Author: staff
Published on 08/10/2026 – 13:31 GMT+2•Updated 13:35 The World Bank expects the six Gulf Cooperation Council economies to shrink by an average of 4.3% this year, as the impact of the Iran war continues to hit the region’s trade and business. Higher oil prices have not compensated for lower export volumes, which have cut output and government revenues, the bank said in its regional update published on Tuesday. Middle Eastern crude exports exceeded pre-war levels on 14 days in September, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing provisional Kpler data. Those shipments included oil sent through Hormuz and via alternative routes. The…
Fancy a coffee with a side of alpaca? A new cafe in northern Serbia is inviting visitors to do just that. The Alpaca Cafe, at the Tiganjica Ethno-Village resort near Stajićevo, north of Belgrade, is home to six adorable alpacas, each with their own unique personality – including Ljubica, the resident grump, and Mona, the largest of the group. For around €10, visitors can enjoy a drink, spend time with the animals and feed them cafe-approved treats including carrots, lettuce and apples. However, guests must follow a few rules to keep the animals happy, including not approaching them from behind.
Washington is investigating whether the European Union’s carbon border tax is harming US trade and whether plans to expand it would create unfair barriers for American companies, according to an official document published on Thursday. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) took effect in January 2026, covering imports of aluminium, cement, fertilisers, hydrogen, iron and steel. It aims to level the playing field between European manufacturers and foreign competitors while preventing carbon-intensive production from shifting to countries with weaker climate rules. Shortly after its launch, several EU countries sought temporarily exemptions for fertilisers, warning that the tax would push…
US President Donald Trump says he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, pointing to his efforts to resolve international conflicts. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he had helped settle eight wars and argued that his record justified receiving the award. He acknowledged that he does not know whether the Norwegian Nobel Committee will choose him, but said failing to award him the prize would discredit the committee. The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize is due to be announced on Friday.
Published on 08/10/2026 – 11:12 GMT+2•Updated 11:48 Denmark is due to introduce a bill on Thursday that would ban the sharing of realistic deepfakes of people’s faces and voices without their consent. The proposed amendment to Denmark’s copyright law would protect ordinary people as well as artists, including against digital imitations of their performances. Deepfakes are images, videos or audio generated or manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) to make someone appear to say or do something they did not. They can be used to spread false information or humiliate those depicted. “With artificial intelligence, you can create manipulated videos and…
Published on 08/10/2026 – 11:45 GMT+2 At least 12 people were killed and 19 were injured after a Russian strike hit public buses in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, authorities said on Thursday. The strike occurred in the city of Kramatorsk, where public transport has since been suspended, according to the Kramatorsk City Council. “Once again, the Russians have struck a location where there is definitely no military target. A public bus. Civilian transport. People who were simply going about their business,” the council wrote in a post on Telegram. The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office said the attack took place at…
Shrinking water holes, dry wells and parched fields show the impact of a prolonged drought in central Sri Lanka. In Medirigiriya, villagers walk with plastic cans and clay pots to collect supplies, while tankers deliver water to communities where wells have run dry. Farmers say the lack of rain has damaged crops and made it harder to earn a living. The dry conditions are also taking a toll on wildlife in Yala National Park. Deer, monkeys and buffaloes gather around what remains of the watering holes, while authorities use tankers to keep them supplied. Little rain during the current monsoon…
Published on 08/10/2026 – 11:11 GMT+2 Two of Asia’s biggest chipmakers have delivered blockbuster results, with Samsung on course for its most profitable quarter ever and TSMC booking a record three months of revenue, driven by spending on artificial intelligence. The South Korean group estimated its operating profit for the third quarter at 107.4 trillion won, or $80.2 billion (€71.5bn), up from 89.49 trillion won (€59.6bn) in the previous quarter and 12.17 trillion won (€8.1bn) a year earlier. This would represent an increase of 782.5% year-on-year. The figure, if confirmed, would be the biggest quarterly operating profit ever reported by…
U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the diplomats and their families were being “temporarily withdrawn” to secure their safety. “We will work in the coming months to build back up our presence, and we will not take reciprocal action while such discussions are underway and credible,” he continued. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar set out a list of diplomatic actions taken against Britain, adding: “We established a clear principle: It is not possible to act against Israel without Israel taking appropriate measures in response.” This developing story is being updated.
Published on 08/10/2026 – 10:37 GMT+2 Investment in counter-drone technology across the EU surged sixfold between 2024 and 2025, but only a third of the programmes are expected to deliver by 2030, according to a confidential EU report obtained by Euronews. The 2026 annual defence readiness report, a European Defence Agency (EDA) assessment of national military capabilities, exposes persistent gaps in Europe’s defences against drones and urges member states to step up investment in drone and counter-drone technology. “Investment in counter-drone and very short-range air defence capabilities grew sixfold between 2024 and 2025 in response to the growing threat posed…