Author: Press Room

Published on 19/09/2026 – 15:12 GMT+2•Updated 15:21 By late morning, it was clear: the Wiesn was back. Decorated horse-drawn carriages, brass bands and festival hosts made their way towards the Theresienwiese, while growing crowds gathered around the fairground. Munich had dressed up for the occasion, and apparently nobody intended to worry about details such as calories, footwear or the weather forecast – not least because Bavaria was enjoying glorious sunshine and temperatures just above 20 degrees Celsius. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Theresienwiese was already filling up earlier in the day. At around 10:35 a.m., the traditional procession of the Wiesn landlords…

Published on 19/09/2026 – 13:10 GMT+2 Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least 11 people and injured dozens more over the past day, according to local authorities. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In Kharkiv Oblast in northeastern Ukraine, five people were killed and 15 were injured in Russian attacks, governor Oleh Syniehubov reported, adding that Russian forces had fired two missiles, five guided aerial bombs, and almost 60 drones at targets across the region. Strikes reportedly hit the villages of Lypkuvativka, Velykyi Burluk, and Slatyne, as well as the cities of Kharkiv and Balakliia, among other locations. Two people were also killed and…

Published on 19/09/2026 – 8:46 GMT+2 Flights were temporarily suspended at Luxembourg airport overnight due to “unauthorised” drone activity. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Flight operations at Luxembourg Airport (ELLX) have resumed following the temporary suspension on the evening of Friday, 18 September 2026, due to the detection of unauthorised unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the vicinity of and subsequently over the aerodrome,” a statement on the airport’s website said. The airport – the main hub for Luxembourg’s national airline Luxair and cargo airline Cargolux – did not provide any details on where the drones may have come from or who was operating…

It’s the head-turning, eye-popping announcement of the week: Ursula von der Leyen has invited Canada to make history by becoming the first-ever “associate member” of the European Union. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible,” the European Commission president said in her State of the Union speech. The following day, speaking from the same lectern in Strasbourg, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country “welcomes” the offer and hailed the dawn of an “alliance for the future”. “Europe and Canada are stronger together,” he said. The back-to-back speeches made international headlines,…

Irish Finance Minister Simon Harris says details of the new associate membership with Canada “are yet to be determined”, but believes it is “good news” that the European Union has signalled its intention to have a “much closer relationship” with Ottawa. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Harris insists this is “not a hostile act towards anybody”, after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on the European Union. “This isn’t either-or” between Canada and the United States, Harris said.

A criminal organisation that used Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to clone the voices of relatives in order to make telephone scams more convincing has been dismantled by the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The gang is alleged to have defrauded citizens using various pretexts, posing among other things as employees of the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (HEDNO), mobile phone companies and fibre-optic service providers. They would then exploit voice-cloning technology to create the impression that a relative or other trusted person of the victim was on the line. The organisation’s activities were brought to an end following…

Andrew Caruana Galizia, Head of Europe and Eurasia at the World Economic Forum, believes there are certain areas where Europe “will never be able to be self-sufficient, like critical raw materials”. But he insists “best thing Europe can do” is focus on its own internal market. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Caruana Galizia also said that Europe has “the best savers in the world”. Despite this, the “real tragedy” is that they are “poorer than Americans”. Even if Europeans save “twice as much as Americans”, they are “unable to build up wealth at the same rate as Americans”, Caruana Galizia said.

In comments to Euronews, the Australian government has responded to European Parliament President Roberta Mestola’s hint that Australia and New Zealand could also be invited to be “associate members” of the European Union. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT While Australia’s relationship with the EU has “never been stronger or more important”, the spokesperson said Canberra is focusing on finalising the EU-Australia trade deal “which will bring us even closer together”. “This once-in-a-generation deal gives our farmers, exporters, producers and businesses access to 27 EU countries and 450 million consumers,” the spokesperson said. “Australia is a trading nation, and in a time of global…

Published on 18/09/2026 – 11:31 GMT+2•Updated 12:50 On Friday, Spanish authorities began moving thousands of migrants to a new facility in Ceuta, with police struggling to maintain order as people fought to secure a spot at the new site after weeks of living on the beaches and streets. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The operation, which saw migrants moved from the Trampolín and Benítez beaches to the port of Ceuta, got underway shortly after 6:30 am, with several Civil Guard patrols deployed to gather people and escort them on foot to the new settlement, around two kilometres away. The transfer quickly became difficult…

Sweden’s parliamentary speaker has formally asked Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson to try to form a government after her centre-left alliance won a narrow majority in Sunday’s election. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In a post on Instagram, Andersson said she had accepted the task and that she wanted to “lead a government that realises the new direction that the Swedish people have voted for — a direction that moves Sweden forward and keeps our country united,” Andersson has 28 days to assemble her cabinet and report back to the parliamentary speaker, Andreas Norlen. Earlier, Norlen held consultations with party leaders over coffee…