Author: staff

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he approved a plan for Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) to launch a 40-day operation aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war. Zelenskyy’s announcement comes after his meeting with SBU chief Major General Yevhenii Khmara, who reported on Kyiv’s “plan for long-range sanctions, medium-range sanctions, and the results achieved by the SBU,” Zelenskyy said on X. “For several months in a row, the SBU has demonstrated the highest performance in defending Ukraine’s positions on the front lines through the use of various types of drones,” Zelensky said on Thursday evening. What is this operation…

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The limitation would not apply to men who received temporary protection before the new rules enter into force. In its announcement, the Commission said the  plan aimed to “reconcile the protection needs with Ukraine’s overall ability to defend itself against Russia’s illegal war of aggression.” The proposal comes after a ministerial discussion earlier this month showed “strong support” for plans to exclude fighting-age men, Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell told POLITICO. The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty has warned against a “wholesale rejection” of conscription-age men. “What I want to make sure is that those who…

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European anti-fraud investigators have helped uncover a large-scale scheme that illegally exported 4,200 tonnes of textile waste from Italy to Turkey, exposing what authorities describe as a profitable operation designed to evade environmental laws and recycling costs. The investigation, led by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in cooperation with Italy’s Carabinieri and Turkish customs authorities, focused on textile waste containing high levels of acrylic fibres. Because these synthetic materials persist in the environment for up to 200 years and require more sophisticated recycling processes, they are subject to strict and costly disposal rules. Investigators found that shipments had allegedly been…

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Published on 26/06/2026 – 10:32 GMT+2 In a break with a long tradition of royal financial secrecy, Buckingham Palace disclosed on Thursday that the King paid £12.9 million (€15mn) in tax for the 2024-25 financial year, the first time such a figure has been put before the public. The sum is likely to place King Charles III among Britain’s biggest taxpayers. The disclosure, which Buckingham Palace said was made at the King’s own wish as part of a drive for greater transparency, also revealed that he paid £11.7 million (€13.5mn) the previous year and more than £30 million (€34.8mn) in…

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Published on 26/06/2026 – 10:52 GMT+2 He sleeps with footballs. He ignores DMs from Tom Holland. He collects Birkin bags. Erling Haaland arrived at the FIFA World Cup as one of the game’s most feared strikers, and he will leave it as one of its most entertaining personalities. Between an irreverent social media presence, ironic encounters with fans and a seeming indifference to his own celebrity, Haaland has offered a refreshing alternative to the media-trained image we’ve come to expect from sport stars. And in the span of a few weeks, he may have unwittingly created a whole new generation…

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It could have been a messy transition, but the ease with which Andy Burnham has returned to Westminster appears to be the product of many months of careful planning. Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy delve into the details of how Burnham’s expected coronation has been managed – and why Louise Haigh has emerged as a key architect behind the scenes. Meanwhile, as Donald Trump breaks his silence on Sir Keir Starmer’s likely replacement, his verdict is rather blunt. The duo dissect the US president’s first public comments on Burnham, who he labelled as “extremely liberal”. What does this mean for…

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Published on 26/06/2026 – 10:33 GMT+2 Police in Montenegro have arrested an Iranian-Turkish national wanted by the United States over alleged cyberattacks that authorities say caused more than $3.4 billion (€2.98 billion) in damage. Police said the 39-year-old suspect, identified only as A.B., was detained on Thursday in the coastal town of Kotor in an operation carried out with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The man is wanted by a court in New York on charges including computer fraud, hacking, identity theft and organised crime, according to a police statement. Montenegrin authorities alleged that from 2013 onwards, the suspect…

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By&nbspMaja Kunert Published on 26/06/2026 – 10:40 GMT+2 Volkswagen, the carmaker based in Wolfsburg, is bracing for an unprecedented upheaval. According to a report in manager magazin citing insiders, chief executive Oliver Blume is planning to cut up to 100,000 of the group’s roughly 657,000 jobs worldwide. That would mean doubling the previous job-cut target: only a few months ago VW announced plans to shed around 50,000 jobs by 2030 – a move that was already seen at the time as historic in its scale. Blume is said to have already presented the board with a corresponding restructuring plan. According…

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