Author: staff
The United States is reportedly deploying additional warships and troops to the Middle East, despite mixed signals from US President Donald Trump suggesting he was considering “winding down” military operations in the region. In the wake of soaring oil prices, Trump also threatened to attack Kharg Island, which is vital to Iran’s oil exports as the majority of its oil leave the country via the island. “I may have a plan I may not,” Trump told reporters leaving the White House on Friday. “It’s certainly a place that people are talking about. But I can’t tell you that,” he added.…
Germany, according to Ernst, is still “relatively blank” in the region. What it can contribute militarily remains narrow: “A bit of maritime patrol, a frigate, mine clearance.” Pohlkamp said Germany’s role in Asia is still being built “in small doses” and is largely symbolic. But what matters is whether Berlin can turn occasional visits and deployments into something steadier and more predictable. The defense ministry insists that is the point of Pistorius’s trip. Ministry spokesperson Mitko Müller said Wednesday that Europe and the Indo-Pacific are “inseparably linked,” citing the rules-based order, sea lanes, international law and the role of the…
Updated: 21/03/2026 – 7:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this March 21st, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
When German historian Rainer Zitelmann reposted a photo of Adolf Hitler to warn against appeasing Russian President Vladimir Putin, he didn’t expect it to trigger a police probe. According to police, the problem was the image itself: Hitler was shown wearing a swastika armband — a banned symbol under Germany’s criminal code, which prohibits the public display of Nazi and other extremist insignia. Zitelmann was informed in February that authorities were examining the case. Zitelmann’s is just one of several recent investigations into online speech, which have raised questions about how far German authorities are going in enforcing strict speech…
Astrotourism has been among the biggest travel trends of the past five years and it shows no signs of slowing down, particularly with a solar eclipse on the horizon later this year. While the 2026 total solar eclipse on 12 August will be pretty special as the first, and only, one to be visible in Iceland in the 21st century, long-time eclipse chasers are already looking ahead to next year. That’s because 2 August 2027 will see the “eclipse of the century”, aka the longest total solar eclipse on easily accessible land. Major cities in the path of totality include…
Permanent membership requires a $1 billion contribution. Many key democracies such as the U.K., Canada, France and Germany have stayed away while Russia and China have so far declined to join, leaving membership to a motley group of member states including Belarus and Azerbaijan. In January Trump withdrew an invitation to Canada to join after a spat with America’s northern neighbor. Guterres said that beyond the Gaza reconstruction plan, he saw no need for Trump’s board. “Everything else now is a personal project of President Trump, in which he has full control of everything,” he noted. “This is not the effective way to address the dramatic problems that…
In the 1990s, following the Mani Pulite (“Clean Hands”)corruption scandal that broke the Christian Democrats’ decades-long hold on power, politicians were discredited, while prosecutors were hailed as heroes and gained moral authority. This triggered lasting grievances on the right and a conviction that the judiciary has become a political force. Things have not always been so binary. The idea of separating the career paths of judges and prosecutors was also previously supported by the left: Massimo D’Alema, who was secretary of the left-wing Partito Democratico di Sinistra and would soon become prime minister, proposed the reform as chair of a…
The Press Association has reported that the man arrested is Iranian. Faslane is one of the U.K.’s largest and most sensitive military sites, and is not open to the public. While it is not known what the pair’s motive was, the incident comes amid heightened concerns about hostile activity from Iran in Britain. Faslane is home to all of the Navy’s nuclear submarines, including the Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines which carry Trident nuclear missiles. The site is protected by Ministry of Defence Police and Royal Marine Commandos, which were scrambled to their highest alert yesterday, according to the Sun.
Russia has made various proposals about Iran to the U.S., which has rejected them all, another person familiar with the discussions said. This person said the U.S. also rejected a proposal to move Iran’s enriched uranium to Russia, which was first reported by Axios. Russia has expanded intelligence-sharing and military cooperation with Iran since the war started, a person briefed on the intelligence said. The Wall Street Journal first reported the increase and wrote that Moscow is providing satellite imagery and drone technology to help Tehran target U.S. forces in the region. The Kremlin called that report “fake news.” Trump…
The outburst came following Thursday’s European Council, where national leaders struck a cautious tone in emphasizing de-escalation and resisting involvement in a conflict with no apparent end in sight. Spain’s PM Pedro Sánchez even described the war as illegal — underscoring the size of the breach with Washington. Since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Tehran on Feb. 28, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. have resisted sending warships to the Gulf. On Thursday they backed a joint statement with partners Japan and Canada supporting “appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage through Hormuz — but only once the fighting…