Author: staff
Published on 21/05/2026 – 13:01 GMT+2 Ukrainian forces have carried out a long-range drone strike on a Russian oil refinery, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the military said on Thursday. Posting on X, Zelenskyy said his forces had struck the Syzran oil refinery in western Russia, sharing video footage showing flames and black smoke billowing from what appeared to be the facility. “I thank the warriors of the Unmanned Systems Forces and the Special Operations Forces for their precision,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding that Kyiv would continue to target Russia’s oil refineries. In a post on Telegram, the Special Operations Forces…
Airbnb is no longer just trying to replace hotels – it wants to become your entire holiday. The travel giant is rolling out a major expansion that adds grocery deliveries, airport pickups, luggage storage, car rentals and experiences, including behind-the-scenes World Cup access, as it pushes further into full-service travel. Last year, the holiday rental platform launched Airbnb Experiences and Airbnb Services, which allowed users to not only book a place to stay, but to explore a city with a local or have a private chef cook you dinner. Now, it’s aiming to make trips more seamless and is also…
Almost two decades after the Spanish state paid tribute to the great lady of Canadian letters with the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature, Felipe VI has now formally presented her with the Joan Margarit Prize, created by the Cervantes Institute last September. Mónica and Pol Lezcano Margarit, daughter and grandson of the Catalan poet and professor of architecture who died in 2021, were tasked with reading poems by both Margaret Atwood and their relative during the ceremony, held at the University of Victoria. “We would like,” the king said in his speech, “you to receive this prize as a…
Kyiv has long sought to join the military alliance but has met resistance from Germany and the United States, even under the Biden administration. The issue has been almost entirely off the table since Donald Trump returned to the White House. Řehka also stressed the Czech Republic has to increase military expenditure to way above 2 percent of GDP, the former NATO target. The country’s defense budget has been at the center of a dispute between Czech President Petr Pavel and populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. Babiš initially decided to cut down military expenditure to 1.8 percent of GDP, despite…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 12:33 GMT+2 Russia delivered nuclear munitions to field storage facilities in Belarus as part of major nuclear drills, the defence ministries in Moscow and Minsk announced on Thursday. They have also released what they described as “video evidence” — a clip showing military vehicles driving into a forested area at an undisclosed location and missiles being loaded onto launchers. The Iskander-M, a mobile guided-missile system code-named “SS-26 Stone” by NATO, is intended to replace the Soviet-era Scud. Iskander-M’s guided missiles have a range of up to 500 kilometres and can carry conventional or nuclear warheads. Belarus…
The indictment announced this week by the United States against former Cuban president Raúl Castro is the latest episode in the pressure campaign that the Trump administration has waged for months against the island’s communist government. Castro was charged over his alleged role in the 1996 downing of two light aircraft operated by the Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue. At the time, Castro was defence minister, while his brother, Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution and the dominant figure in the island’s politics for more than half a century, was running the country as president. Today, at 94,…
Rising energy prices are also set to push inflation to 3.1 percent, up by a full percentage point from the fall forecast. The effects of the energy shock are set to extend into 2027, with growth estimated at 1.4 percent next year. “This confirms the negative implications of the war in the Middle East on the economy that has led to an economic slowdown,” Dombrovskis said. The EU’s three largest economies — Germany, France and Italy — are set to grow at 0.6 percent, 0.8 percent and 0.5 percent respectively this year, significantly below the EU average. The setback comes…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 11:07 GMT+2•Updated 11:17 The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) has issued an alert to residents after detecting “at least one” unmanned aerial vehicle in its airspace. In a statement posted to X, the NBS initially warned of a “possible threat” to airspace over the eastern regions of Ludza, Krāslava, Rēzekne, and Augšdaugava, before confirming it had detected a UAV. “Seek shelter indoors, close windows and doors—follow the two-wall principle,” it told residents. “If you notice a low-flying, suspicious, or dangerous object, do not approach it and call 112. We will inform you when the threat has…
Singer Jeanette took centre stage at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday evening with a live performance accompanying a beach screening of Cría Cuervos, the acclaimed film by Spanish director Carlos Saura. The event at the “Cinéma de la Plage” marked 50 years since the film’s 1976 release and drew festival guests, film lovers and members of Saura’s family to Macé beach on the Croisette. Before the screening of the new 4K restoration, Jeanette introduced herself to the audience as “the voice behind the song ‘Porque te vas’” before performing the track live. The song became internationally famous after appearing…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 10:00 GMT+2 Michael Bay, the filmmaker behind Pearl Harbor, Pain & Gain and the Transformers movies, is set to direct a film about Operation Epic Fury. The Universal Pictures film will be based on the true story of April’s rescue of two downed American pilots in Iran after their F-15E Strike Eagle was struck down during the US’ attack on the country. The news was reported by Deadline, whose sources told them that Bay will chronicle the extraordinary heroism of the two US airmen behind enemy lines. The film will be based on journalist Mitchell Zuckoff’s…