Author: staff

Le Pen had for months protested innocence and framed the case against her as politically motivated, but her comments and stoic behavior Tuesday differed markedly from the combative face she wore at the start of the initial trial in 2024. When the judge asked Le Pen why she was appealing, she insisted that any criminal act they may have committed had not been intentional — a departure from her impassioned claims of innocence throughout the initial trial. “I would like to say to the court right now that if a crime has been committed … so be it, but I…

Published on 13/01/2026 – 10:50 GMT+1 A top aide to Cyprus’ president has resigned after a video circulated online appearing to show him and others offering political influence to would-be investors in exchange for cash. President Nikos Christodoulides said he accepted the resignation of Charalambos Charalambous — who is the director of the presidential office and his brother-in-law — describing it as “an act of self-confidence” and “not of pressure or guilt”. Charalambous had earlier posted on Facebook that he would never allow his government job to be “converted into a tool of manipulation” to harm Cyprus or the president.…

Zurück im Bundestag, zurück auf Fraktionsebene: SPD und Union starten mit zwei Pressekonferenzen in das politische Jahr. Beide liefern sehr unterschiedliche Antworten auf die wirtschaftliche Lage. Auslöser ist das neue SPD-Konzept zur Erbschaftsteuer, das Fragen von Gerechtigkeit, Wachstum und Timing aufwirft. Während die SPD eine Reform noch in diesem Jahr anpeilt, warnt die Union vor einem wachstumsfeindlichen Signal.  Rixa Fürsen und Rasmus Buchsteiner ordnen ein, warum es um mehr geht als eine einzelne Steuer: um Profilbildung zum Jahresauftakt, die Arbeitsweise der Koalition, das ausstehende Urteil des Bundesverfassungsgerichts und die Frage, wie konfliktfähig Schwarz-Rot 2026 wirklich ist. Das Berlin Playbook als…

Published on 13/01/2026 – 17:16 GMT+1 Last year was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, according to a United Nations monitor. At least 2,514 civilians were killed and 12,142 injured by war-related violence in Ukraine last year, representing a 31% increase in victims compared to 2024 and 70% compared to 2023, said the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). According to the mission, 97% of the casualties it verified in 2025 occurred in Ukrainian government-controlled territory from attacks launched by Russian armed forces. “Our monitoring shows that this rise was…

Trump has repeatedly voiced his desire to buy the self-ruling Danish territory, calling it a strategic imperative, and has not ruled out using other methods, including military action, if Greenland and Denmark refuse to make a deal. “It’s easier,” Trump said Sunday, referring to buying the island. “But one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.” Nielsen made the remarks during a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen and added that Greenlanders “choose Denmark,” vowing to stick together with the Danes. “We enter the room together,” he said. “We go out together, and…

Published on 13/01/2026 – 13:56 GMT+1 US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host a meeting with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland at the White House on Wednesday, as concerns grow over Donald Trump’s desire to seize control of the Arctic island. Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters that he and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt had asked for a meeting with Rubio after the US president ramped up his threats to annex the self-governing Danish territory. “Our reason for seeking the meeting we have now been given was to move…

In a lawsuit filed last month Trump demanded more than $5 billion after accusing the corporation of misleadingly editing his Jan. 6, 2021 speech, delivered ahead of the storming of the U.S. Capitol during the 2020 presidential election certification process. Trump’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, claims the BBC “maliciously” strung together two comments Trump made more than 54 minutes apart to convey the impression that he’d urged his supporters to engage in violence. The corporation apologized to Trump when the botched edit became public but said it did not merit a defamation case. The broadcaster said the episode…

Published on 13/01/2026 – 15:14 GMT+1 A judge was shot inside an Istanbul courthouse on Tuesday by her public prosecutor ex-husband, who was prevented from firing his gun a second time by a day-release prisoner serving tea, Turkish media reported. The incident took place at the appeals courthouse on the Asian side of Istanbul at around 1 pm local time (12 pm CET), the DHA news agency said. Judge Aslı Kahraman sustained serious injuries when Muhammet Çağatay Kılıçaslan opened fire, hitting her in the groin, the Sözcü newspaper reported. He was about to fire again but was stopped by a…

Published on 13/01/2026 – 14:18 GMT+1 EU-wide protections against ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water have officially come into effect, providing member states with the “rules and tools” to protect public health. The crackdown, which came into force on 12 January, marks the first time levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are being “systematically monitored”. It means that all EU nations are now required to test contamination levels to ensure compliance with new limit values set out under the recast Drinking Water Directive, which sets the legal standard that water for human consumption must meet to be classed as safe…

Jafar Panahi, the Palme d’or winning director whose film ‘It Was Just An Accident’ is among the leading contenders for the 2026 Oscars in the international feature category, has called for urgent help from the global community for the people of Iran. In an interview with TheWrap, the Iranian filmmaker said he believes that the regime in Tehran has reached an impasse and, because its survival is at stake, will resort to anything. Panahi went on to voice grave concern over the complete shutdown of internet and phone services in Iran in recent days, saying: ‘When they cut the internet…