident took place on Tuesday in Bifuka, where the two bears were believed to be a mother and her cub. The two bears were spotted on a road in Hokkaido. The sighting forced the vehicle to stop as the animals approached. No injuries were reported. Hokkaido police released the dashcam footage from the incident on 29 September. Bear sightings have become an increasingly visible issue in parts of northern Japan.
The budget battle is only just beginning, and the growth figure chosen by the government for 2027 is already prompting reservations. In an opinion published on Thursday (source in French), the High Council for Public Finance (HCFP) judged that the draft budget and social security financing bills, presented the same day to the Council of Ministers, were based in particular on a 1.0% growth forecast it considers “optimistic”. The institution chaired by Amélie de Montchalin, currently First President of the Court of Audit and formerly minister for Public Action and Accounts under Emmanuel Macron, also highlights the “significant uncertainty” surrounding…
Published on 02/10/2026 – 14:49 GMT+2 Artificial intelligence has decoded a letter written on Napoleon Bonaparte’s orders for the first time in more than 200 years. The document was not a letter written directly by Napoleon. It originated at the headquarters of Eugène de Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy, and was an encrypted troop briefing passed to Marmont on Napoleon’s orders. An engineer at cybersecurity company SentinelOne, Carter Church, wrote on social media that OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra model deciphered an encrypted 1809 letter sent to French General Auguste de Marmont. The AI model transcribed the image to break the cypher in…
The UK has just announced that airlines will no longer be able to charge parents to secure seats next to their children. The new rules, which come into force today (2 October), apply to children under the age of 14 with a parent or accompanying adult. Before the rule change, a parent and child could be charged up to £104 (€122) on a return ticket to book seats next to each other. Passengers will also be able to correct simple name errors on bookings for free. Previously, some airlines were charging up to £40 (€47) to do so. “Parents should…
By Roselyne Min with AP Published on 02/10/2026 – 11:18 GMT+2 For British artist Jake Andrew, music has colour, shape and texture. His paintings capture what he sees when he hears it. Andrew has synaesthesia, a rare neurological condition in which one sensory experience can trigger another. For him, sounds produce an immediate visual response. His favourite instrument to paint is the cello. “It’s dark, but it doesn’t feel ominous,” he says. “It’s got this kind of like… and then edge of…. Does this make any sense? Like the edge of the tube itself, of where the sound comes from has these kind…
Feijóo: In Ceuta, it’s up to Europe to clean up the Spanish government’s mess – POLITICO Skip to main content
Published on 02/10/2026 – 14:15 GMT+2•Updated 14:21 France is considering releasing emergency oil stocks to ease soaring diesel prices and address supply concerns, according to three EU diplomats. The idea was floated at a meeting between the European Commission and EU countries on Friday morning, shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with US President Donald Trump about the global energy situation. According to the diplomats, France has not yet made a formal proposal but suggested releasing 50 million barrels of diesel alongside another 50 million barrels of crude oil from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) emergency stocks. “The US…
By Massoud Salari & Euronews Persian Published on 02/10/2026 – 13:48 GMT+2 The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group left San Diego on Sunday and is heading for the Middle East, adding to the two US aircraft carriers already operating against Iran in the biggest buildup in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to US officials. The Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier and flagship of Carrier Strike Group 9, departed without ceremony — no sailors manning the rails, according to ship-spotter photographs. It is accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin and destroyer squadrons, with Carrier Air Wing 11…
Eurozone inflation spiked to 3.8% year-over-year in September, marking the highest rate in three years and topping economists’ forecasts of a 3.6% rise. The jump came almost entirely from one corner of the shopping basket. Energy costs explained close to half of the inflation rate. The flash estimate from Eurostat showed prices rising 0.6% in September alone compared with August. The reading is the highest since September 2023, when inflation ran at 4.3%. It is also almost double the European Central Bank’s 2% target, the level the ECB considers consistent with stable prices. Core inflation told a calmer story. Stripping…