Author: staff
A raft of viral social media posts claims that Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has announced the complete withdrawal of troops from Europe. The posts on X have racked up more than a million views altogether, and all feature the same clip of Rubio giving an interview to Fox News. The captions say that the US spends 100,000 troops and $60 billion defending Europe every year, and that this, combined with Europe’s supposed lack of help to the US in the Strait of Hormuz crisis, justifies their complete withdrawal. They also say that NATO’s dissolution is a “done…
The event took place on the forecourt of the Institut du monde arabe in the French capital’s 5th arrondissement under the artistic direction of Franco Lebanese musician Ibrahim Maalouf. Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji and around 20 artists joined the programme, performing jazz, Arabic music, pop and chanson before an audience made up largely of members of the Lebanese diaspora. Organisers said ticket sales and donations collected during the evening would support humanitarian operations in Lebanon through French aid organisations. The concert was presented as both a cultural celebration and a solidarity initiative at a time when Lebanon continues to face…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 13:49 GMT+2 Meta allegedly turned to parenting influencers to soften its image on child safety amid criticism over its platform’s influence on minors, according to a new report. The Tech Transparency Project (TTP), an American research hub, argues that Meta’s promotion of its Instagram “Teen Accounts” was part of a broader effort to influence the public conversation around platform accountability. The report alleged that the company cultivated a network of hundreds of online creators and so-called “momfluencers” by inviting them to curated events promoting the new accounts. Influencers then repeated the company’s talking points to their…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 12:39 GMT+2 When the phrase “the greatest detective in the world” is quoted from “The Mystery of the Blue Train”, discerning viewers will look back to ITV’s 13 series of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, starring David Suchet as the title character. Over the course of 70 episodes, which ran from 1989 to 2013, the show helmers adapted every major literary work by Christie featuring Poirot, from novel to short story. Several actors have played the Belgian gentleman sleuth over the years, from Peter Ustinov to Kenneth Branagh, but few can deny that the definitive portrayal was…
But Moscow’s inaction following Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture by American forces earlier this year — and inertia during the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Russian ally Iran — raises questions about how far the Kremlin is willing to go to defend its international partners, while its army is bogged down fighting in eastern Ukraine. During a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova expressed “full solidarity” with Cuba in the face of “gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, intimidation, and the use of unilateral restrictive measures, threats, and blackmail.” “Cuba continues to be the target of brutal economic pressure…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 11:41 GMT+2•Updated 12:52 The European Commission on Thursday cut its 2026 growth forecast for the European economy, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East drives energy prices sharply higher. The EU economy is now expected to grow by just 1.1% in 2026, down from the 1.4% projected in the Commission’s autumn forecast. The eurozone outlook was revised down further to 0.9%. In its report, the Commission warned that disruption to global energy markets — caused by escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s key oil and gas shipping routes — has…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 13:01 GMT+2 Ukrainian forces have carried out a long-range drone strike on a Russian oil refinery, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the military said on Thursday. Posting on X, Zelenskyy said his forces had struck the Syzran oil refinery in western Russia, sharing video footage showing flames and black smoke billowing from what appeared to be the facility. “I thank the warriors of the Unmanned Systems Forces and the Special Operations Forces for their precision,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding that Kyiv would continue to target Russia’s oil refineries. In a post on Telegram, the Special Operations Forces…
Airbnb is no longer just trying to replace hotels – it wants to become your entire holiday. The travel giant is rolling out a major expansion that adds grocery deliveries, airport pickups, luggage storage, car rentals and experiences, including behind-the-scenes World Cup access, as it pushes further into full-service travel. Last year, the holiday rental platform launched Airbnb Experiences and Airbnb Services, which allowed users to not only book a place to stay, but to explore a city with a local or have a private chef cook you dinner. Now, it’s aiming to make trips more seamless and is also…
Almost two decades after the Spanish state paid tribute to the great lady of Canadian letters with the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature, Felipe VI has now formally presented her with the Joan Margarit Prize, created by the Cervantes Institute last September. Mónica and Pol Lezcano Margarit, daughter and grandson of the Catalan poet and professor of architecture who died in 2021, were tasked with reading poems by both Margaret Atwood and their relative during the ceremony, held at the University of Victoria. “We would like,” the king said in his speech, “you to receive this prize as a…
Kyiv has long sought to join the military alliance but has met resistance from Germany and the United States, even under the Biden administration. The issue has been almost entirely off the table since Donald Trump returned to the White House. Řehka also stressed the Czech Republic has to increase military expenditure to way above 2 percent of GDP, the former NATO target. The country’s defense budget has been at the center of a dispute between Czech President Petr Pavel and populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. Babiš initially decided to cut down military expenditure to 1.8 percent of GDP, despite…