Author: staff
For his part, Trump incorrectly presumed, during his only public comments about Connolly, that she was a man. For their first face-to-face meeting, Connolly’s team is strictly limiting who can attend the official handshake and greeting inside the Áras. Unlike previous U.S. presidential visits, Trump isn’t expected to join the Irish president in ringing a symbolic peace bell outside. Likewise, whereas previous U.S. presidents have addressed the joint houses of Ireland’s parliament, an honor most recently bestowed on Biden in 2023, the building will remain closed for Trump’s visit. “We have the convenient excuse that it’s a weekend,” said the…
Published on 10/09/2026 – 9:51 GMT+2•Updated 10:12 As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Canada for talks with leader Mark Carney, Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange fire. At least three people were killed in Russian overnight attacks. Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported that Moscow attacked Ukraine with 149 drones overnight from Wednesday into Thursday, 128 of which were intercepted. The statement added that they had been launched from Russian cities including Kursk, Millerovo and from the temporarily occupied region of Donetsk and Hvardiiske in Crimea, striking 13 locations. A late Russian attack on a shopping center car park in Sumy…
Published on 11/09/2026 – 4:54 GMT+2 A Hong Kong court sentenced three Tiananmen vigil activists to prison for five to seven years on Friday for national security crimes, following a trial that has drawn international condemnation. Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, Chow Hang-tung, 41, and Albert Ho, 74, have been behind bars since their initial charges in 2021. Their convictions, handed down under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong, have drawn condemnation from the United Nations, human rights organisations, and foreign governments. A court ruled in August that the activists breached the Chinese constitution by calling for…
Qatar Airways is preparing for the busy winter travel season and planning the next phase of its growth. After months of regional disruptions, including the temporary suspension of flights in February, the Doha-based airline has had to adapt its operations to offer passenger support, expand its routes and remain resilient. And now, Hamad Ali Al-Khater, Chief Executive Officer at Qatar Airways Group, said that “passenger numbers have recovered to around 90%-95% of last year’s levels”, with Hamad International Airport currently handling more than 140,000 passengers a day as international carriers gradually return to Doha. This includes British Airways, which resumed…
Neun Tage vor den Wahlen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Berlin schrillen im Konrad-Adenauer-Haus die Alarmglocken. Angesichts historisch schlechter Umfragewerte analysieren Rixa Fürsen und Hans von der Burchard die politische Zukunft von Friedrich Merz. Im Raum stehen drei konkrete Szenarien für eine mögliche Machtablösung. Vom freiwilligen Rücktritt bis zum konstruktiven Misstrauensvotum. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview stellt sich der CDU-Spitzenkandidat in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Daniel Peters, der drängenden Vertrauensfrage. Er erklärt, warum die Partei trotz drohender Einstelligkeit an ihrem Kurs festhalten will und welche Rolle die Polarisierung durch SPD-Ministerpräsidentin Manuela Schwesig im aktuellen Wahlkampf spielt. Zudem richtet sich der Blick auf den 25. Jahrestag der Terroranschläge vom…
Published on 10/09/2026 – 10:26 GMT+2 Singapore’s ministers, already among the world’s highest-paid, are getting a raise for the first time in 15 years, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said, explaining that the government cannot attract top talent into politics if salaries remain unchanged. Wong told Parliament on Tuesday that under a revised salary framework, the benchmark annual pay for a minister at the lowest grade will rise to 1.8 million Singapore dollars (€1.2 million), from Sg$1.1 million (€747,564). The prime minister’s benchmark salary will jump to Sg$3.6 million (€2.4 million) from Sg$2.2 million (€1.5 million), he said. Ministers’ pay has…
Published on 11/09/2026 – 5:16 GMT+2 Algeria has closed its airspace to Emirati-registered civilian and military aircraft after cutting diplomatic ties with the Gulf country on Thursday following years of tension. In a statement announcing the severing of diplomatic relations, Algiers accused the Gulf nation of “provocative and hostile acts”, though the precise catalyst for the sudden rupture remained unclear. The Algerian defence ministry announced that an airspace ban targeting Emirati aircraft would take effect on Friday, with an exception for commercial flights to and from Algiers airport, which will be permitted to operate until the end of 2026. On…
Is Europe winning the ‘fight’? Von der Leyen’s SOTEU, one year on – POLITICO Skip to main content
Published on 10/09/2026 – 11:05 GMT+2 British police said Wednesday that they have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that anti-immigration party Reform UK broke rules barring foreign donations. The allegations emerged from an undercover investigation aired by Channel 4 News. Under UK law, political parties cannot accept foreign donations. The Metropolitan Police said that after the broadcast, the force “received a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party. “Detectives have assessed the information provided and determined that there are potential offenses requiring investigation,” it said. Reform UK said it “denies any wrongdoing and will…
UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed allegedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major offensive in Israel just days before the militant group launched its attack on 7 October 2023, Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz claimed on Tuesday. Haaretz reported that at the end of September 2023 — 10 days before the attack — the UAE president spoke with Netanyahu for 45 minutes and said the leader of Hamas in Gaza at the time Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation. The newspaper reported that Bin Zayed told Netanyahu that the attack would lead to bloodshed and…