Author: staff
This week Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk demonstrated he knows how to charm and break the ice with celebrities. When meeting the famous Hollywood actor George Clooney, a staunch critic of Donald Trump, he self-deprecatingly introduced himself by saying: “My name is Donald. It’s not my fault. It wasn’t my choice.” Clearly amused the movie star laughed and replied, “It’s okay”. In turn, his wife – human rights lawyer and activist Amal Clooney – greeted Tusk: “Good morning, Prime Minister, nice to meet you,” before adding in Polish: “Good day.” Earlier, the Prime Minister published a joint photo with the…
Trump last week said he “might” move U.S. troops to Poland. “I have a great relationship with the president,” he said, “so that’s possible.” However, Trump has also questioned the U.S. commitment to NATO’s Article 5 common defense pact and threatened to annex Greenland, a territory of alliance member Denmark. Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokesperson and senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said that while it’s still uncertain whether the Polish deployment decision is linked to the German troop pullout, what she called “haphazard and uncoordinated decisions by the Trump administration” risk alienating European allies and encouraging…
Two young innovators from Poland and Finland have built one of the world’s best satellite systems. The radar sensors of ICEYE monitor oil spills, hurricanes and forest fires from an altitude of 600 km. The nanosatellites detect illegal loggers, collect data on flooding, and keep an eye on the movements of military equipment. Even through cloud cover and in the middle of the night, the small satellites deliver ultra-precise detailed images. They identify aircraft types at hostile airports. The eyes of ICEYE track suspicious ship movements across vast stretches of ocean. The fourth generation of satellites currently in orbit (weight:…
The released prisoners included privates, sergeants and officers captured during battles in Mariupol, Donetsk, Kharkiv and other frontline regions since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Video released by the Ukrainian presidential office showed returning soldiers crying, embracing fellow servicemen and calling relatives shortly after crossing back into Ukrainian-controlled territory. Kyiv said the exchange also included defenders who served near the Chernobyl nuclear plant and around the capital. Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that both sides released 205 prisoners each during Thursday’s exchange operation. Russian soldiers freed by Ukraine were transferred to Belarus for medical and psychological support before…
By Roselyne Min with AP Published on 15/05/2026 – 14:21 GMT+2 NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will fly close to Mars on Friday in a crucial manoeuvre that could bring scientists closer to understanding the birth of Earth. The flyby will use Mars’s gravity to send the spacecraft towards Psyche, a rare metal-rich asteroid that may reveal clues about how rocky planets formed. It will race past Mars at around 19,848kph, passing close within 4,500 kilometres of the planet’s surface. NASA will use the close approach to harness Mars’s gravity and place the spacecraft on the correct path towards the asteroid belt between Mars and…
“There remains growing concern about a potential gap between public statements and deliverable policy, particularly in relation to claims that developments might be ‘stopped,’ ‘delayed,’ or ‘quashed,’” campaigners told Tice in the letter. Reform constituencies are a key battleground for large-scale solar development. Jenrick is the MP for Newark, where two massive solar farms — One Earth and Great North Road — are proposed. Both await a decision from Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. For now, the party is “using every lever available” to block developments, including legal challenges, Tice said. This includes Reform-run local authorities Lincolnshire County Council and North Kesteven District Council, which…
Published on 15/05/2026 – 14:02 GMT+2•Updated 14:04 Ukraine and Russia exchanged 205 prisoners of war each on Friday, Kyiv and Moscow said, a week after US President Donald Trump announced a large swap would take place between the two countries. In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that most of the Ukrainians handed over had been in Russian captivity since 2022, the year Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “This is the first phase of the 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange,” he said. Zelenskyy also posted pictures of the released Ukrainians, showing them wrapped in national blue-and-yellow flags…
The document states that it has been drafted with a view to “avoiding unnecessary constraints on decisions to extradite, or to expel foreign nationals.” The declaration does not change the wording of the actual Convention rights but seeks to influence their application through domestic courts and their interpretation by national governments. “Parties have the undeniable sovereign right to decide on and control foreign nationals’ entry into and residence in their territory,” the declaration says. “They have the right to establish their own immigration policies, potentially in the context of bilateral or regional co-operation, and pursue immigration control as a public…
The Commission’s €1.8 trillion budget proposal does not say “we are cutting NGOs.” But, if cuts happen, they will come through structural design, fewer dedicated funding lines, weaker earmarks, and more money routed through national governments. Civil society coalitions warn it could be slow defunding dressed up as simplification. No clear defenders The MFF reorganises the EU budget from 52 programmes to 16, folding cohesion, social, and agricultural spending into 27 national partnership plans. The protected headings are defence, competitiveness, and digital and green transitions. Civil society is not one of them. “We are in a moment of changing priorities…
By Javad Hashemi with AFP Published on 15/05/2026 – 12:12 GMT+2 Iraqi lawmakers approved a new government on Thursday led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who vowed to ensure a state monopoly on weapons amid growing US pressure to dismantle Tehran-backed groups. The parliament in Baghdad voted in favour of al-Zaidi’s government and programme just a few weeks after he was designated Iraq’s youngest prime minister at 40, following months of political deadlock. Al-Zaidi’s programme includes “reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces”, state news agency INA quoted the parliament media office…