Author: staff

Amid mounting complaints of rising violence and overcrowding across European prisons, the number of prisoners in the EU increased by 2% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the latest figures from Eurostat. In 2024, there was one prisoner for every 883 inhabitants in the EU, with the highest rates found in Hungary, Poland, Latvia, and Czechia. Only one in 18 adult prisoners was female, and one in five prisoners across the bloc had a foreign citizenship in their reporting country in 2024. On the other hand, the lowest prisoner rates were observed in Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark,…

Updated: 13/05/2026 – 10:35 GMT+2 Footage released on May 12 showed Yamal waving a Palestinian flag during FC Barcelona’s La Liga title parade celebrating the club’s 29th league title. In a news conference, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said he did not like such gestures, but added that Yamal was old enough to make his own decisions. … More

In December 2025, Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under the age of 16. This measure sparked debate among teenagers, parents, experts, and politicians around the world, reaching Europe too. Not only countries like France, Greece, Spain, and Denmark are considering plans to forbid the use of social platforms to under 15s and under 16s, but also the European Union (EU) is exploring this option. On Tuesday, the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU could propose a bloc-wide social media ban for children as early as this summer.…

Updated: 13/05/2026 – 10:00 GMT+2 Professor Luke O’Neill, from Trinity College Dublin, acknowledges the virus situation is “a bit scary” given the mortality rate. But he asks authorities to “reassure” people about its low danger, as it is a known strain of hantavirus, the Andes variant, and it has “not changed”. … More

US President Donald Trump said he would ask Xi Jinping to “open up” China to American firms as he heads to Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit that will also bring up the Iran war. In a sign of Trump’s focus on business, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang boarded Air Force One during a stopover in Alaska, with Tesla’s Elon Musk also travelling on the presidential plane to China. “I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to…

Will it be a ‘showdown’ when Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting meet today? Or does the King’s Speech calm Labour passions for 24 hours? Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy wonder if any Labour leadership challenge has got a bit stuck after a dramatic day of resignations. Because if Streeting doesn’t have the numbers and Andy Burnham doesn’t even have a Commons seat – what can anyone do? Plus, amongst the pomp and pageantry the duo look at the substance of the King’s Speech – what bills are the ones to look out for?

Good morning. Angela Skujins here, your resident Australian journalist working at Euronews, serving up a breakfast newsletter centred on the evolving politics of superpowers and how middle powers can adapt to them. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump will gear up for his first visit to China in nine years, holding court with President Xi Jinping. Talks are expected to cover the war in Iran, trade tensions and Taiwan – with promises of pomp. The highly anticipated visit between the world’s two largest economies – their relationship accounted for roughly 44% of the global GDP in 2025 – is a…

Unitree Society has unveiled the GD01, a piloted, transformable ‘mecha’ that carries a human in a dedicated cockpit and switches between bipedal and four-legged modes depending on the terrain. Footage released by the company showed founder Wang Xingxing climbing into the robot’s cockpit before the machine walked, transformed and performed movement demonstrations. The piloted robot suit can switch from a humanoid form into a quadrupedal walking mode. Unitree said the GD01 is its first manned transformable robot platform.

As US President Donald Trump arrives in Beijing on Wednesday for a three-day summit set to wrap on Friday, the symbolism alone carries considerable significance. It is the first state visit to China by a sitting US president since Trump’s previous trip in 2017, nearly nine years ago, during the early phase of his first term. The geopolitical backdrop of this visit is markedly more unstable than it was at the time. The Iran war has unsettled global energy markets, disrupted shipping routes and renewed concerns about a broader regional escalation. Meanwhile, China has attempted to position itself as a…

Favourite Finland and nine other countries, including Israel, made it through the first Eurovision Song Contest semi-final on Tuesday. Acts from 15 countries performed their 3-minute songs onstage – often with eye-catching choreography and pyrotechnics – in a bid for votes from juries in participating nations and viewers around the world. Finland, the favourite on betting markets, made the cut with “Liekinheitin,” or “Flamethrower,” a mashup of pop singer Pete Parkkonen’s anguished vocals and violinist Linda Lampenius’ fiery fiddling. Joining them in the final on Saurday are Greece’s Akylas with party-rap track “Ferto,” or “Bring It”; Serbian goth metal band…