Author: staff
In 2025, the EU saw 669,400 first-time asylum requests and 178,000 irregular border crossings. The scale is putting pressure on the five member states along the Central Mediterranean route: Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Greece received 83% of all first-time asylum applications. Frontline countries lack the physical capacity to shelter applicants, and processing can take years, leaving hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in legal limbo. Local budgets are also unable to provide adequate long-term healthcare, education and social assistance. The EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact aims to ease this pressure by bringing non-border countries forward: states must choose between…
The demonstration took place just days before Iran is scheduled to face New Zealand in its opening Group Stage fixture on 15 June in Los Angeles. Protesters said they wanted to draw attention to ongoing political and human rights concerns in Iran, while also expressing opposition to what they described as the Iranian national team’s ties to the Islamic Republic. The gathering came amid controversy over FIFA’s reported decision to prohibit the “Lion and Sun” flag from being displayed inside World Cup venues. The flag, associated with Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has become a symbol for many opposition…
Hello, and welcome back for another round of cool things to do, see and hear this week. While blockbuster season is in full swing with the release of Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, the small screen is winding down, with the return of easy-watch comfort shows like Sweet Magnolias and Sesame Street: Volume 3 coming to Netflix. Although the opening of JR’s ‘La Caverne du Pont Neuf’ in Paris has now been delayed indefinitely, the Grand Palais calls with a sensory and thought-provoking new exhibition that positions visitors as particles. Those in London should also head to the Barbican for a…
Can Sir Keir Starmer wrestle back the spotlight from the Makerfield by-election? After hosting world leaders in Downing Street and with new plans for social media restrictions on children expected to be unveiled, the prime minister is trying to reclaim the agenda. But is the political attention still fixed on Andy Burnham in Manchester? Sam Coates is on the ground in Manchester where the Labour bigwigs are out in force to support Burnham’s campaign. However, can the party balance the message for local voters while appealing to a national audience? Plus, Anne McElvoy has some details on the delayed Defence…
Armenians decided to turn the page on their tumultuous political past giving incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan a strong mandate for a balanced, pro-West future as early results on Monday show his Civil Contract party in the lead. The vote on Sunday also signals diminishing influence in a region once dominated by Russia, despite reported threats from Moscow and claims of interference. Armenia and Russia are technically allies, but Moscow has compared the former Soviet republic’s ambitions to join the European Union to one of the reasons it triggered its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With more than 60% of…
Pope Leo XIV joined artists, performers, athletes and cultural figures at a large event in Madrid on Sunday as part of his visit to Spain. Video shows the pontiff greeting attendees and receiving applause from the crowd at the Movistar Arena before taking part in a programme celebrating culture, the arts and sport. Spanish actor Antonio Banderas addressed the audience, while acclaimed flamenco dancer Sara Baras and her troupe delivered a performance watched by the pope and thousands of spectators. During his speech, Leo said communication is never neutral and can either sow division or help build hope and understanding.…
Published on 08/06/2026 – 7:39 GMT+2 Crude oil prices climbed in early trade as Israel launched airstrikes on Monday targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire. Iranian state television reported the sound of explosions being heard in Isfahan, Tabriz and Tehran, without immediately elaborating. American and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative deal last week to extend their ceasefire, but the agreement has not been finalised and the latest attacks further strain efforts to end the conflict. Brent crude, the international standard, jumped $3.50 to $96.59 a barrel. Benchmark US crude surged $3.48 to $94.02 a barrel, at…
Prices are rising again across Europe, but pay is not keeping up. Inflation in the EU reached 3.2% in April 2026, its highest level since January 2024, and Eurostat’s flash estimates suggest prices continued to climb in May. However, wage growth in salaries advertised in job postings across the eurozone are not keeping pace with inflation, according to Indeed. That means inflation is outpacing posted wage growth across Europe, weighing heavily on workers’ purchasing power, with earnings buying less than before. The latest inflationary pressures come after the EU experienced its biggest price shock in decades. Annual inflation surged to…
Should more of us visit Brussels? The Belgian capital’s residents certainly think so. While tourist hotspots across Europe brace for the influx of international footfall this summer, as many as 74.6% out of 1,000 Brussels residents surveyed across 19 municipalities described their city an “underrated” destination, according to research by iVOX for Ovide-Airbnb. With 3.7 million people having travelled to Brussels in 2025, a slight decrease from 3.71 million visitors in 2024, 79% of respondents said that tourism is “essential” for the city, in that it supports local businesses and the wider economy. “Not enough people know that Brussels, and…
Mit Blick auf die entscheidenden Landtagswahlen im September in Sachsen-Anhalt und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, wo die AfD in Umfragen bei rund 40 Prozent liegt, wächst der Druck auf Friedrich Merz massiv. Seine am Wochenende geäußerte, an Angela Merkel erinnernde Formel „Wir schaffen das“ ist ein Wahlkampf-Fingerzeig an die Landesverbände. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Sachsen-Anhalts CDU-Ministerpräsident und Spitzenkandidat Sven Schulze äußert sich über seine persönlichen Umfragewerte, verteidigt seine Regierungsarbeit und reagiert auf die schwierige Debatte um mögliche Mehrheitsbündnisse nach dem Wahltag. Rasmus Buchsteiner gibt Einblicke in die anstehenden, konfliktgeladenen Gespräche des Kanzlers mit den Sozialpartnern zu den Themen Arbeitsmarkt, Steuern und Bürokratieabbau. Das Berlin Playbook…