Author: staff
Things can’t only get better It wasn’t always like this. The last Labour prime minister to win big before Starmer was Tony Blair. When he came to power in 1997, the U.K. had a bigger economy than China’s, was a leading member of the growing European Union trade bloc, and was approaching peak oil and gas production in the North Sea. Blair led Britain for 10 years. Nearly three decades on, Starmer inherited a country that has never really recovered from the economic shock of the 2008 financial crisis, is menaced by Russia, and now relies on imports for its energy security. Keir Starmer celebrates winning the 2024 general election with a speech at Tate Modern in London…
Published on 18/05/2026 – 7:30 GMT+2 Deepfakes are highly realistic, digitally manipulated visual content. Videos, images and audio are created using sophisticated AI tools, making them indistinguishable from reality. New-generation AI tools have made it easier to create illegal sexual content through apps known as “nudifier apps.” They use generative AI to create fake nude images of real people without their consent, leveraging a database of online images to produce realistic but unauthorised content. One in three deepfake tools can create free, non-consensual pornographic material in under 25 minutes. Deepfake pornography accounts for 98 per cent of all deepfake videos…
According to a recent study, engaging with arts and cultural activities regularly could help slow down ageing. With that in mind, we’ve curated a juicy selection of cultural prescriptions. Exhibitions about pop fandoms and masculinity, TV shows about power and sex, movies about fallen Galactic empires – there’s something to elongate everyone’s longevity in this week’s list. So, grab your diaries and put the trainers down – who needs jogging when you’ve got Jedis? Exhibitions Holy Pop! When: 21 May – 19 August 2026 Where: Somerset House (London, UK) As society has moved further away from religion, devoutness has manifested…
Markus Söders politischer Instinkt sagt ihm, dass die Luft dünner wird. Nach den bitteren Schlappen bei den bayerischen Kommunalwahlen und dem anhaltenden Druck durch die Freien Wähler und die AfD erfindet sich der bayerische Ministerpräsident mal wieder neu. Das Motto lautet ab sofort: Weniger Döner-Folklore, mehr DAX und harte Wirtschaftspolitik. Gordon Repinski saß am Abend neben Söder in der ARD-Talkshow „Caren Miosga“ und liefert eine Analyse über Söders Kampf um das politische Überleben und seinen insgeheim noch immer nicht begrabenen Traum vom Bund. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Der CSU-Fraktionschef im Bayerischen Landtag, Klaus Holetschek. Er verteidigt die kommende Mütterrente gegen den Vorwurf…
Published on 18/05/2026 – 7:58 GMT+2•Updated 8:01 Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party suffered a bruising defeat in Andalusia’s regional elections. Europe Today’s Europe Editor Maria Tadeo analyses what the result could mean for Spain, Brussels and Europe. Also on today’s show: The latest on the war in Ukraine after a deadly drone strike on Moscow killed four people and injured dozens, in one of the most significant attacks on Russian soil since the start of the full-scale invasion. The World Health Organisation declares a global health emergency over an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as world leaders gather…
Campaigners believe such a fundamental change to how NICE functions should have required primary legislation, rather than secondary legislation pushed through with limited scrutiny. Some MPs have already tried to push back on the legislative changes. Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell led a cross-party intervention, writing to former Health Secretary Wes Streeting to publish the government’s impact assessment of the deal and allow MPs to debate it in parliament. The letter, seen by POLITICO, was signed by more than 20 MPs, including former Green party leaders Siân Berry, Carla Denyer, Adrian Ramsay, Green MP Hannah Spencer, Labour MP Andy McDonald…
Published on 18/05/2026 – 6:23 GMT+2 Chelsea hired Xabi Alonso as manager on Sunday on a four-year deal starting with the beginning of next season, with the Spaniard returning to coaching after a short, rocky spell at Real Madrid and tasked with bringing stability to a club that has become dysfunctional under its new American ownership. Alonso will formally take charge on 1 July as the replacement for Liam Rosenior, who was fired last month, and will become the fifth permanent coach appointed by Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital since they bought the Premier League team in 2022.…
The European Commission is preparing to take a much tougher line on China, we hear on this episode of the Brussels Playbook Podcast, with Zoya Sheftalovich joined by Nick Vinocur. Brussels is growing increasingly worried about cheap imports, industrial decline and dependence on Chinese critical raw materials. Then: Despite more than 20 EU sanctions packages against Russia, a major investigation reveals how Russian networks still manage to get hold of European technology through shell companies and third countries including Turkey. And finally, the European Parliament heads to Strasbourg — where MEPs are once again arguing over parliamentary immunity, prosecutorial overreach…
US President Donald Trump warned late on Sunday that “there won’t be anything left of Iran” if it doesn’t quickly agree to the United States’ demands and enter into a deal to secure a permanent ceasefire, threatening a resumption of hostilities with increased intensity. “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” wrote Trump on his own social media platform, Truth Social. Washington, locked in conflict with Tehran since US and Israeli forces launched major strikes on the Islamic republic beginning 28 February,…
Adding insult to injury, instead of approving the deal as negotiated, the European Parliament is now trying to rewrite it by tacking on four new amendments. These changes would include sunrise and sunset clauses, suspension mechanisms and safeguards that were never part of the original Turnberry deal. In plain English, Brussels is trying to move the goalposts while the game is underway. That’s not how reciprocal trade deals work. Reciprocity means both sides deliver what they promise. It does not mean one side delivers, while the other stalls, delays and reserves the right to add new demands whenever it suits.…