Author: staff
In a small hillock in Huelva, at the point where the Tinto River meets the Odiel before they reach the Atlantic, stands one of the most decisive sites in world history: the monastery of Santa María de La Rábida. Without its walls, its friars and the faith invested there, it is likely that Christopher Columbus’s enterprise would never have set sail from the nearby shores of Palos de la Frontera bound for the New World. The Franciscan presence on the site dates back to the early 13th century, when the first friars settled in this primitive hermitage on the Huelva…
Hold the fort: European defence ministers are meeting in Brussels this morning to discuss more support for Ukraine as well as fortifying the bloc’s own skies and seas, my colleague Angela Skujins reports from down the road at the European Council. It comes as Russia continues to pound Ukraine, with the impact also bleeding out across Europe’s borders. The effects of Moscow’s aggression continues to be felt around the continent, through rogue aircraft and drones. Ministers will be tasked on Monday to start putting flesh on the bone to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s bold pitch for the…
Holding a candle and a rosary, the pope walked behind a statue of the Virgin Mary through the sanctuary, describing himself as a “pilgrim among pilgrims”. The procession began at the Grotto of Massabielle, where Bernadette Soubirous is said to have seen the Virgin Mary in 1858. The Rosary is a series of Catholic prayers traditionally divided into five decades, with worshippers reflecting on events from the lives of Jesus and Mary. The prayers were recited in several languages, including French, English, Italian and Spanish, accompanied by the “Ave Maria” of Lourdes. More than 150,000 candles were lit across the…
On a small rise in Huelva, at the point where the River Tinto meets the Odiel before they reach the Atlantic, stands one of the most decisive sites in world history: the monastery of Santa María de la Rábida. Without its walls, its friars and the faith placed there, it is likely that Christopher Columbus’s voyage would never have set sail from the nearby shores of Palos de la Frontera towards the New World. The Franciscan presence in this place dates back to the early 13th century, when the first friars settled in this primitive hermitage on the Huelva estuary.…
The CFP is widely recognized as one of the world’s most ambitious and comprehensive fisheries management frameworks. Following years of overfishing and declining profitability, its reform in 2013 placed sustainability at the heart of fisheries decision-making. Progress has been neither uniform nor easy, but the overall direction has been clear: healthier fish stocks, improved management and a stronger foundation for the long-term viability of the sector. According to the European Joint Research Centre, in 2003 only 27 percent of fish stocks in the North Atlantic were fished at levels below the maximum sustainable yield. By 2021 that figure stood at…
Sensitive budget talks are eyeing the EU’s administrative machinery and global funding as the most likely targets for deep cuts. But the delegation network is already being reorganised, and small European countries, as well as companies, rely on it heavily. European governments are locked in tense negotiations over the bloc’s next long-term budget, with the administrative costs of EU institutions abroad and the global programme the most likely casualties. But small countries have much to lose if the EU’s global diplomatic network shrinks. A coalition of so-called “frugal” countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, is pushing to cut the…
Published on 28/09/2026 – 7:16 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump offered to sell arms to Beijing in response to concerns over weapons sales to Taiwan, the US ambassador to China said in a Fox News interview that aired on Sunday. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and US arms sales to the self-ruled island have long been a thorny issue between Washington and Beijing. The United States is required by law to supply Taiwan, which has a democratically elected president and legislature, with weapons for its defence under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. US Ambassador to China David…
Published on 28/09/2026 – 6:27 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump said he will have a late dinner on Sunday night with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, the top AI executive who has cautioned about the technology’s rapid pace of development, even as the president warns against slowing it. The meeting comes after months of open conflict between the artificial intelligence startup (makers of Claude) and the Trump administration. The private dinner is the first one-on-one meeting between the two men, according to US media outlet Axios, which first reported the later confirmed by Trump plans. As he arrived at Joint Base…
Europe’s defense ministers are meeting today to discuss whether the EU needs its own version of NATO’s article 4. This so-called Emergency Security Protocol would allow capitals to bring together all EU countries in the event of a security crisis. But the idea is controversial. On the show, hosts Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur discuss whether there is appetite among capitals to set up the protocol, or whether the move will be seen as encroaching on NATO’s turf. Next, the European Parliament’s biggest political family — the EPP — is devising a plan to take on the far right in 2029.…
Nordrhein-Westfalens Ministerpräsident Hendrik Wüst (CDU) gilt als Reservekanzler, doch im eigenen Bundesland schrumpft vor den Landtagswahlen in Nordrhein-Westfalen im April 2027 der Vorsprung vor der AfD. Mit einer Reise in die Türkei betritt er Wüst in diesen Tagen außenpolitisches Parkett. Rasmus Buchsteiner ordnet ein, was hinter der Mission steckt und wie Wüst seine bundespolitischen Ambitionen kalkuliert. Am Rande der UN-Generalversammlung in New York kommt es zu einem überraschenden Aufeinandertreffen zwischen Außenminister Johann Wadephul und seinem russischen Amtskollegen Sergej Lawrow. Hans von der Burchard schildert die Minuten und analysiert, warum der Ruf nach mehr Diplomatie an russischer Härte abprallt. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview…