Author: staff
Price pressures across the euro area accelerated again in May, as the disruptions from the Strait of Hormuz blockade continued to ripple through energy markets, pushing inflation to its highest level in almost three years and cementing expectations of an imminent European Central Bank rate hike. Euro area annual inflation rose to 3.2% in May, up from 3.0% in April, according to Eurostat’s flash estimate published on Tuesday. The figure matched economists’ forecasts and marked the highest inflation reading since September 2023. What’s behind May’s inflation increase? Energy remained the dominant force behind the rise, with prices in the category…
Asked about missing exchanges with Mandelson on his personal phone, Thomas-Symonds said the pair had swapped messages of congratulations on their respective appointments, and were in a discussion about the former Labour peer’s campaign to be elected chancellor of Oxford University. U.K. lawmakers in February demanded the government publish communications between Mandelson, ministers, and officials in an attempt to understand what the government knew about the ambassador’s relationship with Epstein. Ministers and officials were asked to hand over any messages with Mandelson to comply with MPs’ demands. Thomas-Symonds is not the only senior government figure whose phone was stolen last…
Lawmakers on the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade on Tuesday approved legislation eliminating EU duties on most US industrial goods, paving the way for a final adoption of the EU-US deal in plenary later this month. The two legislative files which formed the deal were both approved by a large majority: the first one with 31 votes in favour, six against, and three abstentions; the second one with 31 votes in favour, six against, and three abstentions. The vote comes a week after EU lawmakers and EU capitals already struck a provisional deal to implement the agreement struck last…
Paris Saint-Germain’s win against Arsenal in the Champions League final on 30 May marked a landmark achievement for the club, while also serving as a source of inspiration for France’s aspiring professional athletes. Each year, hundreds of aspiring professional footballers pursue a very different kind of win: a trophy at the national public-speaking competition organised by French non-profit Prométhée Éducation. On 28th May, twenty young players from ten elite academies across France took part in the final, held at the Château de Versailles. For many, it was also their first time inside the UNESCO World Heritage site. This time round,…
By Jerry Fisayo-Bambi with AP Published on 02/06/2026 – 6:38 GMT+2•Updated 6:43 The US State Department plans to drastically slash the number of its embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners seeking to come to the United States, according to media reports. The move is part of the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on issuing both immigrant and non-immigrant visas as part of its broader aim to limit immigration to the US and clamp down on those who travel on temporary visas but then overstay them. Under a directive approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week,…
Published on 02/06/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 Some of the world’s most popular AI models are building agents that actively resist EU regulation to get what they want, according to new research. Aithos, a Dutch non-profit researching AI alignment, developed a system called LARA to test 12 popular AI agent models to see whether they would follow key parts of the EU AI Act, which regulates how AI systems can be used, and the bloc’s data protection regulations (GDPR) in scenario-based questions. The model tested six provisions from the EU AI Act: whether the models would exploit vulnerabilities, infer emotions, carry…
The rumors were true… In April, we reported that Taylor Swift had sparked rumours that a new song could be on the way and that it would feature in the upcoming fifth instalment in Pixar’s Toy Story franchise. A countdown briefly appeared on the singer’s official website, and since then, Swifties have been sifting through clues – interpreting colour choices, dissecting Swift’s outfits, and going mad over a billboard bearing the initials “TS”… Check it out below: Now, the speculation has ended, as the song has been officially announced. Titled ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’, Swift’s song written for…
Life after Keir – will any Labour leadership race be a coronation or contest? – POLITICO Skip to main content
By Serge Duchêne with AFP Published on 02/06/2026 – 7:38 GMT+2 France has banned the display of Israeli offensive weapons at the 2026 edition of the Eurosatory international defence and security trade fair, the organisers told AFP on Monday. “Only Israeli exhibitors showcasing anti-ballistic and anti-air defence systems will be allowed,” said Charles Beaudouin, president of COGES Events, in response to a statement by the Israeli Defence Ministry protesting against the restrictions. “This is a decision taken by the French government, by the Defence Council,” Beaudouin added. “There is no room for ambiguity: if an exhibitor also manufactures rockets, they will not be…
Acting Pentagon press secretary Jose Valdez said the change was necessary because the facility is now shared with speechwriters from the office that the administration refers to as the “War Department”. According to Valdez, these speechwriters routinely work with classified material, which forces the space to meet SCIF security standards. In a statement published on social media, Valdez said: “The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility.” He added that journalists would no longer be allowed to enter because of the…