Author: staff
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was on course for a thumping victory in snap elections on Sunday, a result that could however rile China and worry financial markets. Capitalising on her honeymoon start as Japan’s first woman premier, Takaichi’s ruling bloc looked to have secured a two-thirds majority in the lower house, according to media estimates. If confirmed, it would be the best result for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since elections in 2017 under Takaichi’s mentor, assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe. The LDP was seen winning about 300 of 465 seats, up from 198, and regaining a majority…
Published on 08/02/2026 – 15:36 GMT+1 The Qatar TotalEnergies Open is underway in Doha, marking the start of the WTA 1000 season and setting the pace for the year ahead in the women’s tour. With 1,000 ranking points available and nearly €3.5 million in prize money up for grabs, the tournament has attracted a strong field to the Qatari capital, with most of the world’s top 20 players in action this week. Swiatek returns to familiar ground in Doha World number two Iga Swiatek returns to a venue where she has enjoyed repeated success. The 24-year-old Polish star has already…
At least 14 people have died during, or in the immediate aftermath of, extratropical cyclones Kristin, Leonardo and Marta, which have caused severe flooding from the southern town of Alcoutim to the bustling northern city of Porto, where the Douro River’s waters overflowed into the Ribeira neighborhood. Fierce winds have knocked out the power supply to more than 100,000 homes across the country, and the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere has placed all coastal municipalities under yellow alert. Weather-related interruptions of the country’s public transport networks could complicate voters’ attempts to reach polling stations. Traffic is suspended…
By Emma De Ruiter with AFP, AP Published on 08/02/2026 – 13:51 GMT+1 A man suspected of shooting a deputy chief of Russia’s military intelligence agency in Moscow has been detained in Dubai and handed over to Russia, according to its Federal Security Service (FSB). It said Russian citizen Lyubomir Korba was detained on suspicion of carrying out the shooting, adding that it also identified two “accomplices,” one of whom was detained in Moscow and another who “left for Ukraine.” Vladimir Alekseyev was hospitalised after being shot several times on Friday by an assailant at an apartment building in northwestern Moscow, Investigative Committee…
In an interview with several French local newspapers published on Saturday, Lecornu announced that in the coming days his government will finally present the long-overdue energy programming law, a text that outlines France’s energy strategy until 2035 and which is coming more than two years late. Lecornu said that the text would be adopted as a government decree by the end of the week. It will confirm the construction of six new nuclear reactors, with the option of building eight more, and set the goal of having 60 percent of energy consumption coming from electricity by 2030. The prime minister…
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday condemned anti-Olympics protesters and the unknown perpetrators of railway sabotage that caused train delays, particularly on the line between Bologna and Venice. “Then you have them, the enemies of Italy and Italians, who demonstrate ‘against the Olympics,’ causing these images to be broadcast on television around the world. After others cut the railway cables to prevent trains from leaving,” Meloni wrote in a social media post that included FoxNews footage showing firecrackers and smoke bombs during anti-Olympics protests in Milan on Saturday. Hours after the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics were officially launched, suspected attacks…
Published on 08/02/2026 – 12:41 GMT+1 Portugal began voting in the second round of its presidential election on Sunday, as the country chooses between centre-left Socialist (PS) candidate António José Seguro and leader of the far-right Chega (Enough) party, André Ventura. 11 million people in Portugal and abroad are eligible to cast their ballots, with the first exit polls expected at around 8 pm local time (9 pm CET) António José Seguro is a expected to beat Andre Ventura, whose Chega party was created in 2019 and is now the largest opposition force in parliament. Seguro won 31.1% of the…
Caroline Lang was also to inherit $5 million in Epstein’s will, according to Mediapart. Caroline Lang told the outlet that the fund was to support emerging artists and that she knew nothing of the will. “The accusations against me are inaccurate, and I will prove it, beyond the noise and fury of the media and digital courts,” Lang said in his resignation letter sent to Barrot. Contacted by POLITICO, Lang shared the resignation letter. In the latest wave of Epstein correspondence released by the U.S. Justice Department, Lang appeared in a picture with Epstein outside of the Louvre, and shared…
Will Lewis, CEO of The Washington Post, announced on Saturday he is stepping down, just days after the newspaper said that it was laying off one-third of its staff. Lewis announced his departure in an email to the newspaper’s staff, saying that after two years of transformation, “now is the right time for me to step aside.” Lewis will be temporarily replaced by The Post’s chief financial officer, Jeff D’Onofrio. A statement from the Post said only that D’Onofrio was succeeding Lewis “effective immediately.” Hundreds of Post journalists were let go in the sweeping cuts announced on Wednesday. While the…
By Egle Markeviciute, EU Tech Loop and Euronews Published on 08/02/2026 – 8:01 GMT+1 On February 4, the European Commission concluded its consultation with the European public on the Better Regulation framework, asking for input on how the framework could be improved. Among the 286 responses, a large majority of respondents, representing different sectors (industry, consumer and public sector representatives, as well as self-declared transparency advocates) asked that the existing consultative mechanisms and impact assessments not be weakened. This is an important message from the European public, since one of the political goals of updating the Better Regulation framework is to…