Author: staff
LONDON — The U.K.’s Ministry of Defence is investigating reports that a Russian frigate fired shots at a British yacht in the English Channel. On Tuesday a U.K.-registered yacht alleged that a Russian navy frigate — the Admiral Grigorovich — fired warning shots south of the Isle of Wight, outside Britain’s territorial waters, defense officials said. No injuries or damage have been reported, and a military vessel dispatched from the U.K. has visited the yacht to gather details and check that those onboard are safe.
Published on 16/06/2026 – 17:37 GMT+2•Updated 18:50 Britain’s defence ministry said on Tuesday it was “investigating reports of an incident in the Channel,” as a UK defence source told the AFP news agency that a yacht had reported a Russian warship firing warning shots. The incident apparently took place about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres) south of the Isle of Wight just outside British waters, according to the source. Asked about the reported warning shots, a UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel.” The defence source said it was being treated…
A pride of rescued lions at a UK wildlife sanctuary has joined the World Cup conversation by making its own predictions for England’s group-stage campaign. As part of an enrichment activity, the big cats were presented with boxes decorated with the flags of England’s opponents — Croatia, Ghana and Panama. Keepers at the Big Cat Sanctuary interpreted whichever box the animals showed interest in as their prediction for the match outcome. Lioness sisters Amani and Lira appeared to favour England over Croatia, while male lion Rori also seemed to back the Three Lions against Ghana. The final prediction was less…
Published on 16/06/2026 – 18:09 GMT+2•Updated 18:18 The European Parliament has rejected cuts proposed in the draft EU long-term budget for the period 2028-2034, MEPs Carla Tavares and Siegfried Mureșan told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday. The Cypriot government, who is currently chairing the budget negotiations among the member states, presented a compromise text last week with cuts of €32.8 billion to the bloc’s overall budget. The cuts represent a compromise between countries that asked substantial cuts and others that asked for an increase of the budget for agriculture and regional funds. The divisions among co-legislators add further…
Updated: 16/06/2026 – 18:00 GMT+2 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this June 16th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
Germany, a 12% shareholder in Commerzbank, has rejected the hostile public exchange offer (OPS) launched by UniCredit, opting to preserve the German bank’s independence and denouncing what it deems an “aggressive” approach by the Italian group. The decision was announced in a statement by the German Finance Agency (Finanzagentur), which manages the state’s stake in Commerzbank. Accepting the offer was already described as “economically out of the question”, the note said, since the bid does not include an adequate premium over Commerzbank’s current share price. The deal is politically sensitive in Germany, where the federal government remains the second-largest shareholder…
Published on 16/06/2026 – 17:21 GMT+2 Portuguese writer Lídia Jorge has been awarded the 2026 Austrian State Prize for European Literature. The announcement was made on Tuesday in a statement published on the official website of the country’s Ministry of Culture (source in Portuguese). The prize, first awarded in 1965, goes to the complete literary work of a European author whose writing has achieved significant international recognition and is available in German, through translations, the same press release explains. In its justification for the choice, the jury argues that “Lídia Jorge has for many years been one of the most…
Security-Update: Straße von Hormus – Öffnung, aber kein Ende in Sicht – POLITICO Skip to main content
Published on 16/06/2026 – 17:12 GMT+2 Belarus leader Aliaksandr Lukashenka said his country poses no military threat to Ukraine and claimed his earlier statements were only in response to what Lukashenka said were threats from Kyiv to Minsk. “If (Ukrainian President) Volodymyr Oleksandrovych (Zelenskyy) was offended, I apologise to him for these words,” Lukashenka said. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that, given that he is after all at war. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spoken so bluntly about it. But, on the other hand, he must understand that, as we often say: ‘you reap what you sow,'” Lukashenka said. At the…
By Mohamed Elashi & Euronews Doha Published on 16/06/2026 – 16:38 GMT+2 “We are cautiously optimistic,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Dr Majed Al Ansari said on Tuesday, as Doha welcomed an expected US-Iran agreement while pointing out that the framework should be treated as a first step rather than a final settlement. “We are on the right track towards regional security. Obviously, there are a lot of challenges coming ahead, but let’s take this as a moment to enjoy some optimism,” Al Ansari said at his weekly briefing in Doha. However, the framework deal expected to be signed in Geneva on Friday —…