Author: staff
Published on 11/02/2026 – 12:43 GMT+1 The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Department has published its annual report, which concludes that Russia does not intend to launch a military strike against Estonia or any other NATO member state in the near future. The agency noted however that Russia is increasing the size of its armed forces and restocking on strategic artillery ammunition. In addition, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being formed on the principle of a mass army. The report also stated that controlling Ukraine is an obsession for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as in his mind it would restore Russia’s position…
Kazakhstan has launched a new investment cycle for 2026–2028. The country aims at attracting over $25.5 billion in annual foreign direct investment. At the same time, almost 54 billion EUR of fixed capital should be put to use in diversifying, from resources to high-value manufacturing and technology. Domestic wealth and investment funds have a critical role to play in boosting key projects but also reinforcing government’s plans to develop the social services in the country. To better understand how this symbiosis of state needs and profit-driven investment works in Kazakhstan we sat down with the Chairman of the Management Board…
Attacking the climate is nothing new for Donald Trump and his administration. The US has slowly been peeling away from acknowledging its involvement in the climate crisis, despite being the world’s second-largest annual emitter of greenhouse gases and, historically, the largest contributor to global warming. It has stopped sending delegates to COP talks, scrubbed all mention of fossil fuels from its Environmental Protection Agency’s website and scaled back on environmental protection. Meanwhile, Trump has been criticising the renewable energy boom and taking his “drill baby drill” attitude global. So, here is everything the POTUS has done so far in 2026.…
Ahead of a Thursday EU leaders’ retreat on competitiveness, von der Leyen said member states need to get their own houses in order. “We must also look at the national level, there is too much gold-plating — the extra layers of national legislation that just make businesses’ lives harder and create new barriers in our single market,” she said. Ahead of the leaders’ summit, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz published a paper blaming Brussels’ regulation for Europe’s economic malaise. But von der Leyen argued that countries are also to blame: “If we are serious about…
Hungary’s fierce election campaign is pitting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s party, Fidesz, against Péter Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party, which independent pollsters say has a strong chance of displacing one of Europe’s longest-serving and most controversial premiers. In the run-up to the 12 April vote, Tisza is having to demonstrate its capacity to govern a country that had been dominated by Fidesz for the past 16 years. Tisza has addressed the issue by recruiting István Kapitány, a global director of Shell, as an energy and economic expert, and Anita Orbán (no relation to the prime minister), a top manager and energy…
Britain’s Prince William played in an e-sports tournament in Riyadh as part of the second day of his trip to Saudi Arabia. He was joined by the Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation and the Arab Esports Federation, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, at the Saudi Esports Federation SEF Arena. The visit comes at the request of the UK government as it seeks to strengthen relations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. During his trip, Prince William also met young footballers in the Saudi capital.
Published on 11/02/2026 – 11:29 GMT+1 Brian Armstrong, the co-founder and CEO of the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, has fallen out of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranking of the world’s 500 wealthiest individuals. His departure from the list comes as the crypto markets grapple with a significant downturn, pushing Bitcoin below $70,000 (€58,750), a trading level not seen since late 2024. According to the index, Armstrong’s net worth currently stands at approximately $7.5bn (€6.9bn). This marks a substantial decline from a valuation of $17.7bn (€16.3bn) recorded last summer. The drop in his personal wealth, which is largely derived…
By Isabel Debre with AP Published on 11/02/2026 – 11:10 GMT+1 Human-caused climate change had an important impact on the recent ferocious wildfires that engulfed parts of Chile and Argentina’s Patagonia region, making the extremely high-risk conditions that led to widespread burning up to three times more likely than in a world without global warming, a team of researchers warned on 11 February. The hot, dry and gusty weather that fed last month’s deadly wildfires in central and southern Chile was made around 200 per cent more likely by human-made greenhouse gas emissions while the high-fire-risk conditions that fuelled the blazes still racing…
Updated: 11/02/2026 – 10:33 GMT+1 Around 1,000 runners took part in a night race through illuminated installations during the Copenhagen Light Festival. Wearing light chains and glowing costumes, participants ran through the Danish capital, combining sport, public space and contemporary light art. Watch the video above for more. … More
LONDON — Britain’s chief finance minister will argue closer integration with the EU offers the U.K. the best opportunity for higher economic growth — ahead of links with the U.S. and China. Rachel Reeves will say Wednesday evening that stronger ties with the European bloc are “the biggest prize” for Britain, while stressing that calculation isn’t “about choosing sides but about geography.” “There are three big economic blocks: U.S., China and Europe,” Reeves will say, according to extracts shared with POLITICO. “We will always seek every opportunity to grow our economy and these trading relationships, but ultimately only one of these…