Author: staff
Published on 18/09/2026 – 9:16 GMT+2 Ireland will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for the second year in a row in protest at Israel’s participation, according to Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ. RTÉ said in a statement: “RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation cannot be justified given the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.” RTÉ added that they also remain “deeply concerned by the continued denial of independent access to international journalists to the territory”. They also said they would not be broadcasting…
There was even more excitement when Carney gave his own speech to the European Parliament a day later. Alas, there were fewer EU lawmakers present for Carney than there were for von der Leyen because of that long-standing MEP tradition of pissing off home at the earliest opportunity. Between those Strasbourg meetings, Carney made a whistle-stop trip to the U.K. to watch the biggest football match of the calendar: Everton vs Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round of the second-most important domestic cup competition (sponsored by an energy drink). Carney went to watch football with Andy Burnham in what sociologists…
Published on 18/09/2026 – 8:01 GMT+2•Updated 8:22 On today’s show: Angela Skujins analyses what Canada’s newly offered “associate member” status with the EU actually means in practice, after Mark Carney told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that he welcomes “much closer ties” with Europe. Shona Murray reports from Dublin, where EU finance ministers and central bank governors are gathering for two days of talks as part of Ireland’s EU presidency. She interviews with Simon Harris, Irish Minister for Finance. Andrew Caruana Galizia, Head of Europe and Eurasia at the World Economic Forum, joins Europe Today to discuss a new WEF…
Some protesters wore masks bearing Benjamin Netanyahu’s face, while others carried placards warning of an “election disruption war”. A missile-shaped sign suggested that a new security crisis could be used to justify postponing the vote. Organiser Assaf Sati El-Bar alleged that political leaders were escalating tensions in the region to divert attention or create a pretext for delaying the election. Protester Danny Elgarat, whose brother Itzhak was killed after being taken hostage by Hamas, said the group wanted to make sure Israelis could vote on the scheduled date. The protest comes as the campaign enters its final weeks. The Knesset…
Retirement ages are rising across Europe as people live longer, but there are significant differences between countries in how many years people are expected to live after entering retirement. As of 2024, the retirement age in the EU is 64.7 years for men and 64 years for women according to the OECD. As people become eligible to receive a pension once they reach retirement age, Euronews Business used life expectancy at the retirement age in each country. They can expect to receive a pension for that number of years if they meet other requirements such as the required number of…
Published on 18/09/2026 – 8:26 GMT+2 Think of Dubai and many people will imagine a metropolis of gleaming skyscrapers, mega shopping malls, palm-shaped islands and some of the world’s top luxury hotel and hospitality brands. But away from all the glitz and glamour, which often dominate the headlines, there’s another side to the city that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: Old Dubai, and in particular the historic Al Fahidi area. Located on the southern side of the Creek, in this neighbourhood you’ll find traditional houses, cultural attractions, as well as Al Fahidi Fort, Dubai’s oldest standing building at…
After almost four years closed, the National Theatre D. Maria II, on Rossio in Lisbon, is finally reopening its doors after the biggest renovation in decades. It is doing so with a “cursed play” and with tickets almost sold out. “Macbeth”, by William Shakespeare, which was on stage at the National Theatre D. Maria II when a fire destroyed the building in 1964, is the production chosen for the reopening. It is a deliberate choice by artistic director and director Pedro Penim and serves as a provocation in the face of the many productions that have been plagued by accidents.…
Two years ago “Trump was at the height of his powers,” said one Starmer Cabinet minister. “The reality is different now.” While November’s looming midterm elections threaten to dent Trump’s authority at home, abroad his approaches to NATO and the Middle East have led European allies to find solace elsewhere. Britain and its allies are forming groups of so-called middle powers, while Carney pushes closer ties between Canada and the EU that will still be in negotiation long after Trump’s departure. And Burnham has repeatedly talked about strengthening ties with Brussels — seeing through a reset in relations that Starmer…
Hello, this is Mared Gwyn holding the newsletter pen in Brussels. This morning: Eurozone finance ministers gather amid mounting economic pressures, and EU ambassadors make another push to break the Russia sanctions deadlock. Economic jitters: Finance ministers from eurozone countries gather in Dublin, Ireland, today, against a fraught backdrop of mounting energy costs, rising inflation and weak growth. Painful at the pump: Oil prices have surged rapidly in recent days, driven by a reduction in global supplies and exacerbated by recent attacks on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, which have been attributed to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. European leaders are rushing…
Published on 18/09/2026 – 8:15 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump on Thursday said there had been “major progress” towards the creation of a US military base in Poland as he hailed what he described as a “historic step” in relations with Warsaw. “Thanks to the bold leadership of my friend, Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, major progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social Account. “If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great U.S./Polish Alliance,” he…