Author: staff
Norway’s King Harald V, Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, has died at the age of 89, the royal palace announced on Friday. “It is with deep sadness that we announce that His Majesty King Harald passed away today. King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, August 28 at 6:35 am,” it said in a statement. The flag at the royal palace in Oslo was lowered to half-mast on Friday as members of the public gathered outside to lay flowers and pay tribute to King Harald. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered her condolences to the…
Published on 28/08/2026 – 10:08 GMT+2•Updated 10:13 Nepali army helicopters were working on Friday to rescue more than 100 people trapped inside a hydropower tunnel after catastrophic floods devastated the country’s northern border region. The army has already rescued 350 workers and local residents from the tunnel at the Upper Trishuli hydropower project in Rasuwa, according to the prime minister’s office. Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said two helicopters had been dispatched but rescuers were facing difficult conditions, including problems locating entrances to the tunnel. “Our focus is in search and rescue of people,” Basnet told AFP, adding that…
A few crumbling concrete blocks in an overgrown field are all that remains visible of what was once a sprawling Nazi forced labour complex around the Austrian town of Leobersdorf. Now, plans to build a business park on the site, including a cold storage warehouse and a store operated by the discount supermarket chain Lidl, have sparked anger in the Alpine nation, which long neglected to address its Nazi past. “For me, it’s a sad feeling, because a place burdened by history is being built over, sacrificed to the economy,” Erich Strobl, head of a local campaign to preserve part…
Europe might be best known for its summer holidays, with “Eurosummer” a highlight of many travellers’ years, but winter brings a completely different kind of escape, from snowy adventures beneath the Northern Lights to sun-soaked island breaks. Now, a new guide to the best places to visit in Europe this winter has been released, with destinations for everything from avoiding the cold altogether to embracing it, and making the most of quieter, crowd-free city breaks. Here are the top 10 best European destinations to visit this coming winter, according to Lonely Planet. Cappadocia, Türkiye While winter means less daylight to…
Published on 28/08/2026 – 9:21 GMT+2 You may not recognise the name immediately, but his pop culture defining voice marked an entire generation’s childhood. Peter Cullen, the prolific voice actor best known for giving his authoritative baritone to Autobot leader Optimus Prime in the 80s cartoon series Transformers, has died aged 85. “His family asks that you honour his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty and always remember ‘be strong enough to be gentle,'” said his family in a statement. No cause of death was given. Born in 1941 in Montreal, Cullen…
The EU’s Habitats Directive bans the capture or killing of all cetaceans, the category that includes whales as well as dolphins and porpoises. For Loftsson, joining the bloc would almost certainly mean the end of the hunt. Loftsson is the driving force behind Icelandic whaling. His company, Hvalur hf., has operated on and off since 1947 and today runs the country’s only commercial whaling fleet. Through the summer season, his two ships, the Hvalur 8 and 9, have been patrolling Icelandic waters to hunt fin whales, notching up over 50 kills so far. Iceland is one of just three countries,…
More than 1,000 earthquakes in just 10 days, two of them of magnitude 4.8. The seismic sequence that began on 14 August in Granada has once again raised a question that goes far beyond Andalusia: could Spain soon be hit by a major earthquake? By 24 August, the National Geographic Institute (IGN) had recorded 1,075 tremors which were felt by the population. The two largest, with a magnitude of 4.8, were very shallow and were felt in more than 500 localities, from Andalusia to parts of Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha and even the Madrid region. Spain has far more destructive precedents.…
Norway’s King Harald V has died at 89 on Friday, ending a 35-year reign and putting Crown Prince Haakon on the throne at a turbulent moment for the country’s royal family. Harald “passed away peacefully” at 6:35 a.m., local time, the Norwegian royal household announced. Harald’s health deteriorated sharply in his final days. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Thursday canceled a trip to Germany, including a planned working dinner with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, to visit the king. Harald had reigned since 1991 and resisted calls to abdicate despite mounting health problems, repeatedly insisting that the oath he took as…
Just a few kilometres from the Belarusian border, thousands of NATO troops are focused on one objective: defending Alliance territory in Lithuania. For around six weeks, nearly 3,000 troops – most of them from the German military – trained at Pabradė, using drones, electronic warfare, heavy armour, artillery, infantry, helicopters and fighter jets to practise defending NATO territory against what the military describes as a “conventional aggressor”. A major part of Exercise Freedom Shield I is Germany’s 45th Armoured Brigade, also known as the Lithuania Brigade. More than three years ago, Germany decided to permanently station around 4,800 troops in…
Published on 28/08/2026 – 8:19 GMT+2 A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas paid a record $5.3 million (€4.5 million) for priority passage through the Panama Canal ahead of El Niño-related restrictions, the waterway’s deputy administrator told AFP on Thursday. South Korean company SK Gas paid the record sum for the G. Spirit to transit the canal on 1 September, two days before authorities are due to reduce the number of daily transits due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, Bloomberg reported. Panama declared an emergency over El Niño on Tuesday as a severe regional drought continues to deplete the water…