Author: staff
By Gavin Blackburn with AP Published on 07/07/2025 – 18:56 GMT+2Federal prosecutors in Switzerland announced an indictment on Monday of a Kosovan and a Swiss-Macedonian dual national on terrorism-related charges and spreading the ideology of the so-called Islamic State (IS) terror group.The 36-year-old Kosovan and the 33-year-old dual national, who have not been identified by name, are suspected of having carried out indoctrination, financing and recruitment of the Swiss chapter of a “Kosovar terrorist organisation” over the last decade, mostly in the Geneva area, the Swiss Attorney General’s office said.The two men were arrested in September 2022 in connection with an investigation into their…
Britain’s Conservatives are the official opposition party in the U.K.’s House of Commons, while Davey’s Liberal Democrats returned to being the third-largest party after winning 72 seats at last year’s general election. Farage currently has just four MPs in place, after one resigned the whip at the weekend amid conduct questions. But Reform UK is consistently leading in national polls, and Britain’s Labour government is targeting them as its key opponents at the next election, expected by 2029. “This is an outrageous and deliberate snub,” Farage’s deputy Tice hit out in an angry statement Monday. “Reform is polling higher than…
Der Bundestag steht vor einer sensiblen Entscheidung: Wer zieht neu ins Bundesverfassungsgericht ein? Die Wahl könnte am Streit um den Unvereinbarkeitsbeschluss scheitern – denn die CDU will nicht mit der Linken, bekommt aber Unterstützung von der AfD. Rasmus Buchsteiner erklärt, wie die Union in die eigene Taktikfalle gerät und warum selbst ein Scheitern nicht das Ende wäre. Gleichzeitig verabschiedet sich Annalena Baerbock – ganz ohne Pomp im Jakob-Kaiser-Haus. Nur geladene Gäste, keine große Geste, aber ein Abschied mit Signalwirkung: Vielleicht ist das Kapitel Berlin für Baerbock noch nicht endgültig geschlossen. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5…
Published on 07/07/2025 – 16:20 GMT+2As European governments rush to invest in artificial intelligence (AI), hoping to support European champions like Mistral, a new report warns they may be playing into the hands of Big Tech. Research published this Monday by the Dutch non-profit SOMO shows that the world’s leading AI start-ups, including OpenAI, Anthropic and Mistral, are deeply dependent on a small group of powerful US tech companies for the hardware, infrastructure and platforms they need to operate. “On the surface, these start-ups look like fresh challengers,” said Margarida Silva, author of the report. “But scratch a little deeper and you’ll…
Russia’s former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit killed himself on Monday after being fired by President Vladimir Putin, Russian authorities said. According to Kremlin-controlled media, Starovoit was found dead with a gunshot wound in Odintsovo near Moscow. Officials said they believe it was a suicide. Putin had fired Starovoit earlier Monday without giving an official reason for his dismissal, but airports across Russia have faced multiple delays, cancellations and stranded passengers over the weekend due to Ukrainian drone attacks. On Sunday, an explosion aboard the Eco Wizard tanker at a port in the Leningrad region triggered an ammonia leak, adding to the crisis engulfing Russia’s transportation…
The only remaining candidate in the race to lead the group of eurozone members is Lithuanian finance minister Rimantas Šadžius, who is unlikely to prove a challenge for Donohoe. “Therefore, in an exercise of responsibility, the minister has decided to step aside to favor an election based on consensus,” the Spanish official said. “The election process has been positive, and a widespread message has been conveyed about the need to strengthen the impact and effectiveness of the Eurogroup. Spain will continue to contribute constructively toward this objective, as it has done so far,” the official said.
By Oman Al Yahyai with AP Published on 07/07/2025 – 14:20 GMT+2•Updated 14:45London paused in remembrance on Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of the 7 July 2005 terror attacks, in which four suicide bombers killed 52 people and injured over 770 others during the morning rush hour in London.The coordinated attacks — three on London Underground trains and one on a double-decker bus — remain the deadliest on British soil since the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 near Lockerbie and the UK’s first instance of an Islamist extremist suicide attack.Across the capital, moments of silence were observed, wreaths were laid…
Italy’s former intelligence chief Elisabetta Belloni will exit her role as chief diplomatic adviser to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in September. “Mrs. Belloni is leaving her position,” a European Commission spokesperson said during a press briefing, adding that the EU executive had no additional information to share at this stage. Belloni, 66, joined von der Leyen’s cabinet in January 2025, shortly after stepping down as head of Italy’s Department of Information and Security (DIS) — a move that surprised many in Rome. Appointed by former Prime Minister Mario Draghi in 2021, her DIS mandate was originally set…
The European Commission meanwhile confirmed that it was working towards a Wednesday deadline, which Trump had set previously, to reach an agreement in principle that would include a 10 percent baseline tariff. “We’re working towards July 9, at the point where we want to have an agreement in principle at a minimum with the U.S.,” Olof Gill, the Commission’s trade spokesperson, said at the midday briefing. Gill added that talks were at “the beginning of the endgame” at least for an agreement in principle. “We’re fully geared up to get an agreement in principle by Wednesday. And we’re firing on…
The French president has remained vague about his future plans. Asked in May about a potential 2032 run during a major primetime interview, Macron said he “hadn’t thought” about pursuing a third term. However, a report from a parliamentary investigative committee revealed that the government had commissioned a poll the day after the interview testing the public’s response to a possible Macron candidacy in 2032. Such polls are not commissioned by the presidency but the results are forwarded to the Elysée. Macron’s approval rating currently stands close to an all-time low, according to a tracker from pollster Elabe, with just…