Author: staff

For a few moments, the scene looks more like a concert than a religious gathering. Thousands of people sing, raise their hands and follow the event from the stands of Madrid’s Palacio Vistalegre. On stage appears Franklin Graham, son of the historic evangelist Billy Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and a close ally of US President Donald Trump. The Festival of Hope (source in Spanish), held on 30 and 31 May, brought together thousands of attendees and once again highlighted a reality that is increasingly visible in Spain: the rise of evangelical churches. “Spain needs hope, and…

LONDON — The spy agencies of the Five Eyes international intelligence partnership warned on Wednesday that Chinese spies are attempting to recruit and compromise government and military personnel to gain a tactical advantage over the U.S. and its allies. In a rare joint bulletin, the intelligence agencies of Britain, the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand warned that China is increasingly using professional networking sites and job platforms — including LinkedIn and Indeed — to gain access to classified information. The bulletin said that Five Eyes agencies have uncovered cases of individuals who have handed over sensitive information, leading to…

Published on 03/06/2026 – 22:05 GMT+2 France and the UK have agreed to extend their “one-in, one-out” migrant returns agreement until 1 October, a French minister said on Wednesday. The scheme, known as Operation Hillmore, came into force in September last year as part of efforts by London and Paris to tackle illegal migration across the English Channel. Under the arrangement, Britain can return some migrants to France who arrive illegally by small boats and are deemed not to have a right to remain in the UK. In exchange, Britain accepts an equivalent number of asylum seekers from France who…

“I think we all know that this U.S. administration takes a very restrictive approach to immigration matters,” he said later in the press conference. “This is the first time we’ve experienced that firsthand, and we hope there won’t be any further cases like this — also not for our fans traveling to the tournament.” According to a Swiss national team spokesperson, Embolo submitted a visa application in person at the U.S. embassy in Bern Wednesday morning. “The embassy informed us that the application is being processed as a priority. Breel and the team are now awaiting approval so that he…

Published on 03/06/2026 – 20:48 GMT+2 A Norwegian teenager is on trial in London accused of travelling to the UK to carry out a contract killing on behalf of a Swedish organised crime network allegedly linked to Iran. Prosecutors at the Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, known as the Old Bailey, say 19-year-old Johannes Natland flew from Norway to Britain in March 2024 after agreeing to commit the murder of an unidentified target in exchange for money. They allege he was recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish criminal organisation which the prosecution says has been used by…

Speaking later at a press conference, the defense minister said “final decisions have not been made yet, but we are on the right track.” Warsaw would “do everything we can” to expand the American military presence, he added, saying officials were now working through the details with their U.S. counterparts. The proposal revives a long-standing Polish ambition. During Trump’s first term in 2018, Warsaw proposed the creation of a permanent U.S. base dubbed “Fort Trump,” offering up to $2 billion to help fund it. While that effort fizzled, the American military footprint in Poland has steadily grown. Around 10,000 U.S.…

Published on 03/06/2026 – 16:03 GMT+2 Three members of the UK’s Royal Navy have died while taking part in a training exercise in the southwest of the country, the service announced on Wednesday. In a statement posted to social media, the Royal Navy said the incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning near the village of Sourton in Devon. Emergency services responded to the scene and an investigation is ongoing. “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives,” the navy said in its statement. “All three…

“We ask countries that have imposed blanket travel restrictions to lift them,” Tedros said, arguing instead for exit screening at airports, ports and border crossings to prevent cases and contacts. Meanwhile, the WHO had some good news: Cases of Ebola are lower than experts had feared. Ramping up testing of suspected cases has shown that fewer of them were infected with the Bundibugyo strain of the virus that is spreading across the DRC. Tedros said there were 344 confirmed cases and 60 deaths in the DRC, plus 116 suspected cases, as of June 1. In Uganda there have been 15…

Published on 03/06/2026 – 18:47 GMT+2 Germany failed on Wednesday for the first time to secure a seat on the UN Security Council, with Portugal and Austria receiving more votes for the two Western European spots starting in 2027. The UN Security Council has 15 members: five permanent – the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom – and 10 elected for staggered two-year terms, with seats allocated for different world regions. In secret ballots cast by the General Assembly for the European seats, Portugal and Austria received 134 and 131 votes respectively, while Germany received 104. This…

Published on 03/06/2026 – 18:00 GMT+2 A man holding hostages inside a building in California that houses a bank branch and a school district office has been shot and killed by the FBI, police said on Wednesday. The suspect was killed in “an officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel,” the Bakersfield Police Department said in a statement. The standoff ended about 12 hours after police were called to the building, police said. All the hostages are free and none was harmed, police said. The incident in downtown Bakersfield began on Tuesday afternoon when officers responded to a call…