Author: staff

Published on 01/10/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 European air passengers travelling within the EU could soon be entitled to more hand luggage without paying extra, under a major overhaul of passenger rights. The European Parliament and EU member states reached a provisional agreement in June on new air passenger rules – the first major revision of the legislation since 2004. Under the new rules, passengers buying a standard ticket would be entitled to two pieces of hand luggage free of charge. This would include one small personal item, such as a handbag or backpack, which must fit under the seat in…

Ein vermeintliches Sondierungsgespräch wird zum Vorgespräch: Wenn sich SPD und Grüne in Berlin heute mit der Linken treffen, geht es nicht ums künftige gemeinsame Regieren, sondern um rote Linien. Antisemitismus-Vorwürfe und mögliche Clan-Nähe belasten das Verhältnis schwer. Ob unter diesen Vorzeichen überhaupt ein Bündnis möglich ist oder die Parteien in Richtung einer Kenia-Koalition abbiegen, entscheidet sich jetzt. Rixa Fürsen ordnet ein, wie es dabei auch für SPD und Grüne um viel geht. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview fällt Volker Beck, ehemaliger Abgeordneter der Grünen und heute Präsident der Deutsch-Israelischen Gesellschaft, ein hartes Urteil über die Linkspartei. Er warnt vor Verstrickungen mit Extremisten und…

Published on 01/10/2026 – 6:31 GMT+2 Japan toughened requirements for foreigners wanting to obtain permanent residency on Thursday, as part of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s push to tighten immigration controls. Under new rules that will come into effect in stages, foreign residents wishing to stay in Japan permanently will have to prove their annual income is above average and they can carry casual conversations in Japanese. Application fees will also rise 20-fold from Thursday. At one immigration office in central Tokyo, hundreds of people queued, hoping to wrap up procedures before the price spike. “I understand that over-accepting foreigners might…

Recent research highlights how a small group of large commercial owners, acting through fishing industry associations, has opposed stronger seabed protection in Brussels by questioning the science and warning of socio-economic disruption. Yet real-world evidence shows that well-enforced PAAs, where bottom trawling is prohibited, strengthen the resilience of small-scale fleets, accelerate fish stock recovery and protect coastal livelihoods. Ghana may not offer Europe a ready-made blueprint for preferential access, but the country’s experience demonstrates that governments can make significant policy changes when the voices of affected communities, evidence and objective political leadership come together. A decade on the frontlines —…

Ventura, whose party has surged in recent election cycles, is often described as a Portuguese Trump for his confrontational tactics and heated campaign rhetoric targeting Portugal’s ruling elite. The Chega leader traveled to Washington, D.C. for Trump’s inauguration and borrowed the MAGA slogan during last year’s parliamentary election campaign, saying he wanted to “make Portugal great again.” But with Portugal now among many European countries hit by increasing fuel prices caused by war in the Middle East, Ventura appears to be turning on his American role model — like other populist chiefs across Europe who have jabbed the U.S. president’s…

The Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez and French president Emmanuel Macron highlighted the close relationship between their two countries and urged greater European unity to confront key migratory, economic and geopolitical challenges. The joint press conference at the Moncloa Palace was also marked by the Spanish Senate’s rejection of the Treaty of Friendship between Spain and France. Sánchez apologised to Macron for the Upper House’s no vote and promised that parliament would approve an agreement of this kind before the end of the current term. “All I can do is apologise,” the Spanish premier said of Tuesday’s rejection, insisting that…

National Rally figurehead Jordan Bardella hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, after Macron called reports that Bardella had sent antisemitic messages in 2013 “extremely serious and unacceptable” and urged him to clarify his position. Responding to Macron on X, Bardella stated: “After October 7, 2023, I walked the streets of Paris and travelled to Israel. He did not.” Earlier on Wednesday, during a two-day state visit to Spain, Macron said France would “never tolerate antisemitic statements”, calling the remarks allegedly made by Bardella “appalling and unacceptable” and adding that they required “the most extreme condemnation”. The French…

For years, Ukrainians have lived with a war raging not only along the front line, but above their heads. In Kyiv, the battle in the sky has become part of daily life, measured in air-raid alerts, the sound of air defence and the explosions that follow. At an air-defence position protecting the capital, the work begins before anything appears overhead. Soldiers prepare their weapons and scan for threats that can arrive at radically different speeds and from different directions. The challenge is no longer simply the number of weapons Russia can put into the air. Its attacks increasingly combine different…

Is Europe ready to defend itself? That was the central question at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit, which brought together policymakers, lawmakers and industry leaders as Europe grapples with the need to rearm and deter potential threats. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has transformed Europe’s security landscape, exposing longstanding weaknesses and forcing governments to rethink defence spending, military capabilities and industrial capacity. As Russia continues its war in Ukraine and hybrid attacks against European allies increase, the pressure to act is growing. Here are five key moments from Wednesday’s summit. Radev raises the alarm Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev…

European countries are struggling with higher energy costs driven by the war in Iran, and fear that increased costs will put delicate growth at risk and stoke inflation. In September, inflation increased at a faster pace across the major eurozone economies. And in Italy, it jumped from 3.2% to 4.1%, according to the Italian Institute of Statistics’ preliminary data. “I am writing to President von der Leyen to ensure that the issue is addressed at the Ecofin meeting to be held next week in Luxembourg, and then, of course, at the next European Council, which is in two weeks,” Meloni…