Author: staff
Withering verdicts on Starmer’s top team and the inner workings of the security vetting system are included in second batch of documents covering Peter Mandelson’s appointment as U.S. ambassador to Washington. 4 HRS ago 11 mins read
Vilnius turned into a pink playground over the weekend as thousands of locals and tourists took part in a three-day festival built around Lithuania’s famous cold beet soup, šaltibarščiai. The city mixed food, music and street events, with pink foam slides and river-side races adding to the atmosphere. At the centre of the celebration was a shared lunch known as the “Pink Break”, where long tables filled with people from around the world ate the bright soup together. Organisers said more than 100,000 visitors were expected, with tonnes of kefir used in the soup across the event. The festival has…
“We will have to listen to everybody’s position before we reach a final agreement,” cautioned one EU official who was granted anonymity to speak frankly. A number of EU countries had called for sanctions against Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir over his taunting of activists apprehended while attempting to circumvent Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza in May. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reprimanded Ben-Gvir following the publication of a video of the incident, saying the minister’s behavior was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms.” “The European Council condemns the mistreatment of detainees following the interception of…
The French government didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment. Eurosatory starts on June 15 in Villepinte, in the Paris region. The arms fair is a chance for the world’s largest weapons-makers, including Germany’s Rheinmetall, the U.S.’s Lockheed Martin and South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace to showcase their military equipment, including tanks, artillery systems and rocket launchers. The move is likely to deepen a monthslong diplomatic rift between France and Israel, that culminated when Paris recognized Palestinian statehood in September last year. In March, Israel announced it would stop all defense procurement from France. On Monday, the French government sharply condemned…
Published on 01/06/2026 – 17:25 GMT+2•Updated 17:44 Hungary’s Prime Minister Péter Magyar will visit German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday and French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, in his second major European diplomatic tour since taking office. Magyar, who swept to power in early May after a landslide election victory over Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, has made restoring Hungary’s standing within the European mainstream the centrepiece of his foreign policy agenda, following years of tensions between Budapest and EU institutions. Magyar, who visited Warsaw and Vienna two weeks ago, will be received by Merz at noon, with a joint press…
Published on 01/06/2026 – 16:49 GMT+2 It’s a million-dollar question for a football fan: Would you spend $1 million on a hotel package that includes World Cup final tickets, four nights in a luxury New York penthouse and a private helicopter trip to the stadium? Yes, you would? Then you’re in luck… That’s because The Mark hotel, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, has unveiled exactly that – a $1m (€861,540) World Cup final package for six guests that includes all of the above and much more. Aptly named “The Mark World Cup Extravaganza”, the luxury hotel describes…
European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said in a statement the Commission has had “several productive meetings with Anthropic” and “welcome[d] the latest developments on potential future access.” Anthropic unveiled Mythos in early April, warning that the model outperformed most humans in finding and exploiting cybersecurity weaknesses. It triggered fears that it could be used for huge hacks of critical and sensitive systems if it falls into the hands of cyber adversaries. European authorities for weeks were shut off from accessing the cutting-edge cybersecurity AI tech, leading to urgent calls by European politicians and government officials to gain access. Cyber…
Published on 01/06/2026 – 15:28 GMT+2 The European Union is set to join Pax Silica, a Washington-led initiative to coordinate export controls and co-investment in advanced chips aimed at curbing China’s technological rise, particularly in AI. In recent weeks, Brussels has been debating whether to sign up to the initiative, which the US launched last December to secure global supply chains for AI chips, critical minerals and advanced technologies. The UK, Japan, South Korea, India and Australia have already joined, as have three EU member states — Greece, Finland and Sweden. The initiative has not been without its critics, however.…
Published on 01/06/2026 – 15:57 GMT+2 As FIFA prepares for the World Cup to kick off in North America, it is set to deploy new technologies to improve both the game and the fan experience. From AI-generated player avatars and sensor-equipped match balls to a generative AI platform for team analysis, the governing body is introducing tools designed to support referees, teams and broadcasters in reshaping how the game is experienced on and off the pitch. “We are ensuring that innovation benefits every player, every team, and every fan everywhere in the world … and of course benefits the greatest…
The operation was undertaken with the support of the United Kingdom, which recently expanded its military powers to detain Russian ships evading sanctions. Moscow’s envoy in Paris told Russian state media the Tagor’s captain is a Russian citizen. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday condemned the seizure, describing it as “illegal” and bordering on “international piracy.” Moscow will be “taking into account, so to speak, this existing negative experience,” as it tries to ensure the safety of its cargo, he added. The latest incident marks France’s fourth seizure of a Russian ship this year. European capitals have clamped down on…