Author: staff

Published on 09/04/2026 – 11:59 GMT+2 On one side sits Premier Viktor Orbán and his ruling Fidesz party, aligned with the conservative Patriots for Europe group. On the other side sits his challenger Péter Magyar and his Tisza party, embraced by the mainstream centre-right European People’s Party. If they shared a flight to Belgium, their views on Brussels could not be more different. Orbán fights EU influence to protect national sovereignty. Magyar wants to repair the relationship but avoids appearing to take orders from the EU, deliberately keeping his distance from leaders like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.…

German Bundestag President Julia Klöckner travelled to Estonia and Lithuania this week to discuss security threats and cyber defence with Baltic leaders on NATO’s eastern flank. Klöckner met Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar on Wednesday during her inaugural visit to the Baltic states. She also held talks with Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, President Gitanas Nausėda and Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys. “We talked about the resilience of our parliaments against hybrid attacks – and about the need for the EU to speak with one voice in the current situation,” Klöckner said on Instagram after the…

Published on 09/04/2026 – 10:57 GMT+2 “This is a time for vigorous debate at the highest levels. Not for infantile name calling.” Prior to the shaky two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, Donald Trump received widespread criticism for threatening to completely obliterate Iran in shocking social media messages. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump declared on his Truth Social platform hours before his set deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. One high-profile celebrity who has spoken against Trump’s language and actions is celebrated actor George Clooney, who condemned Trump’s…

“There was little concern from the European Commission or affiliated organizations and think tanks when progressive NGOs in Europe received substantial support from the United States (including via USAID and other programs),” he said. “Only now, when funding may reach their political opponents, is it being framed as ‘foreign interference.’” Broader cuts Zuleeg, the EPC chief, said the non-renewal of the CERV money, which amounts to around €250,000 per year, would mean the organization cuts back on work related to topics such as democracy and citizens’ participation. And while he made a distinction between think tanks, which organize events or…

Poland’s Catholic Church is developing crisis plans with the government to prepare parishes as emergency centres in the event of war or natural disasters, the head of the Polish bishops’ conference said. Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference, said there are fears that war could reach Poland amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Iran war. “Fortunately, we are not standing passively by, waiting for events to develop,” he told the Polish Press Agency in an interview published on Monday. The government has agreed to provide parishes with electricity generators, water supplies, medicines, and hygiene products in…

Published on 09/04/2026 – 10:18 GMT+2 Swiss researchers are testing a semi-autonomous robot that could be used to explore Mars without constant human guidance, speeding up the search for minerals, water, and even traces of ancient life on other worldsor exoplanets. The four-legged robot, named ANYmal, looks more like a robotic dog than a traditional rover. But strapped to its body is a robotic arm wielding a microscopic imager and a Raman spectrometer — a scanner that can read and identify the chemical fingerprint of a rock. Researchers at the University of Basel have been putting ANYmal through its paces…

The president also signaled he was still stewing over his aborted bid to claim control of Greenland, a self-ruling Danish territory in the Arctic. “REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” he added. Rutte, moving quickly to contain the fallout, told CNN shortly after leaving the White House that Trump had voiced “disappointment” during what he described as a “frank and open” discussion. He said he reminded the president that the “large majority of European nations has been helpful, with basing, with logistics, with overflights,” and pointed to “widespread support [in Europe] for the fact that degrading the…

The EU is investing €115 million, under AGILE, into AI, drones, robotics, quantum, and cybersecurity. The science in Europe is world-class. The problem is deployment, Europe cannot weaponise its breakthroughs at speed. This is the blunt conclusion of new BCG research with General Lavigne, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. The debate is no longer about innovation, it’s about deployment. “The Europeans have by far the most advanced publication and fundamental research, but the US, for the same technologies are much more advanced when it comes to patents and then obviously also to deployment,” says Nikolaus Lang, senior partner at…

Authorities said military divers and emergency teams reached Francisco Zapata Nájera after pumping water from flooded galleries at the Santa Fe mine, which collapsed on 25 March. President Claudia Sheinbaum called the rescue “incredible”, while officials confirmed that two other workers had died and that one miner had earlier been brought out alive. The survival of a worker after almost two weeks underground brought rare relief in one of Mexico’s most dangerous industries. The collapse was linked to a structural failure that reportedly caused water to flood the mine, trapping four men while 21 others escaped. Rescue crews worked day…

Route 66 in the United States – the legendary highway stretching around 3,940 kilometres from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California – is turning 100 this year, marking a milestone for what remains one of the world’s most iconic road trips. Often dubbed the “Mother Road” by author John Steinbeck, the route has evolved from a lifeline for Dust Bowl migrants in the 1930s into the quintessential American drive. While faster highways now connect the country’s major cities, Route 66 continues to draw travellers with its glowing neon signs, retro diners and restored motels. Each stop along the route offers…