Author: staff
A man claiming to be an FBI agent showed up to a federal jail in New York City on Wednesday night and told officers he had a court order to release Luigi Mangione, authorities said. Mark Anderson, a 36-year-old Minnesota native who has a history of drug and other arrests and disclosed last year in court papers that he suffers from mental illness, was arrested and charged with impersonating a federal officer in a foiled bid to free Mangione from the Metropolitan Detention Centre. Mangione is being held at the Brooklyn jail while awaiting state and federal murder trials in…
By Theo Farrant & AP Published on 30/01/2026 – 9:21 GMT+1 A British medical student paralysed in a diving accident has regained a degree of independence after receiving a brain implant developed by Elon Musk’s company Neuralink, as part of an early-stage clinical trial in London. Sebastian Gomez-Peña is among the first patients in the United Kingdom to test the device, which allows users to control a computer using only their thoughts. Implanted during a five-hour operation at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), the chip connects to the brain via microscopic threads and transmits neural signals wirelessly to a computer. Offering hope to…
By Dianne Apen-Sadler Published on 30/01/2026 – 10:00 GMT+1 When you think about European wines, certain destinations spring to mind: Bordeaux, Tuscany, Rioja – the kind of places you’d jet off to in search of sunny weather. Yet in recent years the wine landscape has been evolving, with vineyards popping up across colder climes in northern Europe. The reason behind the development is twofold: The creation of new hybrid grapes that can withstand the weather, and the impact of climate change on the region’s seasons. It means the tipples we drink are changing, but so too are the destinations we visit…
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meets China’s President Xi Jinping, calling for a “more sophisticated relationship” – but can both nations achieve that amidst global uncertainty? Sam and Anne dive into the details, looking at who is on the trip and reflect on the “twists and turns” of the relations between the two nations. Back in London, the assisted dying bill is on its last legs with the clock ticking on the time to debate and scrutinise the legislation in the House of Lords. Plus, have the welfare reforms – led by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden – been…
Published on 30/01/2026 – 9:21 GMT+1•Updated 9:39 NATO chief Mark Rutte should stop being an “American agent” and unite the fraught military alliance in the face of the United States’ “hostile rhetoric” and “intimidation”, former European Council chief Charles Michel has told Euronews. “I want to be clear, Mark Rutte is disappointing and I’m losing confidence,” Michel, who helmed the Council for five years up until 2024, told Euronews’ morning show Europe Today on Friday. “I’m not expecting Mark Rutte to be an American agent. I’m expecting Mark to work for unity within NATO,” Michel added. Rutte, who famously called…
Members of Italy’s +Europa party staged a protest outside the US embassy in Rome against the reported presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents linked to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Demonstrators blew whistles and held anti-ICE signs. A placard depicted Italian leaders as the “three wise monkeys.” Lawmaker Riccardo Magi said the issue was political in nature and criticised the Italian government’s stance, calling for a clear response. Several European lawmakers have called on the EU to examine possible restrictions on ICE operations in Europe, citing concerns over democratic oversight and human rights.
Europe is testing how far it’s willing to go — at home and abroad. In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton talks to Jonathan Haidt, author of the best-selling “The Anxious Generation.” His research is inspiring social media bans for kids in countries including France and Australia, even as tech companies and some researchers strongly contest his conclusions. Alongside him is MEP Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová and POLITICO tech reporter Eliza Gkritsi, who is reporting on EU deliberations on protecting teens’ mental health. Later, Sarah is joined by POLITICO’s Nick Vinocur and trade reporter Camille Gijs, who was on the…
Europe has the chance to make a “quantum leap” in space technology over the coming years and boost its defences, but only if the EU stops wasting years on “grand schemes”, Airbus Space and Defence CEO Michael Schöllhorn told Euronews. The continent risks falling further behind in space unless it moves quickly from planning to action, Schöllhorn said. “We have a gap when it comes to what I call active space defence, being able to act, protect, and counteract in space against adversaries that want to do something to our infrastructures, to our satellites,” he said. The European Commission has…
A solemn mass was held in Huelva for the victims of the Adamuz train accident, which claimed the lives of 45 people, attended by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who joined the grieving families. More than 300 relatives travelled to the Andalusian city. Weeks after the accident, many described their shock as undiminished. During the service, several family members openly demanded that the full truth behind the crash be uncovered. Beyond the mourning, the tragedy has reignited political tensions. The absence of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Transport Minister Óscar Puente did not go unnoticed, further fuelling debate over…
Published on 30/01/2026 – 7:00 GMT+1 The European Union has backed a landmark declaration to crack down on climate disinformation amid the epidemic of fake news and AI-generated slop. Launched during the COP30 summit in Belém last year, the Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change demonstrates a “firm commitment” to factual debate, climate science and evidence-based policymaking. Prior to the EU’s endorsement on 20 January 2026, the declaration was individually backed by 15 member states including Belgium, Germany and Spain. It comes as environmental information online is becoming increasingly more difficult to navigate. According to the 2025 Eurobarometer on…