Author: staff
Thousands of mourners gathered in Najaf on Wednesday as the funeral procession for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei passed through one of Iraq’s holiest Shiite cities. The video shows crowds surrounding the truck carrying the coffin, with many reaching out to touch the vehicle. Others threw scarves and personal items to attendants, who brushed them against the coffin before returning them to their owners. The practice is widely observed by many Shiite Muslims in Iran and Iraq, who regard objects touched to a coffin as blessed. Najaf is the first stop in Iraq before the funeral moves on to…
Whether you are a man or a woman, and whatever your investment level in skincare is, you have likely noticed that the beauty industry is booming. Skincare products, make-up and anti-ageing serums are all over social media and shops, with the global beauty market expected to reach $590 billion (€516bn) by 2030, according to recent reports. Some of these products, however, might contain microplastics — tiny pieces of plastic that contribute to environmental pollution and whose health effects are currently being studied. But why do microplastics end up in these products? And how are they regulated across the European Union…
The UK is preparing for a clash to rival the Battle of Stamford Bridge, with former friends pitted against each other, echoing drums and lots of vikings, all taking place in an arena. No, we don’t mean Norway vs England in the World Cup on Saturday – we’re talking about the launch of Kynren – The Storied Lands. The UK’s first live-action historical theme park, the new attraction features five major shows and immersive experiences focused on England’s history and myths. Located in Bishop Auckland in County Durham, Kynren started out as an outdoor night show – An Epic Tale…
LONDON — Andy Burnham is determined to put his Northern English identity and experience at the center of his pitch to run the U.K., but he already risks alienating voters in the South, according to a new POLITICO Poll. Even before Burnham takes over as British prime minister, as is expected later this month, research from Public First for POLITICO shows a vast difference in how the former Greater Manchester mayor is seen in Southern and Northern England. While he has an overall net trust rating of +11 percent nationally, this masks a large regional gap. When asked, “Do you…
Published on 08/07/2026 – 8:00 GMT+2 On today’s show: Euronews’ Mared Gwyn reports live from Strasbourg on the latest ruling in Marine Le Pen’s appeal case, before interviewing member of the European Parliament Fabrice Leggeri, from the Patriots from Europe and Le Pen’s party Rassemblement National. Euronews’ Shona Murray reports live from Ankara as NATO leaders gather for the second day of a high-stakes summit. She speaks to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand. Explainer by Jakub Janas: how fake condoms ended up flooding the EU market and what have been the consequences. Latest from the FIFA World Cup: with…
Published on 08/07/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 As Europe braces itself for another heatwave, demand for holidays in cooler destinations remains a very hot topic in travel right now. First coined by Condé Nast Traveller in its 2024 industry predictions, the “coolcationing” travel trend has since evolved, spinning off into new segments such as “heat-proof holidays”, “reverse seasonality”, and “climate-smart travel”. A spin-off term that’s been trending recently is “alpine summer”, which does not need too much explaining as it simply means spending the hotter months in the mountains rather than at the beach. According to Google Trends data, search interest…
In this digital age, photo booths have almost become relics of the past. You sometimes pass them in the corners of desolate shopping centres, train stations or hear a person grumbling inside as they attempt to get just “one decent passport photo”. They’re still around, but hauntingly inconspicuous – like furniture from a home that’s long been abandoned. Yet within each one remains a myriad of memories. Every swish of the curtain, every flash of the camera once hosted a stranger’s private expressions; their printed memento a rare form of permanence in this fleeting existence. Photo booths first emerged more…
Der NATO-Gipfel in Ankara wird von einem schlecht gelaunten Donald Trump überschattet, der alte Grönland-Forderungen auspackt und Drohungen alle US-Truppen aus Europa abzuziehen. Gordon Repinski berichtet aus der Türkei, wie Friedrich Merz versucht, den unberechenbaren US-Präsidenten zu besänftigen. Auch das heutige Treffen zwischen Trump und Wolodymyr Selenskyj steht unter äußerst angespannten Vorzeichen, berichtet Hans von der Burchard. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview rät die FDP-Verteidigungspolitikerin Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann zu deutlich mehr europäischer Gelassenheit. Anstatt über „jedes Stöckchen zu springen“, müsse Europa angesichts eines wankelmütigen US-Präsidenten selbst berechenbarer und verteidigungsfähiger werden. In Berlin steht eine Reform des Bundespolizeigesetzes an, die Larissa Kögl genauer einordnet. Die…
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a working dinner on Wednesday night in Ankara, at a sensitive moment for both sides. At the meeting, held after the NATO summit in Ankara, von der Leyen will have to balance closer ties with Turkey against ongoing rule-of-law concerns and other disputes. They will be joined by European Council President António Costa, with the dinner expected to carry a degree of tension. At a public event in April, von der Leyen reportedly placed Turkey — an EU candidate country since 1999 — alongside Russia…
The European Union is in disagreement over whether the Commission should allow Serbia to progress in its membership process. The issue will come to a head at a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels today. While the Commission argues that dangling accession in front of prospective members is a useful geopolitical tool that can prevent countries from turning towards rival powers, some countries in the bloc aren’t convinced. Zoya Sheftalovich and Kathryn Carlson unpack the debate. Also on the show, at the sidelines of the NATO summit happening in Ankara, our colleague Dasha Burns, host of POLITICO’s The Conversation podcast,…