Author: staff
Published on 03/12/2025 – 19:26 GMT+1 Opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar surged to its highest level in a decade this year as the nation crippled by civil war remains one of the world’s primary suppliers of illicit drugs, according to a new United Nations report. The growth solidifies Myanmar’s position as the world’s main known source of illicit opium, particularly following a sharp decline in production in Afghanistan after the Taliban imposed a ban following their 2021 takeover. The Myanmar Opium Survey 2025, issued on Wednesday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), found the area where…
Published on 01/12/2025 – 11:11 GMT+1 •Updated 21:30 Since its release in 1999, The Matrix has seen one of its most iconic scenes hijacked by various groups which have actively missed the point. You know the one we’re referring to: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) offers Neo (Keanu Reeves) a choice. “You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe,” explains Morpheus, describing the return to a state of blissful ignorance. “You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes,”…
Trump has been to the U.K. for two lavish state visits. However, the U.S. president, who is divisive among British parliamentarians, did not speak on the estate during either trip. In 2017 then House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said he would be “strongly opposed” to Trump addressing parliament. This year’s state visit coincided with a House of Commons recess — although Trump appeared unfazed. “Let them go and have a good time,” Trump said of the prospect of British MPs being recalled to hear him speak. “I don’t want them to.” “Hillary’s work to put the rights of women…
Published on 03/12/2025 – 16:59 GMT+1 •Updated 17:18 The European Union is considering whether to classify ethanol, a disinfectant widely used in hospitals, as a dangerous product, with the decision currently on hold due to a lack of consensus among scientific groups at the EU’s chemical agency. The decision was discussed today between European lawmakers and the European Commission, but the debate has been overshadowed by the decision’s potential implications for healthcare facilities. Klaus Berend, director of food safety at the Commission’s department for health and food safety, told lawmakers in the European Parliament that unless there are proven risks…
Updated: 03/12/2025 – 18:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this December 3rd, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
Spotify Wrapped is here, with the streaming giant allowing users to access their top artists, songs, albums, as well as unveiling its annual overview of listening trends from around the world. This year, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has been crowned Global Top Artist, earning more than 19.8 billion streams and dethroning Taylor Swift as the most-streamed artist globally. The future (and controversial, in some circles) Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner earns the title for the fourth time in total and is followed this year by Swift, The Weeknd, Drake and Billie Eilish in the Top 5. For the last…
Published on 03/12/2025 – 17:49 GMT+1 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday appeared confident that Ukraine’s allies will have committed $5 billion (€4.3 billion) by the end of the year to purchase US-made weapons to ensure continued flow of such equipment to Kyiv following Washington’s freeze on military donations to the war-torn country. According to Rutte, allies have now pledged billions in US military purchases under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which sees NATO coordinate the purchase of equipment Ukraine needs from US stockpiles. The programme was launched in July after the Trump administration announced it would…
Germany inaugurated on Wednesday the first elements of the sophisticated Arrow 3 missile defence system, which it has purchased from Israel as it moves to strengthen its air defences following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Arrow 3 is designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles. The first part of the system was deployed at the Schönewalde base south of Berlin with further sites to follow. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that, with the new system, Germany is obtaining for the first time early-warning and protection capability against long-range ballistic missiles. “With this strategic capability, which is unique among our European partners,…
Published on 03/12/2025 – 17:24 GMT+1 Nearly a decade after the Brexit referendum, the UK has diverged sharply from its pre-2016 trajectory through a slow, grinding erosion of investment, productivity, and global standing. That’s according to a new report by the Decision Maker Panel, a research initiative hosted at King’s College London. “We estimate that by the start of 2025, the UK economy was approximately 8% smaller than it would have been without Brexit, based on macro data, and 6% smaller using firm-level micro data,” the study said. The authors describe a prolonged period in which political volatility and shifting…
France’s Angoulême International Comics Festival (FIBD – Festival international de la bande dessinée d’Angoulême) is among the world’s foremost comic book events, but its survival is now hanging by a thread after a monthslong dispute over its governance. Organisers have now decided to cancel the festival’s 2026 edition. The event “will realistically not be able to take place under suitable conditions,” lawyers for organising company 9e Art + said in a statement, which was first reported by local newspaper La Charente Libre. The 53rd edition was supposed to be held from 29 January to 1 February 2026. 9e Art +…