Author: staff
Published on 20/08/2025 – 16:32 GMT+2 German prosecutors announced terrorism charges on Wednesday against a man who they say may have planned to attack the Israeli Embassy in Berlin and intended to join the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in Pakistan. The suspect, a Russian national identified only as Akhmad E in line with German privacy rules, was arrested on 20 February at the capital’s airport as he prepared to board a flight. He has now been indicted on charges of supporting a foreign terrorist organisation, attempted membership of such a group and preparing a serious act of violence. Federal…
Published on 20/08/2025 – 15:09 GMT+2 ING Belgium has come under investigation for its role in the money laundering case that involves former European Commissioner Didier Reynders, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reports. The bank is being probed by the Brussels prosecutor’s office for potential acts of “influence peddling”. Last December, the prosecutor started investigating former EU Justice Commissioner Reynders for an alleged practice involving purchasing multiple lottery tickets through the National Lottery over several years, an organisation which he was in charge of as a Belgian finance minister between 2007 and 2011. It is alleged that Reynders deposited the resulting…
Published on 20/08/2025 – 14:11 GMT+2 Director Quentin Tarantino has said he plans to open his first play in London’s West End and revealed he wants to move to England with his family in 2026 in order to better oversee the project. The 62-year-old two-time Oscar winner, best known for movies like Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds, told The Church of Tarantino podcast that the play would take up to two years of his life. He said that the play – as yet untitled – “is all written, it is absolutely the next thing that I’m going to [do]…
Space Minister Chris Bryant said the decision would result in “much greater integration and focus” while “maintaining the scientific expertise and the immense ambition of the sector.” Founded in 2010, the organization currently operates as an executive agency of DSIT. Ministers have been reviewing arms-length bodies across government as part of a push to root out “unnecessary bureaucracy and duplication.” While the move was praised by several industry leaders, space scientist Simeon Barber told the BBC that the move “seems like a backward step” and could result in Britain’s space sector “losing focus” at a time when other countries are…
Published on 20/08/2025 – 12:49 GMT+2 Google will make it easier for app developers to direct Android users outside of its own ecosystem to make purchases and transactions, after regulators said the tech giant violated European Union law. In March, the European Commission accused Google’s parent company Alphabet of failing to comply with EU rules that bar technology companies from unfairly steering users toward their own products or services. The Commission said the company prevented app developers from informing users about “other channels for better offers” outside of Google Play, its app marketplace. It also said the company charged fees…
But Hungary would be an uneasy venue for Ukraine. The 1994 memorandum, signed there by the U.S., U.K., Ukraine and Russia, pledged to respect Kyiv’s sovereignty in exchange for its nuclear disarmament. But Putin’s 2014 assault on Ukraine and the lack of military support from signatories rendered the guarantees essentially meaningless. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of Trump who has continued to cultivate ties with the Kremlin despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has not yet publicly commented. On Feb. 25, 2022, one day after Russia attacked Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó suggested Budapest even then as a…
By Carolina Cardoso & Damaso Jaivenois Published on 20/08/2025 – 11:54 GMT+2 •Updated 11:55 Beer is more than just a beverage in Europe: it is a cultural symbol and an economic driver. According to Eurostat, European Union countries produced 32.7 billion litres of beer in 2024, a small increase of 0.6% compared to the previous year. The biggest growth occurred in the low or no-alcohol beer sector, which brewed 2 billion litres in 2024, an increase of 11.1%. Germany is the top producer of beer, with 7.2 billion litres, about one-fifth of the EU total, leading the way in alcohol-free brewing too. Spain…
The operation was organised by the Superintendency and carried out by divers from the Carabinieri, the Financial Police, the Firefighters, the Coast Guard, the Police CNES and the Navy. Using pressure washers, they cleared algae, sponges and molluscs from the bronze figure, which stands 18 metres deep in the bay of San Fruttuoso di Camogli, inside the Portofino Marine Protected Area. The statue was installed in 1954 by Duilio Marcante in memory of his friend, diver Dario Gonzatti. Maintenance is considered vital, but some point out that marine growth adds to its natural character.
Published on 20/08/2025 – 10:22 GMT+2 It has been announced today that Vienna will be the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, the world’s biggest live televised music event. It will be Vienna’s third time as host, following 1967 and 2015. Austria’s public broadcaster ORF announced the news, with the final set for 16 May at the Wiener Stadthalle – Austria’s largest indoor arena. “After thorough examination and based on a unanimous jury assessment, ORF has concluded that Vienna’s bid is the most attractive not only in terms of infrastructure and logistics, but also economically,” ORF…
The ONS said airfares were the biggest contributor to the rise in prices, suggesting consumer demand for holidays is still buoyant. Food prices, typically the most politically sensitive element of the index, rose another 0.4 percent on the month and were up 4.9 percent from a year earlier. Food prices, like those for energy, can be volatile, but the picture was no better when stripping out those factors: the so-called core CPI rose 0.2 percent on the month and 3.8 percent on the year, also above expectations. That was mainly due to inflation in services, which accelerated to 5.0 percent…