Author: staff

Stubb’s trip comes as the Trump administration is trying to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine. Finland — a new NATO member and one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies — shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia. The Finnish president, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month, is pitching himself to become a European envoy for Ukraine who would get a seat at the negotiating table. Stubb expressed skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions to actually agree and abide by a ceasefire. Trump and Stubb are both looking forward to “strengthening the partnership” between their two countries, the U.S. president posted…

Political changes, higher defence spending and a shift in focus towards national priorities have seen many European aid budgets slashed recently. Several key Western European countries including the UK, Switzerland, Germany, France and the Netherlands have slashed their aid budgets considerably in the last few months. This trend comes amid escalating geopolitical tensions and global economic uncertainty, as countries choose to focus more on their own needs, such as increasing defence spending and domestic government stimulus measures. Foreign aid is mainly measured through Official Development Assistance (ODA), which wealthier nations offer developing countries. The Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development recommends that…

Myanmar continues to be hit by a string of aftershocks, the latest being a 5.1-magnitude earthquake that struck on Sunday morning. This follows a 7.7-magnitude quake that hit on Friday leaving at least 1,644 people dead. A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar, on Sunday morning in the latest string of aftershocks, but there have been no immediate reports of further damage.The quake struck as emergency teams continued rescue operations in the hardest-hit areas of Myanmar following Friday’s massive 7.7-magnitude tremor, which has left at least 1,644 people dead.Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as…

The Château de Versailles is honouring an overlooked heritage — and the highly symbolic role played by the former royal residence in the life of French democracy even today. “You’re always discovering new things with Versailles, it’s never-ending!” enthuses Martine at the start of our tour.The guide has been wandering the countless aisles of the château for 15 years now, but according to her, there are still many secrets to be revealed behind the thick walls.Among them, the Salle du Congrès and the president’s apartment, open to the public… But first things first.Our visit begins under the gilding of the…

Anagrama says it will respect a public prosecutor’s recent opinion and refrain from selling the controversial book. Ruth Ortiz, the mother of the murdered children, has denounced Bretón for a possible breach of his sentence. The publishing house Anagrama has announced that it is ceasing distribution of “El odio” (The hate), an epistolary novel based on a series of conversations between its author, Luis García Martín, and José Bretón, who was convicted of the murder of his two children.The Barcelona-based publisher has taken this decision just two days after a lower court refused to block the publication in the face…

Authorities in the Czech Republic’s Olomouc region declare a state of emergency a month after a train derailment caused what they called the world’s largest benzene contamination of its kind. Czech officials declared a state of emergency in the vicinity of Hustopeče nad Bečvou in the Přerov region due to the spread of toxic benzene following a train crash on 28 February.Olomouc Governor Ladislav Okleštěk declared the emergency after the toxic substance had already completely contaminated the nearby lake. He says the order was needed to enable faster remediation of the contaminated soil and water.”We have unanimously agreed to declare…

Students in Serbia have once again taken to the streets, this time protesting against a news outlet accused of running a propaganda campaign against university students who have been rallying for five months against government corruption. Thousands of protesters have gathered outside a pro-government TV station in Serbia, accusing it of spreading propaganda against university students who have been leading months of large-scale anti-corruption protests against the government of President Aleksandar Vučić.Informer TV, a private station loyal to Vučić and his right-wing government, has repeatedly labelled the student protesters as extremists and mercenaries during the nearly five-month-long demonstrations. Although the…

A huge crowd of protesters gathered in Istanbul on Saturday for a mass demonstration against the arrest of opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu. İmamoğlu was arrested last week on corruption charges and booted out of his office as Istanbul mayor. Widely viewed as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, İmamoğlu was on Monday officially nominated as a presidential candidate. His arrest has sparked a week of protests in the country. Turkish authorities have ramped up a crackdown against the opposition, locking up more than a thousand demonstrators and detaining journalists. Özgür Özel, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)…

During a visit to the Pituffik Space Base on Friday, Vance told US troops that Denmark has ‘underinvested’ in Greenland’s security and demanded that Copenhagen change its approach. Denmark’s foreign minister has scolded the Trump administration for its “tone” in criticising Denmark and Greenland, saying his country is investing more into Arctic security and remains open to more cooperation with the U.S.Lars Løkke Rasmussen made the remarks in a video posted to social media after a visit to Greenland on Friday by US Vice President, JD Vance.”Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course we are open to…

Under the new decree, two centres in Albania will now also house migrants who arrived in Italy, had their asylum request rejected and received a deportation order. Italy’s right-wing government has approved a decree that expands the use of Albanian fast-track asylum processing centres to include repatriation hubs, in line with a recent EU proposal.Under the new decree, two centres in Albania that were originally intended for processing non-vulnerable migrants rescued in international waters will now also house migrants who arrived in Italy, had their asylum request rejected and received a deportation order.The Albanian centres have remained largely inactive since their…