Author: staff
“The Schengen area is sliced up like Swiss cheese,” said Slovenian Socialist MEP Matjaž Nemec, a member of the European Parliament’s Schengen borders scrutiny group. “As long as the Commission turns a blind eye to blatant violations of EU law and allows large countries like Germany and France to get away with them with impunity, the future of the EU looks bleak.” Our investigation found that Germany had issued alerts for Ukrainian refugees once held in Russian-controlled penal institutions, blocking them from entering the European Union. Although Ukrainian authorities said the list of former prisoners had been shared with law-enforcement…
Published on 13/02/2026 – 10:31 GMT+1 I prepared some numbers for you. Maybe use them as a pick-up line? Europeans are waiting longer to have children, and there is no sign that will change anytime soon. But here is the twist: delaying parenthood does not necessarily mean giving up on children. In fact, the EU countries where women wait the longest are also the countries with higher fertility rates. And that also might explain the explosion in fertility treatments, which allow couples to extend their window of opportunity. In 2021 alone, there were over 1 million treatment cycles across Europe.…
The United States will deploy the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier to the Middle East to join another carrier already in the region, an official said on Friday, as US President Donald Trump seeks to pressure Iran into negotiations over its nuclear programme. The deployment will place two carriers and their accompanying warships in the area. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its guided-missile destroyers are already positioned in the Arabian Sea, according to a person familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements. The news of the deployment came as Trump warned Tehran…
By Pascale Davies & AP Published on 13/02/2026 – 12:48 GMT+1•Updated 12:50 A fresh team of astronauts launched toward the International Space Station on Friday aboard a SpaceX rocket, set to take over for crew members who had been brought back to Earth in what marked NASA’s first medical evacuation from orbit. NASA requested the expedited launch to quickly fill the positions left vacant by the evacuated astronauts. The incoming crew—comprising astronauts from the United States, France, and Russia—is scheduled for an eight- to nine-month stay that will extend through until autumn. They arrive on Saturday and will restore the space station to…
Ammori argued the move by the Home Office disproportionately interfered with freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, which the court concurred with. Judges also said the ban was not consistent with the government’s policy to limit the ability to declare groups as terrorist organizations. “The nature and scale of Palestine Action’s activities falling within the definition of terrorism had not yet reached the level, scale and persistence to warrant proscription,” the summary read. However, Judge Sharp said the ban will not be lifted until a further court order “pending the possibility of an appeal.” In its judgment, the court…
There is a golden rule in the EU’s criteria for accepting new members that officials often repeat: membership is “merit-based’, meaning no candidate country can join until fully aligned with EU laws and democratic standards. But Ukraine may prove an exception. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for a fixed deadline for Kyiv’s EU accession in US-brokered peace talks with Russia – forcing a major scramble in the EU executive to rethink its decades-old enlargement policy. Speaking to reporters in a WhatsApp chat on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine will “do everything to be technically ready for (EU) accession by 2027,” adding…
Published on 13/02/2026 – 13:22 GMT+1 Negotiators from seven parties struck a coalition deal after more than 600 days of deadlock in the Belgian capital on Thursday night, following nearly three days of conclave-like talks. The autonomous Brussels-Capital region has been mired in a political and financial crisis since the June 2024 elections produced no clear winner. The seven parties, three French-speaking and four Dutch-speaking, have since been mired in finding a compromise to suit all, while Brussels’ complex institutional setup has also complicated coalition talks. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever hit out in frustration earlier this week, saying…
Published on 13/02/2026 – 13:14 GMT+1 Aluminium prices edged lower on Friday as a broader pullback in metals gathered pace after reports that US president Donald Trump may roll back some tariffs on metal goods. On the London Metal Exchange, the benchmark three-month aluminium contract slipped more than 2.5% to $2,965.75 a tonne by around midday, while the most-active contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 1.76% to 23,195 yuan (€2,832) a tonne. Several core industrial metals have also moved lower on the day. Zinc was quoted at $3,316.50 a tonne, down $51.95 (-1.54%), nickel at $16,993.38, down $257 (-1.49%)…
By Roselyne Min with AFP Published on 13/02/2026 – 12:57 GMT+1 Astronomers say they have discovered a distant planetary system with planets arranged in a surprising order, challenging long-standing ideas about how planets form. In our Solar System, the four planets closest to the Sun are small and rocky, while the four farther away are large gas giants. Scientists have long believed this pattern — rocky planets near the star and gaseous planets farther out — was common across the universe. However, a star called LHS 1903 discovered in the Milky Way’s thick disc suggests otherwise. In a collaborative effort involving researchers across…
By Tokunbo Salako with AP Published on 13/02/2026 – 8:13 GMT+1•Updated 11:19 A few years ago it seemed you had to whisper if you chose to drink alcohol-free wine. Now the industry has been forced into changing its habits and production as consumers are increasingly seeking alternatives to alcohol. At the Wine Paris trade show this week, dozens of bottles of alcohol-free reds, whites, rosés and sparkling varieties have been ready on ice. Once covered in a corner, the fast-growing no- and low-alcohol sector, now takes pride of place with producers from across Europe and beyond showcasing their latest offerings. And the choice…