Author: staff
Keir Starmer’s leadership has been dealt a severe blow over the past fortnight as almost 100 MPs said that he should set out his timetable to step down as prime minister. Several of his ministers, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, have resigned to trigger a contest to replace him. Earlier on Tuesday, Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, was selected as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield by-election. He has been talked up by several Labour MPs as a potential successor to Starmer and as one of the few politicians in their party viewed positively by the electorate. Reform UK,…
Updated: 19/05/2026 – 19:38 GMT+2 Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was awarded the European Order of Merit on Tuesday. Merkel warned that Europe could no longer take peace and security for granted following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She also said changes in US security policy showed old certainties were fading. … More
Finance ministers and officials from G7 economies gathered in Paris on Tuesday for a second day of high-level economic talks. Images showed leaders arriving for a family photo alongside flags representing G7 nations and the European Union. Among those attending were French Finance Minister Roland Lescure and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Discussions took place against the backdrop of rising global tensions linked to the Iran conflict, US tariffs and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices, artificial intelligence-related cyber threats and access to critical minerals were also expected to be discussed during the meetings.
In an amendment tabled to parliament late on Monday, the government stipulates that in cases involving criminal acts by members of parliament, the investigation must be conducted by a special investigating judge, effectively excluding European prosecutors. “In cases of criminal acts committed by members of Parliament, for the prosecution of which the relevant authorization of the Parliament has been granted […] in the case of felonies, the preliminary investigation must be conducted, notwithstanding any other general or specific provision, by a special investigating judge,” the provision reads. The legislative amendment will go to a parliamentary vote late on Tuesday. EPPO reacted with…
Dozens of workers gathered outside SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday demanding that US immigration authorities stay away from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Images showed protesters holding “Kick ICE Out” signs, chanting slogans and marching toward the stadium ahead of a meeting with FIFA representatives. Workers said they feared personal information collected during the tournament accreditation process could be shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Some employees also warned they could strike if no guarantees were provided before World Cup matches begin next month. California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer joined the demonstration.
Published on 19/05/2026 – 8:28 GMT+2 Many people once again reached for their winter coats and woolly socks at the weekend. This week, though, summer in Germany is set to really gather pace: By midweek a strong early-summer area of high pressure will have established itself over south-western Europe. The decisive factor behind this development is the jet stream, a band of strong winds at an altitude of around nine kilometres, explains meteorologist Martin Puchegger at wetter.com. Over the coming days this jet stream will run well to the north of the high-pressure area, allowing a high to extend from…
Published on 19/05/2026 – 16:42 GMT+2 A European-Chinese mission that will X-ray the Earth’s magnetic atmosphere is officially in space. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission sent a 3-metre-tall spacecraft equipped with trackers and antennas into orbit on Tuesday from its launch site in French Guiana. The joint mission, launched with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), will track the Earth’s magnetosphere, which protects the planet from gentle streams of charged particles, called the solar wind, that come from the Sun. The SMILE mission will help scientists understand a gap in the solar…
Portuguese rock wasn’t born with Rui Veloso, nor with José Cid, nor even with the Conchas, generally considered to be the first rock group in Portugal in the 1960s. The first disc in the genre, which is now largely forgotten, came from a woman named Zurita de Oliveira. From a family of artists, sister of comedian Camilo de Oliveira, Zurita had already recorded several light music albums throughout the 1950s. She changed course, however, in 1961 and moved towards the new sounds emanating from the USA to record what is now recognised as the firstrock ‘n’ roll song in the…
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Finnish divers have recovered the bodies of two of the four remaining Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, an official said on Tuesday. The bodies were located on Monday, when searches resumed after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them. Five Italian divers went missing on Thursday, with one of the bodies recovered earlier. The plan is to recover the remaining two bodies on Wednesday. The announcement that two bodies were recovered on Tuesday was made by presidential spokesperson Mohamed…