Author: staff
Associate membership wouldn’t simply be about rebranding the EU’s existing relationship with Canada or a euphemistic catch-all for a closer relationship, but creating a new category of partners for enhanced free trade and cooperation on areas including defense, AI and high-tech science, according to an EU official with knowledge of talks. There would be no political rights or free movement, at least for now. Canada would be the first, but potentially not the only, country in the club: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan have all been mentioned as possible future members, the official added. But a fifth diplomat was…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 13:52 GMT+2•Updated 19:56 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Wednesday that she was “horrified by the images” of covincted war criminal Ratko Mladić’s funeral in Belgrade earlier this month, but stopped short of announcing any punitive measures against Serbia. “The glorification of war criminals simply has no place in the European Union,” von der Leyen said during her annual State of the European Union speech. She refrained from directly criticising Serbia despite calls for firmer action from the bloc. Mladić, known as the “Butcher of Bosnia”, died in August while…
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond in this Euronews news bulletin. In just a few minutes, our newsroom brings you the latest news and breaking news across world affairs, business, politics, culture, entertainment and travel, with the context you need to make sense of a fast-moving day. Reported with the independence and the European perspective that define Euronews, this regular round-up gives you a clear and reliable overview of the stories shaping our world right now, wherever you are watching from.
Published on 16/09/2026 – 16:37 GMT+2 Berlin-based Langdock has reversed the usual path taken by European start-ups by moving its parent company from the US to Germany. The decision comes amid growing debate over how Europe can build its own AI infrastructure, retain promising technology companies and reduce its dependence on US cloud and AI providers. Many European start-ups establish US holding companies in an effort to make it easier to secure funding. Langdock has now defied this trend and dismantled its US holding structure and brought its parent company under European law. “Langdock has reorganised its corporate structure into…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 5:55 GMT+2•Updated 17:35 The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has inaugurated in Barcelona the new Quantum Nanofabrication Area of the Clean Room at the Barcelona Microelectronics Institute (IMB-CNM), regarded as the largest research infrastructure of its kind in Spain. The new space will make it possible to manufacture and analyse devices and circuits on the nanoscale for the development of quantum technologies and advanced microelectronics. The facility, which has involved an investment of more than six million euros, is funded by the PERTE Chip and the Complementary Plan for Quantum Communications, through Next Generation EU funds.…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 16:39 GMT+2 American and British playwright-novelist Bonnie Greer has died aged 77. Her husband David Hutchins announced the news, saying: “It is with profound sadness that I announce that my beloved wife, Bonnie Greer, has died aged 77 after a brief illness.” “Bonnie was an acclaimed playwright, author, critic, cultural and political commentator whose intelligence, courage and distinctive voice made an enduring contribution to British cultural and public life.” Hutchins added: “To me, she was my partner, confidante and inspiration, and I feel profoundly privileged to have shared my life with her. Those closest to Bonnie…
Latvia has experienced several drone incidents this year. NATO fighters shot down a foreign drone over the east of the country in June, while another drone was destroyed in August. Authorities later said the August aircraft was Ukrainian and had likely entered Latvian airspace from Belarus after being affected by Russian electronic warfare. Latvia’s defense ministry has warned that further foreign drones could infringe on its airspace as long as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues. The German jets, from Tactical Air Wing 74 in Neuburg an der Donau, will operate under NATO’s enhanced Air Policing North mission, which forms part…
By Kamuran Samar & AFP Published on 16/09/2026 – 18:09 GMT+2 An English village of around 350 people has voted overwhelmingly to “secede” from the United Kingdom in a symbolic referendum held in protest against plans to house asylum seekers at a nearby former military site. In Piddington, near Oxford, 285 of the 312 ballots counted backed the call for the village to seek self-determination. The referendum has no legal standing, but residents celebrated the result by putting up a sign declaring the area the “Principality of Piddington”. The vote was organised by the parish council and was inspired partly by the 1949…
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague sentenced former Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi to 25 years in prison on 16 September for war crimes during the 1998-99 Kosovo conflict. The 58-year-old former Kosovo Liberation Army commander was convicted of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention. He was sentenced alongside three other former KLA commanders: Jakup Krasniqi, also to 25 years, Kadri Veseli to 18 years and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years. All four were acquitted of crimes against humanity after judges found prosecutors had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that civilians had been subjected to a widespread or…
French motorists are clogging TotalEnergies service stations to fill up with discount gasoline, but its rivals are crying foul, accusing the energy giant of distorting competition with the encouragement of the government. TotalEnergies, which pumps crude oil and refines it into gasoline, also has an extensive network of filling stations throughout France, where retail sales are usually dominated by supermarkets selling gasoline at or near cost in order to pull in customers. But as oil prices shot higher this spring due to the US-Iran war, the highly profitable company announced a cap of €1.99 per litre of E10 (€2.25 per…