Author: staff

Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement during her State of the Union address this month comes just weeks before the second anniversary of the Gaza war. In an unusual rebuke of the Jewish state, the European Commission president criticized the scale of the Israeli military campaign, which, she said, created a “man-made famine” in the Palestinian territory.  Following the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas which saw 1,200 people killed and 250 hostages taken, Israel launched a major military operation in the Gaza Strip, which has already caused more than 64,000 deaths, according to data from the Hamas-led government in Gaza.  To force the…

Going back on a decision can be awkward. Especially if you’re a multi-billion-dollar company — caught in a political firestorm — with investors analysing every word. Such is the pickle that Disney finds itself in this week, after deciding to bring back Jimmy Kimmel Live, one of the US’ most well-known talk shows. “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” the firm said. Disney, which owns the ABC network that runs Kimmel’s programme, suspended the presenter last week after he made on-air…

“While the European Commission stated that Libyan authorities are investigating the incident, weeks after the attack, there is no indication that cooperation, or technical and financial assistance, has been suspended during the course of this investigation,” the letter says. The signatories — including Amnesty International, ActionAid, SOS Méditerranée, Emergency, Médecins Sans Frontières, Mediterranea Saving Humans, and Refugees in Libya — argue the assault exposes nearly a decade of failed EU policy.  “Eight years of EU support has not improved these actors’ human rights records, but enabled and legitimised abuses,” they warned, adding that “human lives must not be disregarded in the name of…

Published on 23/09/2025 – 13:50 GMT+2 •Updated 13:55 A young male elk nicknamed Emil, whose wanderings across Central Europe this summer turned him into an online sensation, has been captured by authorities in Austria. The animal was tranquilised by Austrian wildlife officials on Monday after being found near a motorway in the village of Sattledt in Upper Austria during rush hour. He was then fitted with a GPS tag and released on the edge of Bohemian Forest near the Austrian-Czech border, according to the authorities. Animal welfare organisation Tierschutz Austria criticised the officials for their handling of the situation, pointing…

Both Copenhagen and Oslo airports shut down late Monday night after drones were spotted in their airspace, forcing flights to be diverted or canceled and leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded. Earlier Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she “cannot rule out in any way that it is Russia” behind Monday night’s drone incident. “What we saw last night is the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date,” she told Danish media, adding that the “obvious” motive behind the attack was “to disrupt and create unrest. To cause concern. To see how far you can go and test…

Published on 23/09/2025 – 14:53 GMT+2 NATO issued a warning to Moscow on Tuesday, saying it would use all means to defend against any further breaches of its airspace after the downing of Russian drones over Poland earlier this month and Estonia’s report of an intrusion by Russian fighter jets last week. The 10 September incident in Poland was the first direct encounter between NATO and Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022. Estonia said three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace for 12 minutes on Friday without authorisation, a charge that the Kremlin has rejected. The incidents…

“Of course, as I’m sure is true for all of us, I have noticed time and again in conversations over the past few weeks how difficult it is to explain to citizens that, on the one hand, we are investing heavily in the future of our country, but on the other hand, we are also required to make massive savings in the core budget. I can tell you that both are necessary. Both are essential. On the one hand, we are investing in the modernization of the state, and at the same time we have to get running costs under…

The ruling military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger say their countries are withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the global tribunal of what they say is selective justice. The ICC, based in The Hague, is the world’s permanent global tribunal for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. In a joint statement announcing their withdrawal on Monday evening, the three countries said the ICC has become an “instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism,” without elaborating on the allegation. The juntas also said they are seeking more “sovereignty” and hinted at a local option to the…

Published on 23/09/2025 – 12:36 GMT+2 With 10 days to go until the release of both Taylor Swift’s new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ and her recently announced film, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, Swifties are gearing up to make October all about TayTay. The pop superstar’s upcoming twelfth album – which follows her zeitgeist-dominating Eras Tour and last year’s release of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ – has already become the most pre-saved album Countdown Page in Spotify history, and the 89-minute theatrical event follows Swift’s Eras Tour concert film, which broke records when it hit cinemas in 2023. Tickets for the…

At a press conference, Flemming Drejer, director of operations at Denmark’s PET intelligence service, said that national authorities are looking in all directions for a cause. “But it is clear that, given the current threat and what we are seeing on the international scene, this is something we are aware of,” Drejer said in response to a question about Russia. Russia sent drones over Poland earlier this month, several of which were shot down, as well as over Romania. Three Russian fighter jets were intercepted in Estonian airspace on Friday. Anne Tønnes, director of the Copenhagen police, said it is…