Author: staff
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the spate of recent drone incursions into the airspace of European Union (EU) countries over the past few weeks are “not isolated incidents,” as Baltic leaders and EU officials caution that hybrid threats along Europe’s eastern border are intensifying. “This is a deliberate strategy from Russia trying to destabilise our democratic societies,” she said, standing alongside Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian heads of state at a press conference in the Vilnius on Tuesday. “When Baltic states are being tested, Europe as a whole is being tested,” she said. The EU chief was…
Published on 26/05/2026 – 17:30 GMT+2 Iran’s Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei declared in his first major public statement since taking office that regional countries would no longer serve as staging grounds for US military bases, after US Central Command acknowledged carrying out strikes on missile sites and boats in southern Iran overnight. In a 14-page written message marking the Eid al-Adha holiday and the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Khamenei said the US “in addition to no longer having any safe haven in the region for aggression and the establishment of military bases, is moving further and further away from its former…
“I think that is a danger with AI, because it is not about the left and the right, it is about democrats against authoritarians,” he said in one of his first public appearances since resigning as U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s top aide in February. He noted the U.K. could “learn a lot” from what Ukraine is doing. An AI-operated election campaign could target 5,000 different voter target groups, compared to just 10 if run by humans, McSweeney noted. “The risk then for democracies is that election campaigns become much less of a national story and much closer to individual stories,…
The tacit approval of permits for new energy projects has emerged as one of the most politically explosive issues in the EU’s negotiations over the renewal of its ageing power grids, according to a document seen by Euronews. Under proposals for the EU’s new European Grids Package_,_ certain stages of the permit process for energy infrastructure projects aimed at revamping the bloc’s electricity grid could automatically proceed if national authorities fail to respond within set deadlines. The idea of a silent consent for such projects is unsettling EU capitals, which fear Brussels is quietly trying to transfer power from national…
Published on 26/05/2026 – 10:35 GMT+2 A search operation to find seven villagers trapped inside a flooded cave in central Laos entered its seventh day on Tuesday, as rescuers encountered difficult terrain and weather as they are trying to reach the group whose condition remains unknown. The villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on 19 May but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation. The Lao organisation Rescue Volunteer for People, which is working closely with the local authorities, posted on its Facebook page that Tuesday’s…
Brent crude edged 2.5% higher on Tuesday and seems to have steadied around $100 per barrel at the time of writing, as US-Iran negotiations stall. On the other hand, WTI dropped over 4% and is trading around $92.6 per barrel. Overall, oil prices were declining since last Wednesday as the framework for a peace deal, or at least a longer and more encompassing ceasefire, between the US and Iran was seemingly on the verge of being agreed. However, Iran accused the US of breaching the current ceasefire after Washington carried out what it described as defensive strikes in the southern…
Mélenchon qualifying for the two-candidate runoff next year is seen as a nightmare scenario by most of France’s political center-right and center-left, because polling predicts he would lose heavily to the far right. The Odoxa poll showed the leader of France Unbowed winning 16 percent of the vote in the first round, up from 12 percent in a similar poll conducted last month. The poll placed him virtually level with Philippe, who slipped to 17 percent from 21 percent. Mélenchon was also the most popular left-wing politician among left-wing voters, ahead of rivals such as former President François Hollande and…
The question of whether the European Union should engage in direct talks with Russia to bring the war in Ukraine to an end continues to split member states, as Estonia warns that the diplomatic outreach would amount to becoming a “neutral mediator” expected to provide Moscow with sanctions relief and appease its maximalist demands. Until now, the talks have been led by the US, which has cut all financial and military assistance to Ukraine and eased sanctions on Russian oil. “We know that Russia is desperately working to bring Europe into talks because Putin needs to win time, and his…
The accident happened in the Seodaemun district during a safety inspection after workers detected a 2 centimetre subsidence in the structure and suspended construction operations. Fire officials said debris and concrete slabs suddenly gave way, crushing workers below. Images from the scene showed twisted steel beams hanging over damaged vehicles while police sealed off surrounding roads in the capital. Officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government said the inspection had started at 14:00 local time shortly before the collapse occurred. The overpass, built in 1966, had been under demolition since August 2025 because of safety concerns linked to its ageing structure.…
Published on 26/05/2026 – 14:47 GMT+2 BP has sacked its chairman Albert Manifold with immediate effect, citing unacceptable governance and conduct issues in the latest blow to a company that has struggled to stabilise its leadership for years. The board said it had been “surprised and disappointed” to learn of the issues and had taken “decisive action,” without elaborating on the specifics. His sudden departure prolongs a period of severe leadership turmoil at BP, coming at a moment when the company was supposed to be turning itself around from years of poor performance. London-listed shares fell as much as 9%…