Author: staff
Published on 21/09/2026 – 8:38 GMT+2 Gorillaz have kicked off their 2026 US tour and the band’s frontman, Damon Albarn, urged the crowds not to be “neutral” in the face of atrocities in Gaza. During the concert at Orlando’s Kia Center this weekend, Albarn took a Palestinian flag from an audience member, lifted it above his head and told the crowd: “Don’t forget this. Ever. Stand your position. Don’t ever be neutral.” While not the first artist to be outspoken on stage about the atrocities in the Middle East, as many artists like Massive Attack, Kneecap, Fontaines D.C., Patti Smith…
BRUSSELS — Eleven countries, led by Austria, are pushing to pause new EU legislation for 12 months for what the country’s Europe Minister Claudia Bauer described as a “year of simplification.” “We can’t go on tabling new legislative proposals when existing rules have not been fully implemented,” Bauer said in an interview with Brussels Playbook, referring to a discussion paper signed by Austria, Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Portugal and Hungary, and seen by POLITICO. Brussels is already scrambling to roll out red-tape-cutting packages known as “omnibuses” — but those efforts don’t go far enough, according to Bauer.
Published on 21/09/2026 – 10:31 GMT+2 “It’s been resolved,” US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White told Euronews’ flagship current affairs news programme Europe Today, following a weekend deal between the US, Denmark and Greenland over security on Greenland. “I told everybody to relax, take a deep breath. It will all be fine. And yesterday, it was announced that it’s all fine,” he said on Monday. The agreement, which eases tensions between Europe and the US over President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to claim the territory, has been hailed by leaders on both sides of the Atlantic. However, details remain scant.…
Tightrope walker Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga crossed 400 metres of wire between two of Europe’s highest slag heaps in Loos-en-Gohelle, northern France. The wire was stretched 80 metres above the ground, and Bongonga made the crossing without a safety harness. More than 9,000 spectators watched as she carefully made her way across, at times performing acrobatic moves on the wire. Musicians and a choir accompanied the crossing with a performance of Pierre Bachelet’s “Les Corons”. Bongonga reached the second slag heap safely and was greeted with applause and a bouquet.
French diesel prices hit a fresh record of €2.41 a litre on Sunday, according to an AFP analysis. This came after EU petrol and diesel prices hit record highs last week, according to the European Commission. Prices at the pump have been soaring globally since the United States and Israel launched their war with Iran in February, with the renewed conflict in Yemen and attacks on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure intensifying the spike in recent days. The news agency calculated the average price at 10.30 am CEST, based on prices displayed by more than 8,700 petrol stations on the economy…
Published on 21/09/2026 – 10:22 GMT+2 “She” can’t act. “She” can’t sing. “She”‘s finding it hard to do anything. Apart from bugging out during interviews and switching languages for no apparent reason… Controversial AI “actress” and “singer” Tilly Norwood had an embarrassing moment during a recent promotional interview in which the Particle6 and AI “talent” studio creation suffered a glaring glitch. The computer-generated avatar was in conversation with Piers Morgan and actor Tom Conti on Piers Morgan Uncensored and when talk turned to her feature film debut Misaligned, Norwood inexplicably started speaking Cantonese. When asked by Conti whether her co-stars…
The wider budget fight The debate on new revenue is tied to a broader dispute over the size of the budget. When Cyprus held the presidency of the Council of the EU in the first six months of 2026, it already cut €32 billion from the Commission’s original proposal. Ireland is expected to revise the figure again, with Germany and other governments pressing for reductions of hundreds of billions of euros. However, Costa cautioned that cuts to EU priorities might ignite resistance from governments. “Who wants to cut on defense? No one,” he said. “Who wants to cut on competitiveness?…
At first glance, a woman speaking in a widely shared video online appears to be a German political commentator analysing the election in Saxony-Anhalt. Another presenter discusses the war in Iran and China’s role in the conflict, while a supposed expert on a different channel explains changes to the global order. However, these presenters are not real, but generated using artificial intelligence. They appear across a collection of German-language YouTube channels investigated by the non-profit Centre for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy (CeMAS). The organisation identified 47 channels using AI-generated presenters to discuss political and geopolitical issues. Researchers were able to…
Oktoberfest opened in Munich, Germany, on Saturday as the mayor tapped the first keg. Video shows the crowd counting down, then mugs passed down from the stage. The mayor needed only two strokes and gave the traditional cry of O’zapft is, meaning ‘It’s been tapped’. It was the 191st edition of the world’s largest folk festival. Thousands of visitors in dirndls and lederhosen filled the beer tents on the Theresienwiese fairground. They sang, danced and swayed to brass music. About 6 million people are expected over 16 days, until 4 October. Security is tighter after last year’s festival closed temporarily…
Published on 21/09/2026 – 9:53 GMT+2 The Swedish car manufacturer Volvo has found its long-term leader. Klaus Zellmer will take up the role no later than 1 October 2027, with current CEO Håkan Samuelsson staying on until then to oversee the handover, the company said on Sunday. The German executive brings more than three decades of experience in the car industry. Zellmer has run Škoda since 2022, turning it into one of Europe’s best-selling brands with record results last year and record electric vehicle deliveries in the first half of 2026. Before that, he sat on Volkswagen’s passenger car management…