Author: staff

Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine, launched 12 years ago, started with the annexation of Crimea, a strategically important peninsula in southern Ukraine jutting into the Black Sea. Since then, Ukraine repeatedly said that for Kyiv the war will not be considered fully over until Crimea is liberated and restored to Ukrainian sovereignty and returned to its indigenous Crimean Tatar community. For Moscow, Crimea is the most prized trophy of its invasion and the war against Ukraine, and is the territory Russia is likely to relinquish last if at all. But with Ukraine’s strengthened intensity and efficiency of drone strike campaign,…

Published on 12/06/2026 – 21:53 GMT+2 The European Commission has sent a third letter to the Venice Biennale Foundation, whose current edition runs until 22 November, requesting further clarifications regarding Russia’s controversial participation in the event. The European executive sent a second letter seeking answers a few days after the opening of the 61st International Art Exhibition, launched on 9 May, according to Henna Virkkunen, the European Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, who announced in a Q&A session in Brussels with reporters. The news was followed by a response from the Russian Ambassador to Italy, Alexey Paramonov, who…

Protests have been growing in Albania against a planned resort development backed by Jared Kushner, with thousands taking to the streets of Tirana on Thursday. Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and his investment firm Affinity Partners have been in negotiations to open an estimated $4 billion luxury resort in a protected area on Albania’s Adriatic coast. But protesters have pushed back at the plans, arguing it would damage the local environment. Some are also calling for Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign over the issue. Here’s everything you need to know about the protests. The Vjosa–Narta…

Published on 12/06/2026 – 22:26 GMT+2 Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel sprang a surprise on Friday, announcing a wide-ranging package of economic reforms that will affect tourism, foreign trade and investment and the private sector, aiming to liberalise the island’s economy amid continued US economic pressure. “The country is not paralysed. The country is confronting this whole situation intelligently. We cannot spell everything out so clearly because the enemy is watching everything we do,” Díaz-Canel said in an interview. “Our response must be one of unity.” The Cuban leader insisted that the measures respond to the “demands of the present time”…

Packed prisons have been a recurring topic in Belgium for months. Two weeks ago, the director of Haren Prison in northern Brussels resigned due to frustrations over the conditions and staffing shortages. Belgium prison staff have also repeatedly staged strikes in recent months. A mid-May report by a prison oversight body found that Belgium’s prison population had risen sharply over the past three years, from around 11,000 prisoners at the beginning of 2023 to more than 13,000 at the beginning of this year. Belgian media linked the increase to a government decision requiring prison sentences of up to three years…

Published on 12/06/2026 – 16:22 GMT+2•Updated 16:30 The US is planning to withdraw access to deep strike capabilities for NATO allies as part of its wider plan to pull out of Europe’s security architecture. The Trump administration informed NATO allies last year it would cut military assets available to Europe even during times of war or invasion, but until now, the details of exactly how the Pentagon intends to scale back access to such assets were unclear. According to sources, everything linked to deep strike capabilities will be cut, Euronews has learned. Specifically, this includes US long-range bombers such as…

Published on 12/06/2026 – 20:53 GMT+2 A ship carrying nearly 100 tonnes of food and essential goods arrived in Cuba from Colombia on Friday as part of the humanitarian aid that several countries have sent to the island as a US energy embargo persists. The ship, which departed Cartagena in early June, crossed the Havana Bay channel early in the morning flying the Colombian flag and escorted by a small Cuban auxiliary vessel. The Colombian Presidential Agency for International Cooperation said that, on orders of President Gustavo Petro, the shipment included non-perishable food, medicine, hospital supplies, electrical materials, solar panels…

“We will not agree to either an unaffordable or an unreformed multi-annual financial framework,” the official also said, speaking on condition of anonymity to frankly discuss divisions within the EU. Merz’s government has long advocated substantial cuts to the EU budget across all policy areas, though it has stopped short of specifying concrete targets. Berlin has called for a clear prioritization of spending on defense and competitiveness, while seeking savings in areas such as agriculture and cohesion funding. Merz reinforced that position in a speech to lawmakers in Berlin on Thursday, arguing that the EU would struggle to justify higher…

Pope Leo XIV left the Canary Islands for Rome on Friday in a Falcon plane offered by Spanish King Felipe VI after his original aircraft suffered a technical glitch, according to reporters at the scene. The flight took off just after 6:00 pm and is expected to arrive in Rome at around 11:00 pm. The pope wrapped up a week-long visit to Spain on Friday. The pontiff’s departure from Tenerife was delayed earlier on Friday by a technical problem with the plane which led him to disembark, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. Spain’s King Felipe VI, who…

Published on 12/06/2026 – 20:12 GMT+2 A US federal judge rejected a bid by the board of the Kennedy Center and the Justice Department on Friday to halt the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the performing arts venue. US District Judge Christopher Cooper, in a ruling last month, ordered Trump’s name taken off the iconic building in the nation’s capital by Friday. The board of trustees, which consists of Trump allies, and the Justice Department filed an appeal on Thursday asking Cooper to stay his ruling. The judge turned down the request, saying the public interest “is rarely…