Author: staff
A Russian government decree requiring owners of chickens, camels, reindeer and the like to register their animals took effect on Tuesday, triggering a wave of public mockery and a minor administrative crisis as Russians began turning up at government service centres with live birds. Videos on social media showed people with chickens in tow waiting in queues, taking numbered tickets and lining up at counters. Some residents dressed their birds up before bringing them in. Bloggers and social media users quickly compared it to the satirical fiction of Gogol, a writer who specialised in skewering the absurdities of Russian bureaucracy.…
The law against ultra-fast fashion, which came into force on Tuesday, is “not discriminatory” and is primarily intended to “protect the environment and consumers”, a source in the French Foreign Trade and Attractiveness office, which comes under the Foreign Ministry, told Euronews on Thursday in response to accusations from Beijing. “It is in everyone’s interest, including China’s, to have a calm relationship with France, with the European Union, and a civil trade relationship”, the source said. At a press conference on Thursday, Chinese Commerce Ministry spokeswoman Huang Ling called for the suspension of the new French law known as the…
PARIS — Four U.S. space companies have decided not to participate in next week’s international space summit in Paris after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration pressured firms to ditch the event. Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, rocket maker Stoke Space and Starcloud, a startup that is trying to launch data centers in space, notified French authorities on Thursday that they were “canceling their participation” in the event, according to an official from the French ministry of higher education, research and space. “It is hard not to draw a connection to the rumors of pressure that have been circulating…
Published on 03/09/2026 – 16:54 GMT+2 The European Commission suspended imports of meat from Brazil on Thursday over concerns about antibiotic use, after Brasília failed to convince the EU executive that its products comply with European standards. The move comes as Brazilian meat imports lie at the heart of opposition to the free trade agreement signed in January 2026 by the Commission with Mercosur countries — Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. EU farmers accuse Latin American producers of failing to comply with the bloc’s phytosanitary and food safety standards, arguing that this gives Latin American products an unfair advantage on…
Published on 03/09/2026 – 18:26 GMT+2 Several incendiary devices were set off during the night outside Munich-based technology group Rohde & Schwarz and German drone manufacturer Helsing. Investigators currently believe that two of the devices ignited, while the third apparently did not. A witness called the police at around midnight after incendiary devices were thrown from a moving car at a building site on the street. Officers who arrived at the scene were able to extinguish the fire immediately. No major damage was reported. The suspects, a 38-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, were then arrested. According to German public…
By Christina Molle with AFP Published on 03/09/2026 – 17:20 GMT+2 A first soon on France’s roads? On Wednesday 2 September, Paris authorised tests of Tesla self-driving cars on its roads. The Transport Minister, Philippe Tabarot, also spoke on Wednesday with Tesla boss Elon Musk about the decision. “With two vehicles being made available, we are now entering a new phase: that of on-road trials”, the minister said in a message posted on the social network X. Yet only in July, Paris had initially said it did not intend, at this stage, to authorise Tesla’s fully automated, supervised driving system, citing safety concerns.…
The bloc’s ambassadors could not find common ground on the proposal on Wednesday, with Slovakia being the sole holdout. “Apparently, they have some objections. I think we have heard them before,” one EU diplomat said. They were granted anonymity to comment freely on the closed-door negotiations. A spokesperson for the Slovak government declined to comment and shared a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Discussions on the regular six-month review of the sanctions regime … are ongoing and are expected to be concluded by 15 September 2026.” Talks also touched on adding a further 27 individuals and companies to…
The head of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative has called for those responsible for Russia’s illegal deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to face prosecution, as the EU prepares new sanctions targeting another 27 Russian individuals and entities. “Bring Kids Back UA has continuously called for all those responsible for Russia’s illegal deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to face prosecution, and we welcome this positive action from the European Union towards ensuring accountability for these crimes,” Maksym Maksymov told Euronews. “Children who remain under Russian control continue to face the risk of indoctrination, militarisation and the…
Published on 03/09/2026 – 16:49 GMT+2 A senior Russian air force commander was shot twice at close range in the Saratov region on Wednesday morning, in the latest of a series of attacks against Russian military officers on its territory. An unidentified gunman on a motorbike fired twice at the officer as he was leaving a shop in the village of Probuzhdeniye in Engels district and fled. One bullet struck him in the face, the other in the torso. He was taken to hospital in serious condition before being airlifted to Moscow for further treatment. Telegram military blogger channels identified…
Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days has inspired plenty to follow in the fictional Phileas Fogg’s footsteps, circumnavigating the globe by train, plane and various other means of transport. But if your aim is to actually see the world, rather than just make your way around it, you’re definitely going to want to slow down just a tad. Which is exactly what Explorations by Norwegian, the world’s longest continuous scheduled cruise, is offering passengers now. Having just set sail from Rome, the 348-room Regatta will spend 371 days exploring the world, visiting 220 ports across 62 countries. While…