Author: staff

Published on 02/09/2026 – 9:30 GMT+2 This year’s Star Trek Day is a special one. Taking place on Tuesday 8 September, the 2026 edition of the annual celebration will mark the seminal show’s 60th anniversary. How best to celebrate? By breaking a record, naturally. Hundreds of fans are gearing up to set the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous Vulcan salute at London’s Science Museum. For the heathens amongst you, the Vulcan salute is the gesture made famous by Leonard Nimoy’s character Spock. It involves raising your hand, palm forward, with the middle and ring fingers parted. The split…

Other ministers struck an equally hard line. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the attack part of a “long-running attempt by the Kremlin to destabilize the European Union, its democratic processes” and weaken support for Ukraine. “We will not let an act of such gravity go without consequences,” Barrot said, adding that France would support Germany’s sanctions proposals and propose measures against additional Russian vessels. Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said Europe had moved beyond talking simply about “hybrid threats.” “We’re talking about significant activity,” she said, accusing Moscow of a “very, very clear attempt” to divide EU governments and…

This morning, there’s a palpable sense here that the confrontation between Russia and European nations has entered a dangerous new phase. Leaders across Europe have issued scathing condemnations after Germany formally concluded yesterday that the Kremlin was responsible for a recent attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport. Not at war, but…: Announcing fresh sanctions on Moscow in response to the incident – including tighter entry controls on Russian nationals – German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Tuesday: “Let me be very clear: we are not at war. But we are the target of hybrid attacks on a daily basis.”…

A cargo ship sank in the Marmara Sea near Istanbul after colliding with a second vessel, with rescuers searching for 10 people who were on board, Turkish officials said on Wednesday. The incident occurred before dawn when the ALSU, an empty oil tanker, collided with the Tuğberk İmamoğlu, a cargo ship carrying rolled steel, which sank shortly after, the transport ministry’s maritime directorate said on X. The collision occurred 18 nautical miles (33 kilometres) off the Silivri district on the western edge of Istanbul province, the governor’s office said on X. “Due to the Tuğberk İmamoğlu not responding to any…

Planes roar over Lisbon almost constantly, a direct result of an airport wedged into the city centre, surrounded by homes. For thousands of residents, it is nothing new — and for many, it barely registers as a problem anymore. “I’ve got used to it and, honestly, my grandparents had a house in Alvalade, so since I was a kid I’ve been watching the planes go by,” said António Boaventura. A resident of the Portuguese capital, Boaventura has a terrace that offers a privileged view of these “giant metal birds”. One after another, they rhythmically interrupt his conversation with Euronews. “The…

As Andy Burnham prepares for his first Prime Minister’s Questions, he faces a gathering economic storm. With markets driving up government borrowing costs and the prospect of another interest rate rise, Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy examine what the turmoil could mean for mortgage holders, public spending and the government plans going forward. Could the chancellor be left with almost no room for manoeuvre ahead of October’s budget? The duo also look ahead to the looming Holborn and St Pancras by-election and whether the Green Party leader – Zac Polanski – will consider standing? Plus, as Emmanuel Macron arrives in…

On 29 August, a majority of Icelanders rejected reopening EU accession talks, frozen since 2013, turning down what the government called a “now or never” moment. The result means no new negotiations with Brussels and no change to Iceland’s existing ties: full access to the single market and Schengen area through the European Economic Area, but no seat in the European Parliament or vote in the Council. The referendum was legally advisory, but the government pledged to respect it, effectively shelving the question for years. Iceland already adopts most EU law through the European Economic Area. Still, it retains unilateral…

The murder case against the Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk last year, Tyler Robinson, is headed for trial, and the defendant could face the death penalty if he’s convicted, according to a new court ruling. Utah District Judge Tony Graf sided with prosecutors on Tuesday who said they had “a mountain of evidence” that defendant Tyler Robinson fatally shot the conservative activist as he spoke to a crowd of thousands of students at Utah Valley University last September. Robinson pleaded not guilty to all counts, included aggravated murder, following Graf’s decision. The 23-year-old defendant turned himself in a…

Published on 02/09/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 Higher energy prices are the main drivers of inflation in the euro area, ECB economists Kristina Barauskaitė Griškevičienė and Claus Brand wrote in a paper on Tuesday. “This time the energy supply shock dominates, while demand and public policy stimulus have minor roles. These differences are key to explaining why monetary policy responses differ,” they wrote. The current shock, driven in part by the ongoing war in the Middle East and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, differs significantly from the 2021-22 episode, the two economists explained. “Adverse energy supply factors accounted…

This time, it’s the conflict in the Middle East that has driven prices, which has effectively removed one of the world’s top liquefied natural gas exporters, Qatar, from the global market. European buyers are competing with Asia for a reduced number of LNG cargoes, pushing up wholesale prices for both.  It all means that, for British households still heavily dependent on gas for heating and electricity, bills are likely to shoot even higher. Private sector forecasts for the energy price cap suggest it could rise in January to as much as £1,970, up £250 compared with the limit in place…