Author: staff
BRUSSELS — Former Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren has been appointed secretary general of the External Action Service, the EU’s foreign policy wing. The move, announced in an email to staff on Wednesday afternoon, reflects the growing importance of defense-related matters in Brussels and puts an end to weeks of speculation after Belén Martínez Carbonell moved to lead the EU’s delegation in Mexico after two years in the post. This is a developing story.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf described the US-Iran framework deal as “a declaration of US defeat,” saying Washington and Israel had miscalculated in launching the war. “The Islamabad understanding was not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation,” Ghalibaf, who heads the Iranian negotiating team, told the PUIC parliamentary summit in Baku. “The era of imposing will on independent nations is over,” he added. His remarks came as technical talks under the 60-day framework continued, with Iranian and US negotiators still divided over key outstanding issues…
Published on 24/06/2026 – 16:14 GMT+2 The European Commission presented a new tax simplification package on Wednesday, expected to save EU businesses €8 billion annually, including €3.3 billion in administrative costs. The two proposed laws aim to reduce red tape in an overall attempt to make Europe a more attractive place for businesses to flourish. “By removing upfront procedural requirements and simplifying refund processes, the measure will facilitate financing, encourage investment, and enhance competitiveness,” the Commission said in a statement. The bigger measure proposed in the package is the exemption from withholding tax on all cross-border payments of dividends, interest,…
Published on 24/06/2026 – 7:56 GMT+2 Romeo Beckham, the son of retired footballer David Beckham and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, is set to make his acting debut in a tennis themed romantic drama titled Forty Love. Directed by fashion photographer Pierre-Ange Carlotti in his debut feature, the French film will also star Guillaume Canet (The Beach), and acting legend Catherine Deneuve. As reported by Variety, the film will follow a tennis star (played by The Animal Kingdom’s Paul Kircher) on the cusp of winning a major trophy in Paris. However, a charismatic new challenger (played by Beckham) threatens his…
Pauline von Pezold und Frederik Schindler berichten exklusiv über ein Foto aus dem Jahr 2020, das den AfD-Bundestagsabgeordneten und Landeschef in Sachsen-Anhalt Martin Reichardt zeigt und in Bedrängnis bringen könnte. Auf der Aufnahme ist zu sehen, wie Reichardt den Hitlergruß zeigt, was nach Zeugenberichten bei der feierlichen Übergabe eines Mitgliedsantrags geschah. Während der Landesverband und Reichardt selbst die Szene als harmlosen „Ritterschlag“ und humoristischen „Joke“ abtun, decken die Recherchen zeitliche Widersprüche in dieser Argumentation auf. Das Bild ist auch hier zu sehen. Außerdem sprechen die beiden über die extrem unterschiedlichen Positionen in der Partei zur Nationalmannschaft. Während die Parteispitze um…
France head coach Didier Deschamps will miss Les Bleus’ final group match against Norway on Friday after returning home following the death of his mother. In a statement on Tuesday, the French Football Federation (FFF) said: “The national coach had the pain, this morning, of learning of his mother’s death. He is returning to France to attend her funeral”. “In agreement with Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, who is at the France team’s base camp, Didier Deschamps has entrusted his assistant, Guy Stéphan, with responsibility for leading the squad until he returns,” the statement continued. Deschamps, who…
By Doloresz Katanich with AP Published on 24/06/2026 – 15:24 GMT+2•Updated 15:29 As oil prices continued to retreat, international benchmark Brent crude briefly touched levels below $74 a barrel on Wednesday afternoon, having traded below $75 since midday for the first time since the Iran war began on 28 February. Investor confidence has been boosted by increasing tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and progress in the US-Iran peace talks. However, disagreements over nuclear inspections and sanctions remain unresolved, raising questions about how durable the agreement will be. Meanwhile, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is gradually recovering after months of disruption,…
Published on 24/06/2026 – 14:22 GMT+2 The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London has removed a video installation by British artist Helen Cammock after a row erupted over its characterisation of Winston Churchill’s role in the 1943 Bengal famine. The NPG had commissioned the artwork, titled “Persistence,” as part of a project involving nine artists who offered a reflexive approach on portraiture. Cammock’s output was first exhibited in the London museum in September 2025 and was set to remain on display until August 2026. The museum said it challenges “the National Portrait Gallery’s position as an institution chiefly known for…
These now infamous soirées led to an underage prostitution case, which saw Berlusconi accused of corruption and abuse of office. He was ultimately acquitted, unlike former dental hygienist and television personality Nicole Minetti, whose conviction for her role in procuring women for these events wreaked havoc on current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s justice ministry in May. Villa Certosa’s buyer is reported to be acting through a Luxembourg-based investment vehicle linked to the Al Thani family, the dynasty that has ruled Qatar for more than 150 years. The purchase adds to the family’s growing footprint in Sardinia, where it already holds…
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has given his clearest signal yet that inspectors will gain access to Iran’s uranium enrichment sites, pushing back against contradictory statements from both Washington and Tehran that have muddied the terms of last week’s framework deal between the two sides. Speaking at a press conference at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Wednesday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said the memorandum of understanding signed by both presidents leaves no room for ambiguity. “I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing I…