Author: staff
Pope Leo XIV denounced how investments in artificial intelligence and high-tech weaponry were leading the world into a “spiral of annihilation” on Thursday, as he called for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine during a visit to Europe’s largest university. The pontiff’s speech at Rome’s La Sapienza University marked the first time a pope has visited the campus since Pope Benedict XVI called off a planned speech there in 2008 in the face of protests from faculty and students. The American pope was warmly welcomed on Thursday, including by some of Sapienza’s newest students: Young Palestinians who arrived in…
Siliņa then appointed Latvian army Col. Raivis Melnis as a replacement, but the Progressives’ withdrawal left Siliņa’s New Unity alliance without a parliamentary majority. Latvia, like its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, has been on high alert since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, warning that spillovers from the war could test NATO’s eastern flank. “At this moment, political jealousy and narrow party interests have taken precedence over responsibility,” Silina said Thursday, adding that “political windbags chose not a solution, but a crisis.” Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs previously said he would meet with all parliamentary parties on Friday, “given the political…
Published on 14/05/2026 – 13:08 GMT+2 Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned Norway’s move on Thursday to revoke the export license for a naval missile system for his country’s navy, warning it could damage confidence in European defence suppliers. Anwar said he raised Malaysia’s “vehement objection” during a phone call with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, after Oslo blocked delivery of the Naval Strike Missile system and launcher components intended for Malaysia’s littoral combat ship programme. “Malaysia has honoured every obligation under this contract since 2018: scrupulously, faithfully and without equivocation,” Anwar said in a statement. “Norway, it appears,…
Updated: 14/05/2026 – 13:15 GMT+2 Top US business leaders including Elon Musk, Tim Cook and Jensen Huang met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Thursday during high-level China-US business talks held alongside President Trump’s visit, with Musk seen arriving alongside his son X Æ A-Xii. … More
Moving target The latest round of negotiations, which come almost a decade after the U.K. voted to leave the EU, center around a landmark summit between the two sides set to be held this summer. While July is considered the most likely month, two officials expressed frustration that the date is still unconfirmed and plans have fallen through several times. The European Commission has indicated it is open to making progress on a number of technical issues. “We have a shared interest in a stronger cooperation that delivers for our security, our economies and our citizens,” said a spokesperson. “In…
The publication on Wednesday of a book about France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte has reignited rumours of a relationship between the French leader and Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani. According to Paris Match journalist Florian Tardif, author of the book “Un couple (presque) parfait”, an apparent slap in the face Macron received by the First Lady on their arrival in Vietnam last May, was linked to the alleged relationship. Speaking to the broadcaster RTL, the journalist claims that Macron and Golshifteh Farahani had “a platonic relationship”. “That’s what I’ve been told over and over again by their entourage”,…
“I don’t have such funds. Now my lawyer will work with my friends for help [to collect the bail funds],” Yermak told Ukrainian journalists after the decision was announced Thursday. “I think my attorney, the group of lawyers, will file an appeal. I have nothing to hide, I will continue fighting, and I will stay in Ukraine,” Yermak added. In his role as Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff, Yermak helped shape Ukraine’s wartime diplomacy and was rarely absent from high-stakes meetings with world leaders, in summit venues from Washington to Brussels. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Anti-Corruption…
By Alessio Dell’Anna & video by Loredana Dumitru Published on 14/05/2026 – 11:20 GMT+2 European businesses are pulling back on their investments. The EU’s business investment rate fell to its lowest level in more than a decade, reaching 21.8% in Q4 2025, according to new Eurostat data. The rate basically measures how much money companies are investing in things such as machinery and buildings, relative to the total value they create. The index doesn’t take into account banks and financial corporations but rather “regular businesses”, such as hotels, factories, supermarkets, airlines and so on. Interestingly, the EU business rate peaked right before COVID-19,…
LONDON — Angela Rayner has been cleared of wrongdoing in a tax investigation, removing a potential hurdle to any bid to become the next leader of the ruling Labour Party. The former deputy prime minister told the Guardian newspaper and ITV News that the U.K. tax authority HMRC concluded she “didn’t try to avoid paying tax” or “wasn’t careless in the way in which I conducted myself” following an investigation into unpaid property tax, which was launched last fall. It comes at a crucial time, with Keir Starmer’s leadership under threat. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is widely expected to launch a…
Published on 14/05/2026 – 10:44 GMT+2 First, Elon Musk is there to protect Tesla’s massive Chinese footprint and his interests as head of xAI. Tim Cook is managing his final lap as Apple’s CEO, balancing billions in sales with a shift of production away from China. There is also the “king of chips,” Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, who joined at the last minute to lobby for the sale of powerful H200 AI chips currently stalled by US and Chinese regulations. Joining them are the giants of the supply chain. Micron is there to fight Beijing’s ban on American memory chips, while…