Author: staff

Bardella’s press team did not respond to a request for a comment. Bardella and de Bourbon have been romantically linked since they were caught on camera leaving a media event together and taking the same car in January. Asked if he was in a relationship with de Bourbon later that month, Bardella said he was a happy man and no longer single, but that “my private life belongs to me.” Scrutiny of Bardella’s private life is certain to increase as France gets closer to next year’s presidential election. He is set to run as the National Rally candidate if Marine…

The European Union has strongly condemned Israel’s fresh wave of strikes against Lebanon, warning that the military escalation threatens to unravel the fragile ceasefire deal struck between the United States and Iran to end the war. Pakistan, which brokered the deal, said the truce would cover Lebanon “effective immediately”. But Israel quickly contradicted that assertion and launched new action, killing at least 254 people on Wednesday, according to Lebanese authorities. The figure marked the highest single-day death toll in the yearslong war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shiite militia. “Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the war, but Israel’s right to…

Asked on France Inter whether the leaks had prompted Barrot to withhold certain pieces of information during meetings of European foreign ministers, the French minister responded that they had indeed “cast doubt on the integrity of our deliberations.” “We must remain united,” Barrot added. Last month, the European Commission called the leaks “greatly concerning.” Though there has not been a formal European response, the EU has limited the flow of confidential material to Hungary and leaders have been meeting in smaller groups as a consequence. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long been one of Europe’s most pro-Russian leaders. Budapest and…

Published on 09/04/2026 – 11:59 GMT+2 On one side sits Premier Viktor Orbán and his ruling Fidesz party, aligned with the conservative Patriots for Europe group. On the other side sits his challenger Péter Magyar and his Tisza party, embraced by the mainstream centre-right European People’s Party. If they shared a flight to Belgium, their views on Brussels could not be more different. Orbán fights EU influence to protect national sovereignty. Magyar wants to repair the relationship but avoids appearing to take orders from the EU, deliberately keeping his distance from leaders like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.…

German Bundestag President Julia Klöckner travelled to Estonia and Lithuania this week to discuss security threats and cyber defence with Baltic leaders on NATO’s eastern flank. Klöckner met Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar on Wednesday during her inaugural visit to the Baltic states. She also held talks with Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, President Gitanas Nausėda and Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys. “We talked about the resilience of our parliaments against hybrid attacks – and about the need for the EU to speak with one voice in the current situation,” Klöckner said on Instagram after the…

Published on 09/04/2026 – 10:57 GMT+2 “This is a time for vigorous debate at the highest levels. Not for infantile name calling.” Prior to the shaky two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, Donald Trump received widespread criticism for threatening to completely obliterate Iran in shocking social media messages. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump declared on his Truth Social platform hours before his set deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. One high-profile celebrity who has spoken against Trump’s language and actions is celebrated actor George Clooney, who condemned Trump’s…

“There was little concern from the European Commission or affiliated organizations and think tanks when progressive NGOs in Europe received substantial support from the United States (including via USAID and other programs),” he said. “Only now, when funding may reach their political opponents, is it being framed as ‘foreign interference.’” Broader cuts Zuleeg, the EPC chief, said the non-renewal of the CERV money, which amounts to around €250,000 per year, would mean the organization cuts back on work related to topics such as democracy and citizens’ participation. And while he made a distinction between think tanks, which organize events or…

Poland’s Catholic Church is developing crisis plans with the government to prepare parishes as emergency centres in the event of war or natural disasters, the head of the Polish bishops’ conference said. Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference, said there are fears that war could reach Poland amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Iran war. “Fortunately, we are not standing passively by, waiting for events to develop,” he told the Polish Press Agency in an interview published on Monday. The government has agreed to provide parishes with electricity generators, water supplies, medicines, and hygiene products in…

Published on 09/04/2026 – 10:18 GMT+2 Swiss researchers are testing a semi-autonomous robot that could be used to explore Mars without constant human guidance, speeding up the search for minerals, water, and even traces of ancient life on other worldsor exoplanets. The four-legged robot, named ANYmal, looks more like a robotic dog than a traditional rover. But strapped to its body is a robotic arm wielding a microscopic imager and a Raman spectrometer — a scanner that can read and identify the chemical fingerprint of a rock. Researchers at the University of Basel have been putting ANYmal through its paces…

The president also signaled he was still stewing over his aborted bid to claim control of Greenland, a self-ruling Danish territory in the Arctic. “REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” he added. Rutte, moving quickly to contain the fallout, told CNN shortly after leaving the White House that Trump had voiced “disappointment” during what he described as a “frank and open” discussion. He said he reminded the president that the “large majority of European nations has been helpful, with basing, with logistics, with overflights,” and pointed to “widespread support [in Europe] for the fact that degrading the…