Author: staff
“Our Palianytsia jet-powered drones, Neptune missiles, and unmanned naval systems successfully struck the designated targets. Hits on air defense positions, piers, and seaport infrastructure have been confirmed,” wrote Zelenskyy on X. “The occupation fleet and all the infrastructure supporting it will not be safe as long as Russian aggression continues,” he warned Moscow. Russia’s defense ministry said the country’s air defenses had intercepted and destroyed 502 Ukrainian drones over several regions and the Black Sea overnight. Moscow has stepped up its missile attacks on Ukraine in recent months, killing dozens of Ukrainian civilians, while Kyiv has hit back at Russian…
A spectacular solar eclipse wowed those lucky enough to be on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean in October 2024, but now a different part of the world is preparing to witness the astronomical phenomenon. This Wednesday (12 August 2026), the moon will pass perfectly between the sun and the Earth, casting its shadow across a narrow swathe of the planet with many parts of Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain, experiencing the total eclipse while millions of Europeans across western Europe will witness a visible partial eclipse. It will take 1.5 hours for the umbra, or moon’s sun-blocking shadow, to…
In Zarzal, around 700 homes were damaged, with some reduced to rubble. At least one person died, while emergency teams assessed homes door to door to identify residents needing shelter and supplies. Debris blocked streets, and some badly damaged buildings may have to be demolished. In Roldanillo, residents returned to damaged streets and businesses to salvage what they could. At least two people died, including councillor Juan Carlos García Castañeda, killed when part of a gym collapsed. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged, prompting a state of public calamity and a night-time curfew. With power and running water cut,…
Published on 12/08/2026 – 11:19 GMT+2 Music streaming giant Spotify has announced that from September it will begin adding an “AI Persona” badge to some artist profiles, helping listeners identify when an artist’s music may have been generated using artificial intelligence. AI Personas will also be excluded from Spotify’s editorial and algorithmic recommendations, in an effort to give greater visibility to music made by genuine human musicians and artists. Spotify will give artists the option to disclose whether they consider themselves an AI Persona. The platform will also conduct its own reviews to identify profiles that appear to be AI-generated…
Pauline von Pezold und Frederik Schindler widmen sich in dieser Folge gemeinsam mit Jacob Ross, Research Fellow bei der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik , der Außenpolitik der AfD. Sie analysieren gemeinsam mit ihm, wie sich die Partei von einer reinen Protestbewegung zu einer gestaltenden Kraft mit einem eigenen Gegenentwurf zur Außenpolitik der Bundesregierung entwickeln will. Im Zentrum steht das Konzept der „Multipolarität“. Einer Weltordnung, die in regionale Einflusssphären unterteilt ist, wie sie von Russland und China propagiert und von Teilen der AfD angestrebt wird. Schindler, Ross und von Pezold diskutieren, ob der Versuch der AfD, gleichzeitig die Nähe zu…
Published on 12/08/2026 – 11:37 GMT+2 Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia’s Novorossiysk, in Crimea, killed two people, including an eight-year-old child, the regional governor said on Wednesday after the latest exchange of air attacks between the warring countries. Russian overnight strikes on a frontline city in southern Ukraine also killed two and injured two others. Ukraine has increased its strikes on Russia in what it says is fair retribution for Moscow’s own daily strikes on Ukrainian cities that force people into shelters and kill civilians across the country. Russia’s Krasnodar — a southern region home to several tourist hotspots —…
Published on 12/08/2026 – 10:27 GMT+2•Updated 10:30 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened to seize ships belonging to European countries in retaliation for plans to sell off cargo seized from Russian “shadow fleet” vessels. Several European companies have intercepted ships carrying Russian oil in contravention of European sanctions targeting the vital revenue source. New sanctions passed last month permit EU members to sell the oil or any other cargo seized from the ships. ‘Piracy and banditry’ Moscow has bristled at the moves, with Putin calling it “piracy and banditry”. “We will be forced to respond in kind,” the Kremlin…
North Korea conducted its second ballistic missile test in less than a week on Wednesday, South Korean media reports, in what is believed to be a protest against the upcoming military exercises between Seoul and Washington, which Pyongyang sees as a practice for an invasion. A ballistic missile fired from the North’s eastern coastal Wonsan area around 6 a.m. flew more than 700 kilometres, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. South Korea’s military condemned the test and warned it remains ready to repel any provocation by Pyongyang in cooperation with the United States. South Korea’s national security council called…
European shares have started August 2026 in almost the opposite way to what their seasonal reputation would suggest. The EURO STOXX 50 and DAX are hovering near record highs, while the CAC 40 remains close to its peak. Yet August has historically been one of Europe’s weakest months. That contradiction raises a more interesting question than whether investors should simply “sell in August”. The data suggests August is not consistently a bad month. Instead, its poor reputation has been shaped by a small number of extraordinary market shocks. European markets defy ‘August curse’ European shares have started August 2026 in…
Record temperatures are sweeping across Spain and into Finland. This summer, droughts have spread across Europe, prompting urgent water rationing measures and temporary bans on non-essential water uses. The World Weather Attribution links current droughts to months of below-average rainfall and record heat between April and June. In 2026 alone, soil moisture deficits are 5 to 11 times more likely. France’s maize harvest is at a 50-year low, and Romania is losing over a million hectares. Reduced water levels in rivers and lakes are affecting tourism and transportation, including on the Danube, which is at its lowest since 1996. Extreme…