Author: Press Room
Published on 23/04/2026 – 10:18 GMT+2 Europe’s energy chief, Dan Jørgensen, laid bare the realities of the conflict and how it will impact Europeans’ wallets after presenting a highly anticipated suite of measures aimed at blunting the financial impact of the Iran war across Europe. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We are in the middle of a very bad crisis right now,” Jørgensen told Euronews on the sidelines of the presentation, announced alongside Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera. “I do have to be quite blunt and say that we are looking into some very difficult months and…
Published on 23/04/2026 – 9:26 GMT+2 The flow of Russian oil to Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline that crosses Ukraine has resumed, Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková said on Thursday morning. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “The Economy Ministry informs that today at 2 am the reception of oil to Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline was resumed,” Saková said in a ministry statement. This confirmation puts an end to a months-long standoff between Ukraine, the EU and Hungary and Slovakia when the transit of Russian cheap oil stopped after a Russian strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure at the end of January. The confirmation…
The European Commission’s age verification app lets users prove they are over 18 without sharing personal data. President von der Leyen hails it as a free, privacy-first solution for platforms struggling to comply with child-safety obligations under the Digital Services Act. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT This launch was met with scepticism. Within days of its April debut, a video exposed how the app’s prototype could be bypassed in under two minutes. The Commission released a patch and called the flaws “prototype-stage” issues. A delayed solution For MEP Christel Schaldemose, rapporteur of the European Parliament’s report calling for a harmonised EU-wide minimum age…
A video posted on social media shows a despairing Ukrainian soldier panning his camera around to reveal trenches lined with bodies of dead and injured soldiers. These videos reveal the chilling reality experienced by many Ukrainians battling Russian troops on the frontline — a key component of modern-day warfare. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT However, in reality, this widely shared footage is in fact AI-generated, as verified by forensic AI detection company Sensity AI. Researchers from Sensity warn that deepfakes are being used to manipulate public opinion and undermine trust in the military, off the back of authentic videos of Ukrainian soldiers documenting…
Greece’s parliament lifted the immunity of 13 lawmakers on Wednesday, as demanded by European and Greek prosecutors investigating the alleged theft of millions of euros in EU farm subsidies. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT According to Greek authorities, the network defrauded at least €23 million after it began in around 2018. Parliament Vice President Georgios Georgantas said lawmakers had overwhelmingly voted to lift the immunity of 13 lawmakers from the ruling conservative New Democracy party of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which has been ensnared in the scandal. The politicians had requested that their immunity be waived to clear their name. The EU’s European…
By Gavin Blackburn & Matthieu Durand Published on 22/04/2026 – 21:25 GMT+2 A second French soldier died on Wednesday from wounds suffered in a weekend ambush against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon (UNIFIL) blamed on the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, President Emmanuel Macron said. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A first soldier, staff sergeant Florian Montorio, was shot dead in the Saturday ambush, for which Hezbollah has denied responsibility. “Corporal Anicet Girardin…brought home yesterday from Lebanon, where he was badly wounded by Hezbollah fighters, died this morning of the consequences of his wounds,” Macron wrote in a post on X. One of three soldiers hurt in the…
Published on 22/04/2026 – 18:25 GMT+2 An Austrian court acquitted a former senior official on Wednesday that prosecutors had accused of leaking confidential documents linked to the 2018 Novichok poisoning of a former Russian double agent in the UK. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Johannes Peterlik was the foreign ministry’s highest-ranking civil servant between 2018 and 2020. In October 2025 he was charged with “abuse of official authority and breach of confidentiality.” But the Vienna criminal court acquitted him, a court spokesman told the AFP news agency. The prosecution said they would appeal the verdict, he added. Prosecutors had accused Peterlik of requesting…
Published on 22/04/2026 – 20:01 GMT+2 According to Kontroll, the son of the outgoing Prime Minister, ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Gáspár Orbán, the son of Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been discharged from the Hungarian Defence Forces, local media report. Sources at 444.hu confirmed that Orbán, who held the rank of captain, submitted his demobilsation request before the parliamentary elections on 12 April which saw his father’s Fidesz party trounced by the opposition in a landslide. Gáspár Orbán was born in 1992 studied law and first became a footballer, playing as a midfielder for Videoton FC Fehérvár and Puskás Akadémia…
Published on 22/04/2026 – 19:06 GMT+2•Updated 19:07 The “Global Sumud Flotilla” is ready to sail to Gaza again, after its previous mission was intercepted last October by Israeli authorities and failed to reach the Strip. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Almost a hundred boats with around 1,000 people on board will be involved in the new mission, meant to deliver humanitarian aid in Gaza, bypassing Israeli controls. The new initiative is considered even more dangerous than the last one, given the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The last boats are expected to depart on Saturday from Augusta, Sicily, and join up with…
Published on 22/04/2026 – 18:12 GMT+2 The European Union’s leading energy official cautioned on Wednesday that the severe energy crisis triggered by the United States and Israel against Iran is likely to drive up prices for months, if not years. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen emphasised that the impact will be long-lasting, rather than a brief or minor spike in costs. He noted that the war is costing Europe €500 million (about $600 million) per day, warning that “very difficult months, or possibly even years” lie ahead. The sudden loss of 20% of global oil and natural gas…