Author: staff
Published on 01/01/2026 – 19:16 GMT+1 •Updated 19:17 British boxer Anthony Joshua will initially stay in Nigeria as he recuperates from injuries sustained after a deadly crash, his promoter said on Thursday. “As reported, Anthony was released from hospital last night and will remain in Nigeria over the coming days,” Matchroom Boxing said in a statemen. A vehicle carrying the former heavyweight champion and two of his associates crashed into a stationary truck on Monday on a major thoroughfare, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which links Ogun state to Lagos. The two associates, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, were killed. Joshua…
Published on 01/01/2026 – 18:39 GMT+1 A vessel seized in Finland suspected of damaging an undersea telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn was transporting Russian steel subject to European Union sanctions, Finnish customs officials said on Thursday. On Wednesday, Finnish police detained the Fitburg, a 132-metre-long cargo ship en route from St Petersburg in Russia to the Israeli port of Haifa. Its 14 crew members were also detained following suspicion the ship’s anchor had damaged the telecoms cable in the Gulf of Finland. “Preliminary information indicated that the cargo consisted of steel products originating in Russia, which are subject to…
Europe welcomed 2026 with large public celebrations, as fireworks and countdowns marked the start of the New Year across several capitals. In London, crowds lined the River Thames to watch an elaborate fireworks display around the London Eye. Big Ben chimed at midnight for the first time in the new year, setting the pace for celebrations in the city centre as thousands gathered despite cold conditions. In Paris, people filled the Champs-Elysees for fireworks and music near the Arc de Triomphe, continuing a tradition that draws large crowds each year. Berlin also marked the moment with a fireworks display over…
Published on 01/01/2026 – 16:59 GMT+1 President Donald Trump has eased pressure on two key import sectors — furniture and pasta — by delaying or scaling back steep tariffs shortly before they were due to take effect on 1 January, 2026. For furniture, Trump has postponed planned tariff increases on certain imported home goods for one year, keeping existing duties in place while allowing further negotiations with trading partners. On Wednesday Trump signed a proclamation delaying the scheduled increases — originally set to take effect on Thursday — until January 1, 2027. The order preserves the current 25% tariff on…
The Bulgarian central bank’s governor, Dimitar Radev, has taken a seat on the table with the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. “I warmly welcome Bulgaria to the euro family and Governor Radev to the ECB Governing Council table in Frankfurt,” ECB President Christine Lagarde said in a statement on Thursday. People will still be able to pay in levs for about a month, but they will start getting their change in euros. Until June 30, old money can be exchanged for no fee at banks and post offices, and indefinitely at the Bulgarian Central Bank. Public opinion, however, remains mixed. According…
Published on 01/01/2026 – 15:27 GMT+1 Authorities in Syria said on Thursday that a suicide bomber who killed a security forces member in Aleppo on New Year’s Eve was a member of the so-called Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which had planned attacks on churches and gatherings. IS recently increased its attacks in areas of Syria controlled by the new Damascus authorities and was blamed for an attack last month in Palmyra that killed three US citizens. The interior ministry said in a statement it had information that IS planned “suicide operations and attacks targeting New Year’s celebrations in a…
Swiss and European politicians expressed condolences and the incoming Swiss president postponed his New Year’s address after a fatal fire disaster in a ski resort in French-speaking southern Switzerland killed several dozens. According to Swiss media, a bar in the municipality of Crans-Montana in Valais caught fire around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. At a press conference in the morning, authorities said several dozen people are believed to be dead and around 100 injured, many of them seriously. Victims are likely to include nationals from several countries, as the resort is popular with international visitors. Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who just took…
Cold winds and steady rain did not deter dozens of people who gathered at Carcavelos beach, near Lisbon, for the first sea swim of 2026. The event, held on Thursday, marked the start of the new year with a plunge into the Atlantic despite low temperatures and rough conditions. Some swimmers wore festive outfits as they ran into the water, laughing and encouraging each other from the shore. The New Year swim has become a familiar tradition in the Cascais area, drawing local residents and visitors alike.
The day Spain and Portugal signed up to what was then the European Economic Community in 1986, few imagined how far the countries would go, particularly as both were still healing after decades of dictatorship. In Spain, fascist dictator Francisco Franco had died only 11 years earlier, while in Portugal, the 1974 Carnation Revolution was still a fresh memory. The Spanish economy was in serious trouble. GDP was barely €226 billion. More than 2 million people were out of work and the unemployment rate was around 21%. Inflation had reached 20% in the previous years. The country was still paying…
By Euronews Published on 01/01/2026 – 13:14 GMT+1 Mexican forces detained a suspected drug trafficking leader facing US terrorism charges, government sources said Wednesday. Authorities captured Pedro Inzunza Noriega in Sinaloa state in northwestern Mexico. Washington indicted Inzunza Noriega in May, accusing him of directing a major smuggling operation that moved fentanyl, cocaine and heroin across the border. Prosecutors described him as holding a senior position within the Beltran Leyva Organisation, a group they say emerged from the Sinaloa cartel but has since collapsed. The charges against Inzunza Noriega represent the first time US officials applied terrorism statutes to a cartel…