Author: staff
Spain was the setting again on Sunday for protests by the Venezuelan diaspora, with hundreds gathering in central Madrid for a second day. Demonstrators expressed support for the US operation targeting President Nicolás Maduro and backed Venezuela’s opposition leaders. The mood was calmer than the night before, with flags filling the square as people sang the national anthem and danced. Protesters chanted slogans in favour of María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, while rejecting any political role for Delcy Rodríguez. The rally followed a divided day of demonstrations across Spain. In the morning, some groups protested against US involvement in…
By AP with Euronews Published on 05/01/2026 – 10:44 GMT+1 A massive 243-kilogram bluefin tuna sold for a record 510 million yen (€2.78 million) at the first auction of 2026 at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market. The top bidder for the prized tuna at the predawn auction on Monday was Kiyomura Corp., whose owner Kiyoshi Kimura runs the popular Sushi Zanmai chain. Kimura, who has won the annual action many times in the past, broke the previous record of 334 million yen (€1.82 million) he set in 2019. Kimura later told reporters he was hoping to pay a bit less for it,…
By Mohamed Elashi & Africanews with AP Published on 05/01/2026 – 10:20 GMT+1 Brahim Díaz kept Morocco’s Africa Cup of Nations title hopes on track while five-time winner Cameroon beat South Africa 2-1 for a showdown with the host nation in the quarterfinals. Díaz sent Morocco through with a 1-0 win over Tanzania on Sunday before Cameroon held on to beat South Africa for the first time since 1992 thanks to goals from Junior Tchamadeu and Christian Kofane. They meet in the next round on Friday. It was Díaz’s fourth goal in four games and it set off celebrations of relief around Rabat’s near 70,000-capacity…
It’s a new year but does Keir Starmer still have the same old problems? The Prime Minister is already under pressure, at home and abroad, to clarify his position on Donald Trump’s actions to strike and capture Venezuela’s President Maduro. Can he ‘beige’ it out or will he bow down to the pressure from his opponents and critics? Elsewhere, as MPs flock back to Westminster for 2026, is the PM premiership in a stronger or weaker position since the Christmas break? – Sam has all the behind-the-scenes reaction. Plus, is deeper integration with the European Union on the cards? You…
Published on 05/01/2026 – 9:45 GMT+1 All 40 people who died in a fire in a bar at a Swiss ski resort on New Year’s Eve have been identified, authorities said. The final 16 victims were identified late on Sunday, according to a representative of Valais Police, who responded to the tragedy, described as one of the worst in Switzerland’s recent history. The Alpine country is set to hold a national day of mourning this week. Some 26 of the 40 victims who lost their lives were teenagers, with the youngest being two 14-year-olds from France and Switzerland. A total…
Published on 05/01/2026 – 6:26 GMT+1 •Updated 6:31 US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that US officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Russian claims Trump initially called “deeply concerning”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that Kyiv had launched a wave of drones at Putin’s state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region, that Russian air defence systems were able to intercept and thwart. Lavrov also criticised Ukraine for launching the attack at a moment where global efforts…
By Liam Gilliver & Jessica Damiano with AP Published on 05/01/2026 – 8:00 GMT+1 Christmas is officially over, which means taking down the lights, putting the chocolates away, and getting rid of your shedding tree. According to the Nature Conservancy, some 10 million live Christmas trees end up in landfills every year. There, they are covered with soil, which results in anaerobic (oxygen-deprived) decomposition rather than the aerobic (oxygen-fueled) process by which they would break down in a natural setting, such as on the forest floor. Anaerobic decomposition is not only very slow (a tree can take years to break down) but it also generates…
By Euronews Published on 05/01/2026 – 7:00 GMT+1 Migrant arrivals to the United Kingdom in 2025 hit their highest level since 2022, according to government data. The latest figures show 41,472 people arrived in the country via the English Channel last year, up by around 5,000 on 2024’s figures. The 2025 figures are the second highest on record, behind the 2022 peak of 45,774. The numbers for the UK contrast with those recorded across the European Union for last year. According to the EU’s Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, irregular entries into the bloc dropped by 25% in the first…
The gender pay gap is a well-observed phenomenon across Europe. In the EU, women earned 12% less than men in 2023, according to Eurostat, meaning women earned only €88 for every €100 earned by men. The gap is even wider when it comes to pensions. Across 27 European countries, including non-EU members, women receive significantly lower pensions than men. On average, women’s pension income is 22% lower than that of men. In some significant economies, the gap exceeds 35% — according to the OECD. In 2024, the gender pension gap ranged from around 6% in Estonia to 37% in the…
It’s true, Yermak was a gift for MAGA’s Ukraine-bashing wing. Whereas Budanov, as a war hero, is less of an easy target, with no links to graft or any obvious self-serving politics. And if he does harbor personal political ambitions, it seems he has put those aside by taking on this new role — at least in the near term. It would be hard for him to run against Zelenskyy in any near-future elections. Plus, if things go wrong in the coming weeks and months, he risks tarnishing his own image and diminishing his electoral appeal. In fact, there’s some…