Author: staff
A comedy festival in Portugal is currently giving people little reason to laugh. The 1st edition of the Lisbon International Humour Festival, Commedia a La Carte Fest, is being overshadowed by controversy, with several Portuguese artists cancelling their shows. The most recent case is that of actress Inês Aires Pereira, who announced on Saturday that her show “Namastê” was being removed from the comedy festival’s line-up. The performer wrote on social media that “one of the names persistently defends ideas and acts that I consider indefensible.” She added: “We cannot relativise or normalise a genocide.” Her criticism did not explicitly…
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leading left-wing candidate for next year’s election, also said Bardella would turn France into a “gatekeeper” for the U.K. “This wasn’t France speaking, it was a fascist with no reputation and no standing,” he added during a campaign rally on Saturday. Gabriel Attal, the leader of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, said Bardella “either doesn’t understand English, or is shockingly weak when it comes to defending French interests.” Edouard Philippe, the leading center-right candidate in the race, also mocked the Bardella-Farage agreement. “We didn’t see that one coming,” he said on X. Even the National Rally’s competitors…
Published on 07/09/2026 – 12:47 GMT+2 French billionaire Olivier Bouygues arrived at court in the French city of Orléans on Monday where he is on trial, along with five others, for illegal hunting, including of protected bird species on his private hunting ground near the Sologne Forest, roughly 150 kilometres south of Paris. The trial, expected to last two days, is largely symbolic, as it is completely unprecedented in French justice. Bouygues, brother to Martin Bouygues who was formerly the chief executive of the Bouygues group, is accused of being among of a class of “people who are rolling in…
Published on 07/09/2026 – 12:24 GMT+2 The United Nations human rights chief demanded accountability for swelling numbers of deaths in US immigration custody on Monday, urging Washington to halt deportations to places where people face “irreparable harm.” Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Türk highlighted that “four more people have died in US immigration custody since my last update to this council” in June. That meant there had been “a total of 23 deaths in 2026 alone,” he said, insisting that “there needs to be accountability for these deaths.” US President Donald Trump has made combating illegal immigration…
Beijing has reached for its chequebook. The Chinese finance ministry is advancing a 360 billion yuan (€46.1bn) package to businesses, announced on Sunday through statements from the companies involved and reported by state news agency Xinhua, making it one of the larger interventions in China’s financial system this year as growth slows. The Chinese banks take the bulk of it, roughly 290 billion yuan (€37.2bn), intended to preserve their capacity to keep lending as Beijing presses them to increase support for economic activity. Xinhua reported the injection would strengthen the institutions’ “sound operating capabilities, risk resistance capabilities and ability to…
Looking for your next Greek island escape? Turn your eyes towards Samos off the coast of western Türkiye, where a gorgeous new boutique hotel is set to open this month. Nírema Hotel & Spa Samos – MGallery Collection promises a picture-perfect escape, with its name coming from the Samian word for “dream”. Featuring just 72 rooms, the property is exclusively for those aged 13 and above. Of these, there are eight suites with private pools and terraces. The hotel is around a 25-minute drive from Samos International Airport, which is around a 50-minute flight from Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos.…
Published on 07/09/2026 – 11:47 GMT+2 It’s a rare thing when a film studio manages to pull off a genuine surprise drop, especially considering the amount of marketing and buzz surrounding new releases. But A24 has managed to do just that with the new documentary You Can See Everything. Co-directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, the project started shooting in 2023 in top secrecy and premiered at a secret screening yesterday at the Telluride Film Festival. It follows disgraced businesswoman Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of health technology company Theranos, who was convicted of defrauding investors and sentenced to more…
The German leader’s absence is yet another blow to a summit that several participants criticized as directionless and poorly organized. Last week, top U.S. space companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, decided to ditch the event after the White House pressured American companies to back out. The French government had repeatedly framed the international space summit as an event co-chaired with Germany, though the occasion was largely billed online as belonging to France. On Friday, an Elysée official repeated that the event would be chaired by both France and Germany. A German diplomat, granted anonymity to speak candidly about Merz’s last-minute…
Published on 07/09/2026 – 12:14 GMT+2 Belgian prosecutors have detained a Chinese-Belgian national in connection with an espionage investigation linked to China, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office has announced. The suspect was detained in May, as he was about to board a flight to Beijing, though authorities disclosed the arrest only now. Prosecutors are investigating charges of espionage, participation in a criminal organisation, misuse of company assets and unlawful disclosure of trade secrets in connection with Belgian semiconductor company BELGAN BV, which went bankrupt in 2024, leaving 400 employees without jobs. According to prosecutors, the 52-year-old suspect held a senior research…
Around 100 professional clowns took to the streets of Mariana in Brazil during the International Clown Gathering, joined by circus enthusiasts in colourful costumes and face paint. The event brings together circus artists and audiences to celebrate the art form and introduce it to younger generations. Music, costumes and make-up fill the streets as participants perform and interact with crowds. Organisers say it also gives regional artists a chance to showcase their work. Held in the historic centre of Mariana, in the state of Minas Gerais, the gathering aims to keep circus traditions alive while drawing new audiences to the…