Author: staff

U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. Navy behaved “like pirates” in its blockade of Iranian ports and seizure of an Iranian vessel earlier this week. “We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said at an event in Florida on Friday. “We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates, but we are not playing games.” Tension between Washington and Tehran is ratcheting higher amid unsuccessful negotiations to permanently end the war started by the U.S. and Israel in late February. A senior Iranian military official said…

Published on 02/05/2026 – 13:56 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump informed top US lawmakers on Friday that hostilities in Iran “have terminated” after coming under pressure from Congress over the legality of the war he launched with Israel on 28 February. Congress had pressed the White House to seek authorisation for the war, which the Trump administration calls a “military operation”, as it headed into its third month. “There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since 7 April, 2026. The hostilities that began on 28 February, 2026, have terminated,” Trump wrote in letters to…

The chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, meanwhile, called Trump’s tariff threat “unacceptable” and accused the U.S. of “breaking its commitments.” There have been simmering tensions between the two sides over the implementation of the Scotland deal. The U.S. has complained at how long the EU is taking to bring tariffs down, while Europe has bristled at how many of its goods are being hit with a 26 percent U.S. tariff on aluminum and steel.  EU governments are divided over whether to pursue additional safeguards, as demanded by the European Parliament, delaying an agreement on a way forward. A…

U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened a drawdown in U.S. troops amid a public row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said the U.S. was being “humiliated” by Iran. The Pentagon’s announcement would still leave around 33,000 U.S. troops in Germany, reversing a buildup that began under President Joe Biden. A European Commission spokesperson told POLITICO the U.S. military footprint in Europe was a “significant contribution to NATO deterrence and defense” and formed the “foundation of collective defense for 23 EU Member States who are also Allies” in NATO. The spokesperson added that EU countries were meeting their NATO commitments…

Trump’s threat comes a week after the top EU trade official, Maroš Šefčovič, traveled to Washington to meet with Trump administration officials and came away reassured that the deal between the two countries remained solid.At the time, Šefčovič said he “was reassured by Ambassador [Jamieson] Greer, by all my interlocutors, that a deal is a deal for both sides. … And for us, the terms of the deal and all the terms and conditions there are absolutely fundamental for being implemented and fulfilled.”Those remarks came despite lingering trade tension between the two partners. The EU has chafed at how many…

“There has been no exchange of fire between the United States and Iran since April 7, 2026,” Trump wrote, noting a ceasefire he has indefinitely extended. “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated.” The letter also comes amid stalled talks and a continued military blockade of Iranian ports. The president told reporters before leaving the White House for Florida on Friday that he had given Iran “a final proposal” but expressed pessimism about being able to reach an agreement with the country’s “disjointed” government. “They’ve made strides, but I’m not sure they’ll ever get there,” he said. “I would…

At the Auto China 2026 motor show in Beijing, Xiaomi’s booth was among the most crowded, with visitors packing the space to catch a glimpse of the company’s founder and chief executive, Lei Jun, a figure whose status in China is close to celebrity. Earlier in April, Xiaomi had already drawn widespread attention with a high-profile endurance test led by Lei Jun, who personally drove a Xiaomi SU7 Pro from Beijing to Shanghai – a journey of around 1,300 kilometres – with just a single charging stop. The trip was livestreamed on social media, attracting a large online audience and…

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House prices are rising across Europe. Luxury homes are no exception. Prime property prices are on the move in European cities. In more than half of the roughly 50 cities tracked by Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2026, annual price growth exceeded 3% in 2025. So, which cities are driving the surge in prime property prices across Europe? And how do European luxury markets compare with the rest of the world? Prime properties are the most desirable and most expensive property in a given location. It is generally defined as the top 5% of each market by value. Prime markets often…

Published on 01/05/2026 – 21:11 GMT+2 France and Germany sent firefighting units to the Netherlands on Friday to help battle woodland blazes flaring in several areas. Many of the fires, which broke out on Wednesday and Thursday, were raging in land used for military training, including an artillery range, in the south. Stretched Dutch authorities requested help facing the emergency through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, with France and Germany responding. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in a post on X that Paris had despatched 41 civil security personnel and 10 vehicles. A total of 67 firefighters, 21 vehicles…