Author: staff
When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, she will be the first G7 leader to visit since the backlash over Washington’s push for allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. Last weekend, Trump had asked Tokyo and other capitals to participate in his war effort and send naval vessels to unblock the critical waterway. After the allies rebuffed him, he aborted his call: “Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need’, or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance – WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia,…
“What I know is that allies are working together discussing how to do that,” he told reporters during a visit to a NATO military exercise in Norway. “What is the best way to do it? They are working on that collectively to find a way forward.” The remarks underscore the high-wire act facing Rutte as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran drags into its third week. The secretary-general wants to placate Trump — a longtime NATO skeptic — while avoiding a full embrace of a war which is out-of-area for NATO and has been widely criticized by other allies. Yet the…
Published on 18/03/2026 – 16:20 GMT+1•Updated 16:27 Brent crude oil prices reached $110 a barrel on Wednesday afternoon, after Iranian state media reported that part of the South Pars gas field, the largest plant in Iran, and the Asaluyeh oil facility were struck by Israel. Moreover, the US oil benchmark WTI also rose and is trading at $98 a barrel at the time of writing. In response to the latest Israeli attacks, the IRGC announced that some Gulf energy sites are once again “legitimate targets”. The prospect of escalation and prolongation of the conflict in the Middle East, resulting in…
Belmond is set to relaunch one of its luxury boat hotels this summer. The hospitality company, which is best known for its train services including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, will be offering itineraries between Pontailler-sur-Saône and St Léger, Lyon and Auxonne, and St-Jean and Lyon on board Marguerite, A Belmond Boat, Burgundy. Formerly known as Amaryllis, the newly revamped riverboat takes its name, and its design cues, from the region’s famed golden marguerite fields. Able to accommodate up to eight guests, the boat has four double suites, an open-plan salon, and a private plunge pool on the outdoor deck. “From the…
“It is clear to us that the legal process that led to the Swedish citizen being executed has not been fair,” Stenergard wrote. “The death penalty is an inhumane, cruel and irreversible punishment. Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its application in all circumstances” she added “Sweden will continue to condemn serious human rights violations in Iran.” The execution takes place during the third week of the U.S. and Israel’s ongoing war with Iran, where the regime has a long record of human rights violations, most recently underscored by a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests. Iran also…
The strike hit shortly after dawn on 18 March, sending thick smoke over central Beirut as emergency teams rushed to the scene. The Israeli army said it had warned residents to evacuate about an hour before the attack, which flattened the building and damaged nearby vehicles on a busy road. The building had already been targeted three times on 12 March without collapsing, marking a fourth strike in less than a week. Israel claims the site was used by Hezbollah to store large sums of money, though no evidence has been made public. The attack comes as Israel intensifies operations…
Published on 18/03/2026 – 14:53 GMT+1 Meta will stop end-to-end encryption for private messages on Instagram, after criticism from law enforcement and child protection groups who warned that private chats make it harder to protect children online. End-to-end encryption is a method of sending messages that only the intended recipients can read, meaning that neither the platform nor the company’s servers, nor outside hackers, can view messages or listen to calls. In an encrypted chat or call, every device has a unique secret key that ensures messages remain safe. When a user sends a message, the device locks it so…
Die politische Brandmauer soll die AfD auch im EU-Parlament isolieren. Eine neue Recherche enthüllt nun einen geheimen Austausch: In Chatgruppen kommunizierten Mitarbeiter von Abgeordneten der Christdemokraten (EVP) mit dem rechten Rand. Ist die Brandmauer in Brüssel und Straßburg in Wahrheit nur noch eine Fassade? Pauline und Frederik analysieren die Tragweite dieser informellen Zusammenarbeit auf Mitarbeiterebene. Alice Weidel erzielt Rekordreichweiten in den sozialen Netzwerken. Der Rückenwind kommt jedoch teils von Bot-Accounts aus dem Ausland. Ihr hört, wie die AfD die Grauzonen der Algorithmen nutzt und warum die Parteichefin bei Fragen dazu schmallippig reagiert. Der AfD-Abgeordnete Manuel Krauthausen aus Nordrhein-Westfalen sorgt mit…
When Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed after US-Israeli air strikes and began attacking commercial ships attempting to pass through, the effects were felt almost immediately. Not just in the Gulf, but in European homes and businesses thousands of kilometres away. The blockade severely disrupted one of the world’s most critical shipping routes for oil, gas and chemicals, triggering a sharp energy price shock across Europe. Brent crude surged towards $100 (€86) per barrel, and Europe’s wholesale gas benchmark jumped. For ordinary consumers, that translates directly into higher petrol prices, heftier heating bills and a fresh wave of inflation…
But the plan has already drawn attacks from the Greens’ political opponents, keen to paint the left-wing challenger outfit as profligate. The last time the U.K. government intervened with a universal cap on costs was in 2022, when then-Prime Minister Liz Truss froze average bills at £2,500 per year, after energy prices rocketed on the back of Russia’s war in Ukraine. That universal move ended up cost a whopping £23 billion. Polanski said his policy, which would freeze bills at £1,641 for the average household, would cost £8.4 billion, paid for in part through taxing high-polluting oil and gas firms in the North Sea. Government ministers have already stressed that homes…