Author: staff

Published on 08/05/2026 – 10:25 GMT+2 It was a bold move by Giorgia Meloni. This week, the Italian Prime Minister posted an AI-generated image of herself in underwear, a picture that had already been circulating on social media. It was intended as a warning: if this can happen to a head of government, it can happen to anyone. However, the European Union has already been working to tackle deep fakes. So what exactly is changing? On Thursday, the EU reached a deal to ban so-called “nudification” apps — the tools used to create non-consensual sexually explicit images and videos through…

The aim is “to ensure a science-based response,” the spokesperson added. “Safeguarding public health is our absolute priority.” One of the key decisions countries and disease experts are working on is “defining quarantine guidelines and protocols,” the Commission spokesperson continued. They are also establishing support measures for EU countries and their citizens, assessing transport and medical evacuation needs to help Spain, and ensuring cooperation between health, civil protection, and international partners to protect citizens, the spokesperson added. There are around 150 people, including passengers and staff, aboard the ship at the moment, and none of them is displaying any symptoms,…

Published on 08/05/2026 – 15:33 GMT+2•Updated 16:01 German MEP Bernd Lange (S&D), the European Parliament’s lead negotiator on the EU-US trade deal, defended on Friday the EU legislative process aimed at implementing the agreement, pushing back against US criticism that Europe is moving too slowly. The comments came after US President Donald Trump gave the EU until 4 July to cut tariffs on US goods to zero, as agreed under the deal signed last year in Turnberry with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, warning otherwise of new tariffs on European products. Washington has stepped up pressure on Brussels…

Published on 08/05/2026 – 16:34 GMT+2 The European Commission has cleared Hungarian Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi of allegations linked to a reported spying network that targeted Commission staff, closing an internal investigation without finding evidence of individual wrongdoing. The announcement came a day before Hungary’s incoming Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, is due to take office following his landslide election victory last month. The decision means Várhelyi can remain in his role as EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare. In October, several media outlets reported that Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels had run a network of intelligence officers…

Ceasefire duel In a last-ditch effort to shield its flagship national holiday, Russia’s defense ministry announced a two-day ceasefire starting May 8.  Ukraine countered it with its own open-ended ceasefire two days earlier, testing Russia’s real commitment to peace. But after Moscow responded with yet another wave of deadly strikes on Ukrainian cities, Zelenskyy threatened to “respond symmetrically.”  Russia, in turn, has vowed to hit central Kyiv if it targets the celebrations. Tellingly, for the first time in years, no foreign journalists will be allowed to attend the Moscow parade, presumably to ensure control of the narrative should anything go…

“I’m not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos,” British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday after local election results showed millions of voters had abandoned his Labour Party. It is a far cry from the general election less than two years ago that saw Labour win one of the largest majorities in British parliamentary history. Starmer admitted that the elections — which saw hundreds of Labour councillors lose seats amid massive gains for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party — were painful. “The results are tough, they are very tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it,”…

Ryanair has announced that it will cease operations at its base in Thessaloniki during the 2026 winter season, withdrawing three aircraft serving the region. At the same time, it is also proceeding to limit its operations at Athens Airport. Specifically, it was announced that the “catastrophic loss of connectivity during the low tourist season is a direct result of the excessively uncompetitive charges imposed by the German-managed monopoly Fraport Greece and Athens Airport”. According to the company, these changes will result in a reduction of 700,000 passenger seats, which is about 45% fewer than in the winter of 2025, as…

The reversal comes less than a week after Magyar publicly defended his decision to appoint his brother-in-law to one of the most powerful posts in the Hungarian government. Calling Melléthei-Barna’s professional competence “unquestionable,” the prime minister-designate argued concerns about nepotism were understandable, but manageable. Magyar also said his sister — who is a sitting judge in the Pest Central District Court — would step down from the bench “to avoid even the appearance of an intertwining of branches of power.” Magyar unveiled his first ministerial picks on April 20, days after ousting Viktor Orbán in Hungary’s April 12 election and…

One year ago, Robert Francis Prevost emerged from the conclave as Leo XIV with the aim and the hope of his electors to find a balance between his two predecessors, the conservative Benedict XVI and the revolutionary Francis. The Pope spent this anniversary in a community, that of Pompeii and Naples, where he met volunteers and disadvantaged young people and then thousands of faithful, to whom he addressed a message not unrelated to the international current events of these times. “May there come from the God of peace a superabundant outpouring of mercy, which touches hearts, appeases grudges and fratricidal…

Any increase would require approval from EU members, who have spent years squabbling over the bloc’s off-budget mechanism for financing military assistance. Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spent years blocking efforts to free cash for EPF reimbursements, and in the past France and Germany have raised objections on technical grounds as well. Kallas framed the cash boost as part of a broader effort to harden Moldova against Russian pressure. “Moldova remains caught in Russia’s hybrid war,” she said, pointing to attacks on energy infrastructure and repeated Russian drone incursions into Moldovan airspace. A new EU-funded radar system has already…