Author: staff

Published on 21/10/2026 – 16:45 GMT+2•Updated 16:52 Public debt across the 21 countries of the eurozone reached 88.8% of their combined economic output between April and June, up from 87.3% a year earlier, the EU’s statistics office, Eurostat, said on Wednesday. Italy’s debt ratio is now less than one percentage point below Greece’s, while France’s has climbed to 119.1% as its borrowing costs rose above 5%. The debt-to-GDP ratio compares what governments owe with the size of their economies. Under EU rules, debt should not exceed 60% of GDP, and annual budget deficits should not exceed 3%. Across the wider…

A common complaint around staying at an Airbnb is the dreaded check-out chores, like stripping the bed linen or taking the bins out. But now the short-term rental service has updated its rules to prevent hosts from including such tasks in their house rules. According to its community policy update, guests can’t be asked to do things that require “significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner”. As an example, hosts can’t ask you to wash and put away dishes, but they can ask you to put used tableware in the sink. In a statement shared…

The searches took place at the group’s secretariat offices, according to two officials, granted anonymity to speak about the ongoing investigation. When ID dissolved in 2024, many of its staff moved to the Patriots, including lawmakers from France’s National Rally, Austria’s Freedom Party, Hungary’s Fidesz, Spain’s Vox, Belgium’s Flemish Interest and Czechia’s ANO 2011. In their statement, the group insisted “there is no legal continuity with the ID Group” and that “it is not involved in the ongoing investigations.” The allegations of mismanagement of funds relate to the budget allocated annually by the Parliament for political groups to spend on…

Russia has ruled out making political concessions to Washington ahead of talks between President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff, signalling that Moscow remains unwilling to soften its maximalist negotiating position despite renewed American efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Witkoff arrived in Saint Petersburg to meet Vladimir Putin, following what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as “positive” talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would examine proposals brought by Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, but made clear that any economic or financial benefits…

Steve Witkoff, the United States’ special envoy, praised Russian ruler Vladimir Putin during face-to-face talks in St. Petersburg, calling him “a humanitarian.” “You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again,” Witkoff said Wednesday in a Russian state media video clip posted on social media. Witkoff’s visit is the latest U.S. attempt to bring Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiation table, four-and-a-half years after the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The number of Russian citizens legally residing in the EU has grown by 105,000 since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, reaching 876,600 by the end of 2025, an analysis of Eurostat data shows. The figure represents a 13.6% rise from the 771,800 Russians holding valid temporary or permanent residence permits across EU member states in 2021. Germany hosts the largest community, with 218,000 residents, followed by Spain (116,800) and Estonia (78,400). Southern Europe has seen the sharpest growth: Spain issued residence permits to 44,400 Russian nationals over the period, France 13,700, while Cyprus and Portugal…

Published on 21/10/2026 – 11:46 GMT+2 Former Hungarian central bank governor György Matolcsy was detained on Wednesday morning and taken to the Central Chief Prosecution Office for Investigations. A longtime associate of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Matolcsy led the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) for 12 years until 2025. “My client is suspected of the felony of financial fraud causing significant financial loss and the misdemeanour of using a forged private document,” Matolcsy’s lawyer, Pál Bátki, told Hungarian newspaper Telex. Bátki said his client’s questioning had not yet begun but was expected to take place later that morning. In…

Most people will tell you that punk rock kicked off in New York in 1976 when four rascals from Queens released their self-titled debut and gave the world the first punk anthem – ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’. The Ramones’ hugely influential debut album celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, with many honouring punk’s supposed Year Zero. However, Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy didn’t come out of nowhere, with several artists like The Stooges, The Velvet Underground and the New York Dolls considered as the music genre’s forebearers – the artists who were punk, ie: rejected overproduction and mainstream arena rock, before…

Ein massiver Datenklau erschüttert die AfD: Über 400.000 interne E-Mails, darunter von Alice Weidel und Alexander Gauland, sind an die Öffentlichkeit gelangt. Die geleakten Papiere offenbaren nicht nur eklatante Sicherheitslücken, sondern bergen teilweise politische Sprengkraft. In Nordrhein-Westfalen eskaliert derweil erneut der Machtkampf zwischen Landeschef Martin Vincentz und dem Lager um den Bundestagsabgeordneten Matthias Helferich. Der Konflikt wird mittlerweile sogar mit scharfen Klingen bei einer burschenschaftlichen Mensur ausgetragen. Gleichzeitig greift der Bundesvorstand mit harten Ordnungsmaßnahmen ein und droht, die internen Mehrheitsverhältnisse zu kippen. Auch in der Bundestagsfraktion zeigt sich Uneinigkeit: Bei Abstimmungen über Auslandseinsätze der Bundeswehr stimmt die Partei zersplittert ab,…

Published on 21/10/2026 – 13:45 GMT+2 Russia released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard on Wednesday after he was jailed for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, US envoy Steve Witkoff said during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. The release came a day after US President Donald Trump said he had spoken at length with Putin and urged him to free Hubbard. The White House said that, unlike in previous releases, the US was not required to give up anyone in return. Witkoff, who has made multiple unsuccessful visits to Russia in order to reach a…