Author: staff

The presidents of the European Commission and Council, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, have issued words of support for the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) after the US administration announced it would sanction top officials investigating Israel’s actions in Gaza. “The ICC helps deliver justice to the victims of some of the world’s most horrific crimes,” both EU leaders said in a statement. “To carry out this essential work, its judges and officials must be able to act independently and without external pressure,” they added. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US would…

A large fire broke out at a recycling centre in Deptford, southeast London, sending thick smoke into the sky as people gathered to watch. The London Fire Brigade said 15 fire engines and around 100 firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze. Footage shows firefighters spraying water onto the fire as smoke continues to rise above the area. The fire attracted onlookers, with several people gathering along the roadside. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed. The scale of the response was visible from across the surrounding streets.

Despite travel being the greatest pleasure in many people’s lives, it often goes hand-in-hand with stress, from packing to technology mishaps. New research from Global Rescue, a leading travel risk and crisis response provider has, interestingly, shown that overpacking is still the biggest mistake travellers continue to make. In its latest Traveller Sentiment and Safety survey, data showed that people are actually considering overpacking to be their most significant mistake than in previous years. In fact, 38% of experienced international travellers say it’s their worst error, up from 32% in 2025 and 35% in both 2024 and 2023. The issue…

Published on 19/08/2026 – 14:26 GMT+2•Updated 14:26 For nearly 17 years, Céline Dion fought an illness without knowing its name. At one point, she had to take Valium just to keep functioning. In a Harper’s Bazaar profile published earlier this week, the 58-year-old French-Canadian superstar described the pain and struggles she faced both on and off the stage, as well as the lengths she went to keep performing. Dion said her symptoms began years before her 2022 diagnosis stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms. Before doctors identified the cause, Dion would attribute cancelled…

Reformer oder Radikaler? Ein Interview mit MV-Spitzenkandidat Leif-Erik Holm – POLITICO Skip to main content

France’s President Emmanuel Macron signed assisted dying legislation into law on Wednesday, after it was upheld by the Constitutional Council last week. Macron’s office hailed the council’s decision on Friday which was seen as one of the major social reforms of his second term. The ruling “completes an exemplary democratic debate,” the Élysée Palace said, adding that the legislation “provides an essential safeguard for our fellow citizens.” The legislation establishing a right to assisted dying for some adults suffering from an incurable condition was passed by parliament in July after years of debate. The Constitutional Council’s ruling will see France…

On Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, visitors cover themselves in mud and float in bright red, salty water at Lake Atanasovsko. The video shows people smearing dark mud on their skin and posing for selfies. One tourist praises the site for its red water, easy floating and skin benefits. Another visitor calls it under-appreciated, noting the low fee and proximity to the beach. He describes the brine pools as space-like, with people floating on the surface. Nearby Lake Pomorie hosts a salt museum preserving traditional salt-making methods. A curator says therapeutic mud treats many conditions, from joint pain to skin disorders.

It’s been a busy summer season so far, and if you’re the kind of traveller that likes to jam-pack your itinerary, you might just be in need of another holiday of the more relaxing kind. Enter: Rosewood AMAALA. The newly-opened resort on the Red Sea is part of the Triple Bay development in Saudi Arabia, which is all about wellness. Every guest at the 110-key property has access to their own private pool as well as a number of shared resort pools, plus two natural rock pools set along the coast. Designed by Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel (ACPV), the resort…

“This tax is about making sure that businesses pay their fair share of U.K. tax based on the value they derive from U.K. activities,” the spokesperson said, adding that the U.K. is committed to removing it “once a global solution is in place.” The DST raised over £1 billion last year, predominantly from American tech firms, and has repeatedly drawn Trump’s ire. The U.K. government has so far resisted calls to abandon the tax, including during trade negotiations last year. A U.K.-U.S. Economic Prosperity Deal signed by Trump and Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, did not mention the DST but said…

Along its eastern border, a fence separates the Baltic state of Latvia from Belarus. Border guards patrol the area, surveillance systems are being expanded and military planners are building defensive infrastructure designed to slow a potential ground attack. For Latvia, these are no longer separate challenges. Irregular migration, drones and the threat of military confrontation are increasingly being viewed as parts of the same wider security problem facing NATO’s eastern flank. “We have, unfortunately, very aggressive neighbours: Russia and Belarus,” Guntis Pujāts, Chief of the State Border Guard, told Euronews. Latvian border guards have faced a surge in irregular migration…