Author: staff
Ukraine is demanding a long-term ceasefire in Russia’s all-out war instead of the short parade-day truce the Kremlin floated to US President Donald Trump, as Kyiv accused Moscow of seeking a few hours of quiet to protect a military parade rather than pursuing genuine peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Kyiv would first see “what exactly is this about,” in response to the proposal that came on Wednesday evening after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested a temporary truce in a phone call with Trump. “We will clarify what exactly this is about — a few hours of…
Kenyan marathon runner Sabastian Sawe was given a celebratory welcome in Nairobi on Wednesday after his record-breaking win at the London Marathon. He arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where he was greeted by family and Sports Minister Salim Mvurya. Sawe made history on Sunday by completing the marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, breaking the previous men’s world record by 65 seconds and becoming the first to run under two hours in a sanctioned race. Speaking at the airport, he said the achievement was shared with his supporters and country. His coach, Claudio Berardelli, said Sawe…
Published on 30/04/2026 – 12:06 GMT+2 Annual inflation in the 21 countries that use the euro rose to 3.0% from 2.6% in March, driven by a 10.9% increase in energy prices, the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat reported on Thursday. Among the main components, energy recorded the highest annual increase in April at 10.9%, compared with 5.1% in March. This was followed by services at 3.0% (down from 3.2%), food, alcohol and tobacco at 2.5% (up from 2.4%), and non-energy industrial goods at 0.8% (up from 0.5%). Prices across Europe have been fuelled by soaring energy costs due to the…
If Bolojan loses the vote he will be out as prime minister. Independent centrist President Nicușor Dan will then begin consultations with party leaders to form a new coalition government, with a new prime minister. In that case, one possibility is that the coalition between Bolojan’s liberals and the social democrats carries on but with a new, independent technocratic prime minister — an option some analysts and commentators view as likely. The PSD has already said it is open to continuing the coalition with a different prime minister in charge. But the bad blood from this crisis — the two…
The USS Gerald R Ford is returning to the United States after more than 300 days at sea — the longest deployment of any American aircraft carrier since the Cold War — following operations in the Iran war and the mission in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro. It is unclear when exactly the Ford is expected to leave the Middle East, but it will return to its home port in Virginia in mid-May, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Ford, widely considered the world’s most powerful and advanced aircraft carrier, departed from…
In the Spreewald Forest Delta southeast of Berlin, postal worker Andrea Bunar has returned to delivering mail by barge as spring opens the waterways. After months of winter rounds by car, the 55-year-old is back steering through narrow rivers and creeks around Lehde. The village, about 100 kilometres from Berlin, is the only place in Germany where post still arrives by boat. Bunar has worked the route for 14 years, carrying around 600 letters and 80 parcels each week along an eight-kilometre circuit. The Spreewald, a UNESCO biosphere with more than 300 kilometres of waterways, has long shaped local life.…
Published on 30/04/2026 – 10:45 GMT+2•Updated 10:57 France’s economy ground to a halt in the first quarter of 2026, official figures showed Thursday, as soaring energy costs linked to the Iran war began squeezing households and businesses. France and Italy have both trimmed their growth outlooks, while Germany has halved its 2026 forecast to 0.5%. Gross domestic product was flat between January and March, according to a first estimate from the French national statistics institute INSEE, a sharp step down from the 0.2% expansion recorded in the final quarter of 2025 and below analyst forecasts. The data paint a picture…
Published on 30/04/2026 – 11:00 GMT+2 Artificial intelligence-powered abuse is pushing women out of public life, according to a new report by UN Women. The major study found that female journalists, activists, and human rights defenders are facing rising online violence, which includes AI-generated deepfakes and what researchers are calling “virtual rape”. The study, Tipping Point: Online Violence Impacts, Manifestations and Redress in the AI Age, was published by UN Women in partnership with researchers at City St George’s, University of London, and TheNerve, a digital forensics lab founded by Nobel laureate Maria Ressa. More than 640 women in public-facing…
Spotify’s Top 50 chart leaves no doubt that the dominance of English-language songs is becoming a thing of the past. The chart now includes tracks in no fewer than 16 languages, and the presence of non-English songs is growing at breakneck speed, having doubled since 2020. For many people, stepping outside English, especially when it is their mother tongue, is a complicated step. But, as the slogan of a popular snack brand puts it, ‘once you pop, you can’t stop’. Music is perhaps the most pleasurable gateway into other languages and cultures. It is no coincidence that enrolments in Spanish…
Salis’ most prominent initiatives as mayor have been progressive. Her first act was to register the births of 11 children born to lesbian couples abroad, blocked by her right-wing predecessor. She has opened a municipal office for LGBTQ+ rights and introduced a minimum wage for city contracts. She also backed pro-Palestinian causes. Winning the center But amid talk of a national role, she has increasingly shifted her politics toward the center, with a focus on mainstream issues surrounding health, labor, security and migration. The left, she argued, must focus on “pragmatic, concrete” issues. In a competitive contest on the left,…