Author: staff
Published on 18/06/2026 – 15:58 GMT+2 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has downplayed a blistering attack by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth who described European allies as “shameful” for not helping the US in the war in Iran. Hegseth was in Brussels for a meeting of NATO defence ministers, where he informed allies the Pentagon will review the number of US forces in Europe within the next six months. Announcing the details of what he described as “NATO 3.0”, Hegseth also told allies the US would reduce its contributions to overall NATO budget if countries weren’t on track to…
The protest took place near EU institutions and brought together activists, human rights campaigners and members of a recent Gaza-bound flotilla. Participants argued that the bloc should use its economic influence to increase pressure on Israel amid continuing tensions linked to the war in Gaza and the expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The demonstration was organised by the human rights group Avaaz and included Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Protesters carried signs reading “EU, stop buying what Israel steals” and demanded restrictions on imports such as dates, avocados and other agricultural products originating from settlements. Avaaz official…
No film franchise has ever had a good fifth instalment. In fact, Chapter 5 is usually a series death knell. Consider the evidence, which does not include reboots or prequels: Dirty Harry took his undignified final bow with The Dead Pool; Die Hard ended with the dire A Good Day To Die Hard; Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was a franchise low point (and hopefully a swansong); the Pirates of the Caribbean series careened downwards since the first instalment and crashed with Dead Men Tell No Tales; Harrrison Ford deserved a better send-off than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; and…
Several countries are racing towards EU membership, putting strain on staff at the Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), the department that manages candidates’ bids, both of the officials said. They were granted anonymity to speak freely. Ukraine and Moldova entered the first phase of membership on Monday, a major milestone on their path to joining the bloc, while Montenegro this week closed two more accession chapters, taking its total to 16 out of 33. Albania is also making progress on its membership application, while those of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Georgia have…
Polish police have arrested a man suspected of participating in the murder of a Russian artist critical of President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday. The suspect in the daylight murder, which took place on Monday, “is using a Georgian passport,” Tusk wrote in a post on X. “Services are working to establish the mastermind,” he added. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński confirmed the Georgian passport at a news conference in Warsaw and said the suspect is 36 years old. Kierwiński said the man is suspected of links to organised crime and is being linked by police to…
Canada saw thousands of football supporters gather in Toronto on 17 June as Ghana claimed a dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama in a FIFA World Cup Group L match. The winning goal came in the 95th minute when Caleb Yirenkyi found the net, sparking celebrations inside and outside Toronto Stadium. The result gave Ghana a valuable three points and prompted jubilant scenes among fans who had travelled from across Canada and beyond to support the team. Earlier in the day, supporters from both countries filled parks and streets across Canada’s largest city. Ghanaian fans organised rallies featuring music, flags and…
The race to build Europe’s artificial intelligence future sets up a home in Paris this week, as the city’s flagship tech conference VivaTech becomes a magnet for global technology giants who see France as a key to building AI on the continent. The event has grown from a 45,000-person gathering into Europe’s largest startup and tech conference, drawing over 200,000 attendees from 170 countries. This year, it carries more geopolitical weight than ever, with AI sovereignty and infrastructure dominating the agenda. Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn and French computing firm Bull announced a partnership on Thursday to build powerful AI computers…
By Theo Farrant & AP Published on 18/06/2026 – 14:23 GMT+2 Archaeologists have discovered a structure near the iconic prehistoric stone circle of Stonehenge in southern England that may have served as a “prototype” for the 5,000-year-old Neolithic monument. A team from the British firm Wessex Archaeology said the structure would have consisted of two wooden poles 120 metres (394 feet) apart and aligned to point directly at the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun at the winter solstice. Based on the depth of the postholes, researchers estimate the wooden poles stood between three and four metres high. The…
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The Global Green Bond Initiative is one of the EU’s largest financial instruments to fund sustainable infrastructure and climate-related projects with the bloc’s partner countries. Its declared aim is to mobilise between €15 and €20 billion in investments. But European Commission and EU officials are now warning that some of these investments could end up benefiting Chinese companies, undermining Brussels’ policy of diversifying away from Beijing in key supply chains. In practice, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and other European development institutions will act as anchor investors and provide technical assistance for environment-related projects in third countries. The green bonds…