Author: staff

As the Cognac harvest draws to a close in southwestern France, winegrowers already know they face another difficult year. Cognac makers are struggling. The 300-year-old amber brandy is only produced around the Charente River, but it has been caught in the trade wars between the EU and China, as well as by tensions with its top export market, the US. For months, producers have watched largely powerless as access to both markets has been squeezed. The industry has a historic connection to the EU. Jean Monnet, the French statesman regarded as one of the EU’s founding fathers, came from a…

Published on 27/09/2026 – 13:30 GMT+2 Ethiopia’s army chief has accused Egypt and Sudan of supporting a new alliance of armed groups trying to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, saying the groups could not succeed unless they were “pushed, supported and supplied” from abroad. Field Marshal Birhanu Jula also accused Eritrea of acting as a link between foreign backers and armed groups inside Ethiopia. He made the comments in an interview with the Ethiopian army’s media outlet. Birhanu did not provide evidence for the accusation. Egypt and Sudan had not publicly responded by Sunday morning. The alliance announced last Sunday…

There were concerns that a “yes” vote would have effectively prevented Switzerland from imposing sanctions on Russia — unless they were approved by the United Nations Security Council, where Moscow has veto power. Russia openly backed the initiative, which was introduced by the right-wing Pro Switzerland organization. Pro Swizerland argued that Swiss neutrality should always be applied and “not adjusted on a case-by-case or ad hoc basis.” Switzerland has largely mirrored the EU’s sanctions against Moscow. The country expanded its sanctions list in mid-August, following the EU’s 20th sanctions package. Both the Swiss government and the Swiss Parliament had advised…

Published on 27/09/2026 – 14:39 GMT+2 Catania-Fontanarossa airport has once again been brought to a standstill because of volcanic activity on Mount Etna, which has forced the authorities to halt flight operations. Sac, the company that manages the airport, has announced the closure of the relevant airspace because of the heavy emission of ash into the atmosphere and unfavourable wind conditions. All arrivals and departures have officially been suspended until 23:59 on Sunday 27 September. Flights were initially halted until 12:00, before the stop was extended. In a bid to limit disruption, the company has urged passengers not to go…

Published on 27/09/2026 – 15:06 GMT+2•Updated 15:07 The Republic of Ireland football team are set to don black armbands when they run out to face Israel in Sunday’s Nations League clash amid calls for a boycott of the fixture over the war in Gaza. Controversy surrounding the match has snowballed in recent weeks as a “Stop The Game” petition organised by the Irish Sport for Palestine group has gathered pace. Speaking before the game, which is taking place in Hungary, Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive David Courell said the players intended to wear black armbands “in recognition of…

Puerta del Sol woke on Sunday to around 150 tents pitched across the square, as the encampment grew following a demonstration over Spain’s housing crisis that ended in the early hours of Saturday. According to figures collected overnight, the camp began with around 100 tents and continued to grow, with further structures counted after 8am. Those gathered spent the night on yoga mats, in sleeping bags and, in some cases, directly on the ground, while small groups stayed up talking into the early hours. While the Civil Guard and National Police kept a constant watch over the square, although no…

Published on 27/09/2026 – 13:33 GMT+2•Updated 13:56 European Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen urged EU governments to continue curbing energy demand to reduce gas and electricity consumption amid “exceptionally low” storage levels, according to a letter seen by Euronews. “I invite you to consider taking or continuing to take measures that can sustain injections or reduce gas and electricity demand for as long as necessary,” reads the letter, noting that the situation “has not improved” since Jørgensen’s first warning in March. The warning comes as EU gas storage is around 70% full, roughly 12 percentage points below the same point last…

“Does anybody think this is a good idea? No right-minded person would make this decision,” said O’Neill, who expressed bewilderment over the Parades Commission’s U-turn. “Why, after 28 years of determinations to block a march down this road, did the Parades Commission think this is the right idea today to bring this mess back on to this community?” But Northern Ireland’s main pro-British party, the Democratic Unionists, stood alongside the blocked Orangemen as they waited in hope that the police would enforce the commission’s ruling by pushing the Catholics out of the road. The last time this happened, in 1997,…

Published on 27/09/2026 – 12:58 GMT+2•Updated 13:05 Poland and Lithuania are working on an international evacuation plan for civilians in the event of a major crisis or military threat. If necessary, the plan would allow some residents of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to be moved across the Polish border. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, the head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre, has announced that work on the proposal was already under way and that representatives of Lithuania and Poland were analysing procedures, logistics, and infrastructure capacity. A detailed plan is to be drawn up once Poland and Lithuania reach an appropriate agreement.…

Published on 27/09/2026 – 9:25 GMT+2 Two mass shootings in South Africa have left at least 27 people dead, police said on Sunday. The SA Police Service reported that 17 people were fatally shot in an attack at a bar to the west of Johannesburg on Saturday night. “It is alleged that patrons were drinking inside and outside the tavern when the suspects arrived and opened fire on those outside,” the force said in a statement. “The suspects then entered the tavern and continued shooting at patrons inside. The suspects were reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols. They allegedly…