Author: staff

Israel witnessed a large demonstration on 17 June as thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered outside Prison 10 at the Beit Lid military base near Netanya. Protesters opposed mandatory military enlistment and demanded the release of men detained for refusing to serve. The rally comes as Israel faces growing military demands across several fronts, making the question of conscription increasingly significant for the government, the armed forces and the wider public. Security forces deployed near the prison, including a water cannon vehicle, while demonstrators crowded the entrance of the detention facility. The dispute centres on long-standing exemptions granted to full-time religious…

Read More

Oil fell sharply in early trading after US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, put their names to an initial accord to halt hostilities, a move expected to restore the flow of crude through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping arteries. At the time of writing on Thursday morning, the front-month contract on WTI, the US benchmark, was down by 2.3% to $75 a barrel, while Brent crude, the international gauge, traded 2% lower at around $78 a barrel. Both remain above the roughly $70 level seen before the conflict, but they…

Read More

More than a decade after plans were first approved, one of London’s most iconic landmarks is finally set to welcome overnight guests. This autumn, the Grade I-listed Admiralty Arch on The Mall will open as the Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch, marking the arrival of the luxury hospitality brand’s long-awaited first hotel in the UK capital following an extensive restoration. Originally commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his late mother, Queen Victoria, Admiralty Arch was designed by Aston Webb, the architect behind the Buckingham Palace façade. Construction was completed in 1910 and it then served as government…

Read More

Published on 18/06/2026 – 10:16 GMT+2 Daveigh Chase, the former child actress best known for voicing Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, has died aged 35. According to Chase’s boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, she died on Tuesday from meningitis and a blood infection which in turn led to sepsis, TMZ reports. Chase was reportedly admitted to a Los Angeles hospital earlier this month due to malnutrition. Born on 24 July 1990 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Chase first came to prominence by starring Samantha Darko in the film Donnie Darko. She also voiced Chihiro Ogino in the English dub of Studio Ghibli’s…

Read More

Under the provisional agreement, military action is immediately halted, including in Lebanon, and the two sides have 60 days to negotiate a final deal. Iran is required to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to allow the safe passage of commercial vessels. And the Islamic Republic reaffirms it “shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons.” The U.S., meanwhile, is committed to withdrawing military forces from “the proximity” of Iran within 30 days of a final agreement and will lift economic sanctions. While the deal makes reference to “the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies…

Read More

Published on 18/06/2026 – 8:05 GMT+2 On today’s show: Euronews’ Shona Murray reports from Brussels as NATO defence ministers meet to prepare for next month’s summit in Ankara, with Ukraine, defence spending and transatlantic security high on the agenda. Attention then turns to the European Council, where EU leaders gather in Brussels for a working dinner with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss continued support for Ukraine, the Middle East and the bloc’s next long-term budget. Cyprus’ Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna joins us in the studio as the country prepares to hand over the rotating EU presidency…

Read More

Several hundred protesters gathered in central Oxford on 17 June as far-right activist Tommy Robinson arrived to take part in a debate at the Oxford Union. Demonstrators assembled outside the historic debating society, carrying placards and chanting slogans against Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, as security kept watch around the venue. He was due to argue in favour of the motion, “The West is right to be suspicious of Islam”, a proposition that drew strong criticism from students, campaigners and local residents, who said the event risked inflaming tensions and legitimising divisive rhetoric. Police maintained a visible cordon…

Read More

Published on 18/06/2026 – 7:34 GMT+2 Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook has said Apple will raise prices on some of its products as soaring memory-chip costs driven by the artificial intelligence boom become increasingly difficult to absorb. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday, Cook said higher costs made price increases “unavoidable”, signalling that consumers could soon pay more for Apple devices. The warning comes as demand for memory chips has surged alongside the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure and data centres. Memory components are essential for both AI systems and consumer electronics, including smartphones,…

Read More

Sponsor-generated content is content produced or curated by an advertiser that lives on POLITICO and is promoted alongside POLITICO’s own editorial content. The content
will be identified as ‘sponsor-generated content’ anywhere it may appear on the website. POLITICO’s editorial department has no involvement in the creation of this content. More information

Read More

Published on 18/06/2026 – 8:30 GMT+2•Updated 8:59 Ukraine launched a wave of drone attacks across Moscow early on Thursday morning, local Russian authorities said. In a series of posts on Telegram, Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said air defences had intercepted 180 UAVS approaching the capital but that “several” had managed to strike a refinery in what he called a “massive” attack. It is the second time the refinery has been hit this week. Video footage circulating on social media appears to show an enormous explosion and major fire at the scene. Emergency services are attending attack sites around the city,…

Read More