Author: staff

It may sound incredible, and certainly a few years ago, with Greece in crisis and on the brink of Grexit, nobody would have believed it, but Greece is going to send a person into space. Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced this after a meeting with Adrianos Golemis, the only Greek who has successfully passed all astronaut tests since 2022 and who entered the European Space Agency (ESA) training programme a few months ago. The launch is expected to take place within the next two years and the mission will last up to three weeks, as part of the new National Space Strategy,…

The World Cup has seen plenty of joyous moments already, but also an impressive string of controversies. From Japanese fans cleaning up stadiums to Scottish food requests and Erling Haaland being a gem of a man, it’s been exciting to see some of the viral moments surrounding the tournament. But at the center of much backlash has been FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He defended the exorbitant ticket prices which make the tournament look like an elitist shambles; concerns were raised over FIFA’s supposed political neutrality when he awarded FIFA’s inaugural Peace Price to Donald Trump; he’s been using a private…

“Canada’s voice in this community makes us stronger,” said Noel Curran, director general of the EBU.  Not since Céline Dion won Eurovision in 1988, representing Switzerland, has Canada been this close to claiming a spot in the iconic song contest — though it is still unclear whether or when the country will participate. A spokesperson for CBC/Radio-Canada confirmed “we will have more information … at a later date.” Canada would not be the first non-European country to walk the glittery stage. Israel joined in 1973, Morocco competed once in 1980, and Australia joined in 2015. Escalating controversy over Israel’s participation…

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he approved a plan for Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) to launch a 40-day operation aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war. Zelenskyy’s announcement comes after his meeting with SBU chief Major General Yevhenii Khmara, who reported on Kyiv’s “plan for long-range sanctions, medium-range sanctions, and the results achieved by the SBU,” Zelenskyy said on X. “For several months in a row, the SBU has demonstrated the highest performance in defending Ukraine’s positions on the front lines through the use of various types of drones,” Zelensky said on Thursday evening. What is this operation…

The limitation would not apply to men who received temporary protection before the new rules enter into force. In its announcement, the Commission said the  plan aimed to “reconcile the protection needs with Ukraine’s overall ability to defend itself against Russia’s illegal war of aggression.” The proposal comes after a ministerial discussion earlier this month showed “strong support” for plans to exclude fighting-age men, Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell told POLITICO. The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty has warned against a “wholesale rejection” of conscription-age men. “What I want to make sure is that those who…

European anti-fraud investigators have helped uncover a large-scale scheme that illegally exported 4,200 tonnes of textile waste from Italy to Turkey, exposing what authorities describe as a profitable operation designed to evade environmental laws and recycling costs. The investigation, led by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in cooperation with Italy’s Carabinieri and Turkish customs authorities, focused on textile waste containing high levels of acrylic fibres. Because these synthetic materials persist in the environment for up to 200 years and require more sophisticated recycling processes, they are subject to strict and costly disposal rules. Investigators found that shipments had allegedly been…

Updated: 26/06/2026 – 12:00 GMT+2 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this June 26th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More

Published on 26/06/2026 – 10:32 GMT+2 In a break with a long tradition of royal financial secrecy, Buckingham Palace disclosed on Thursday that the King paid £12.9 million (€15mn) in tax for the 2024-25 financial year, the first time such a figure has been put before the public. The sum is likely to place King Charles III among Britain’s biggest taxpayers. The disclosure, which Buckingham Palace said was made at the King’s own wish as part of a drive for greater transparency, also revealed that he paid £11.7 million (€13.5mn) the previous year and more than £30 million (€34.8mn) in…

Published on 26/06/2026 – 10:52 GMT+2 He sleeps with footballs. He ignores DMs from Tom Holland. He collects Birkin bags. Erling Haaland arrived at the FIFA World Cup as one of the game’s most feared strikers, and he will leave it as one of its most entertaining personalities. Between an irreverent social media presence, ironic encounters with fans and a seeming indifference to his own celebrity, Haaland has offered a refreshing alternative to the media-trained image we’ve come to expect from sport stars. And in the span of a few weeks, he may have unwittingly created a whole new generation…

It could have been a messy transition, but the ease with which Andy Burnham has returned to Westminster appears to be the product of many months of careful planning. Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy delve into the details of how Burnham’s expected coronation has been managed – and why Louise Haigh has emerged as a key architect behind the scenes. Meanwhile, as Donald Trump breaks his silence on Sir Keir Starmer’s likely replacement, his verdict is rather blunt. The duo dissect the US president’s first public comments on Burnham, who he labelled as “extremely liberal”. What does this mean for…