Author: staff
Published on 09/04/2026 – 17:41 GMT+2•Updated 17:49 The European Commission has firmly rejected any attempt, by Iran or the United States, to charge vessels for crossing the Strait of Hormuz, while admitting the final decision on whether to pay a fee is entirely at the discretion of affected companies. “International law provides for the freedom of navigation, which means what? It means no payment or toll whatsoever,” a Commission spokesperson said on Thursday afternoon in response to an Euronews question. “The Strait of Hormuz, like any other maritime lane, is a public good for all humanity, which means navigation must…
US President Donald Trump berated NATO again on Thursday after he appeared to renew his threats to take over Greenland following a closed-door meeting the day before with the alliance’s chief Mark Rutte, during which he was expected to discuss the possibility of leaving the security bloc. “None of these people, including our own, very disappointing, NATO, understood anything unless they have pressure placed upon them,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, without giving any further explanation. Trump’s outrage at NATO allies over their failure to join the US in the Iran war had prompted fears he would…
After a record-breaking week in space, the four astronauts on NASA’s 10-day lunar flyby Artemis II mission are getting ready for the most intense part of their journey: the return to Earth. In 13 minutes, the Orion spacecraft will fall over 400,000 feet (121 kilometres) and travel almost 2,000 miles (3,218 kilometres) over the Pacific Ocean to a special “splashdown” site off the coast of California. For almost half of this time, their communication with NASA’s ground crew will be cut off entirely, and they will endure temperatures up to 2,760 degrees Celsius. Astronaut Victor Glover said he’s been thinking…
As is standard in a British police investigation, the force has not disclosed who it would question as a witness, and being questioned as such would not imply any wrongdoing. The Metropolitan Police declined to comment on an ongoing investigation. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced scrutiny over what Mandelson said during the process that led to his appointment as ambassador to D.C., and has claimed he was misled by the veteran Labour politician during that process. There is little precedent for interviewing a serving prime minister as a witness, although Tony Blair was in 2006 questioned by police as…
A handful of days before Hungarians vote in elections that pit long-time leader Viktor Orbán against pro-European opposition candidate Péter Magyar, US Vice-President JD Vance travelled to Hungary to endorse Orbán and critique the EU. Vance, giving a press conference beside Orbán, made a number of claims about the European Union, accusing it of “trying to destroy” Hungary’s economy, sabotaging the country’s energy independence and “driving up costs for Hungarian consumers”. He didn’t hold back as he accused the EU of “one of the worst examples of election interference I have ever seen or ever even read about” during his…
You’ve probably heard of jet-setting, but what about set-jetting? A term coined to describe holiday itineraries based on the shooting locations of films or TV series, this travel trend is proving particularly lucrative in Spain’s capital, Madrid. In April, the city council’s tourism chief Almudena Maíllo del Valle unveiled the findings from a study by the Madrid Film Office, developed in collaboration with L. R. Klein University Institute of Economic Prediction of the Autonomous University of Madrid, that showed the blockbuster growth of the city’s creative sectors. Over four years from 2021 to 2024, the ‘Dimension and economic impact of…
Die Waffenruhe im Iran bringt vorerst keine Entspannung an der Zapfsäule. Die Internationale Energieagentur warnt vor einer Krise, die Jahre andauern könnte. Während die Logistikkosten durch drohende iranische Zölle in der Straße von Hormuz massiv steigen könnten, wächst der Druck auf die Bundesregierung. In dieser Folge vertiefen Joana Lehner und Jürgen Klöckner die wirtschaftlichen und energiepolitischen Folgen der Krise. Finanzminister Lars Klingbeil hat zum Krisengipfel geladen, aber die Erwartungen sind gespalten. Im Policy Talk fordert Jürgen Kerner, Vize-Chef der IG Metall, ein Ende der „verkopften Bürokratie“ und warnt: Ohne einen wettbewerbsfähigen Industriestrompreis verliert Deutschland den Anschluss an China. Jürgen Kerner…
Published on 09/04/2026 – 16:18 GMT+2 Ursula von der Leyen plans to raise the issue of Hungary’s alleged practice of leaking information to Russia at the highest level of Europe’s leadership, her spokesperson announced in the wake of new revelations. The direct involvement of the president of the European Commission lays bare the widespread outrage and unease triggered by Budapest’s exceptionally close ties with Moscow, which are increasingly seen as a security threat from within. The allegations “highlight the alarming possibility of a member state’s government coordinating with Russia, thus actively working against the security and the interests of the…
Footage from the scene showed a burnt‑out vehicle on Al‑Rashid Street, while mourners later gathered at Shifa and Al Aqsa hospitals before his burial. Al Jazeera and Palestinian health officials said Wishah died in the targeted strike on Wednesday, adding to growing concern over the safety of media workers in the war‑torn enclave, where journalists have continued reporting under fire. Israel’s military said Wishah had previously been identified as a member of Hamas, reviving allegations first made in 2024, while Al Jazeera rejected the claim and described his killing as a deliberate attack on the press. The Committee to Protect…
While the specific details of an Iran-US ceasefire agreement — or even a long-term deal — seem very much up in the air, a key demand from Tehran will likely be the return of Iranian assets frozen abroad. Both current reporting on the ongoing negotiations as well as a history of conditioning their approval with the release of funds stashed overseas suggest this demand will come on top of a broader request for the US to lift all primary and secondary sanctions imposed on Iran. The exact value of Iran’s frozen assets is unclear, but several estimates place the total…