Author: Press Room
Updated: 19/05/2026 – 13:12 GMT+2 European People Party MEP Željana Zovko warned that US “ideological fights” and EU “complex process procedures” could inhibit an EU-US deal from being reached at tonight’s high stakes talks in Strasbourg. Zovko also admitted she is “not so confident this morning”. … More
The European Union is increasingly accepting the idea of speaking directly with Russia to bring the full-scale invasion of Ukraine to an end. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The internal reassessment intensified after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, frustrated by the White House’s all-consuming focus on the Middle East, publicly urged Europeans to appoint a designated envoy for the peace negotiations. “It is important for it to have a strong voice and presence in this process, and it is worth determining who will represent Europe specifically,” Zelenskyy said on Sunday after speaking with António Costa, the president of the European Council. But whoever gets…
Finnish divers have recovered the bodies of two of the four remaining Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, an official said on Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The bodies were located on Monday, when searches resumed after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them. Five Italian divers went missing on Thursday, with one of the bodies recovered earlier. The plan is to recover the remaining two bodies on Wednesday. The announcement that two bodies were recovered on Tuesday was made by presidential…
Published on 19/05/2026 – 9:23 GMT+2•Updated 9:27 Russia has high expectations for President Vladimir Putin’s trip to China this week, with the Kremlin saying both sides will use the visit to further develop their “privileged partnership”. Putin is due to begin his official visit to Beijing shortly after US President Donald Trump met his Chinese counterpart. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT While Moscow has officially said the visit will focus on strengthening Russia and China’s “strategic partnership”, the timing points to a broader geopolitical agenda — and to China’s growing diplomatic leverage. Trump visited Beijing less than a week ago, but despite high…
Published on 19/05/2026 – 9:32 GMT+2 EU defence chiefs are gathering in Brussels this week to mark 25 years since the creation of the EU Military Committee, originally established in response to the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s. But amid the anniversary, the mood has been overshadowed by the ongoing war in Ukraine and rising instability in the Middle East. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Speaking to Euronews’ flagship morning show Europe Today, the Chair of the EU Military Committee, General Seán Clancy, described the moment as “a time for reflection more than celebration,” alluding to the rapid evolution of Europe’s security and…
On 7 May, co-legislators agreed to ban “nudifier apps” under the Digital Omnibus on AI. These controversial tools can generate AI-created sexual images or videos that “undress” individuals without consent, raising concerns over privacy and ethical use of technology. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT New-generation AI makes the creation of synthetic content increasingly affordable and realistic. About 8 million deepfakes were online in 2025, with 90 per cent of online content set to be AI-generated by 2026, the European Parliament Research Service found. So far, EU law has addressed deepfakes indirectly by treating them as violations of privacy and transparency, sparking calls for…
Published on 18/05/2026 – 7:30 GMT+2 Deepfakes are highly realistic, digitally manipulated visual content. Videos, images and audio are created using sophisticated AI tools, making them indistinguishable from reality. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT New-generation AI tools have made it easier to create illegal sexual content through apps known as “nudifier apps.” They use generative AI to create fake nude images of real people without their consent, leveraging a database of online images to produce realistic but unauthorised content. One in three deepfake tools can create free, non-consensual pornographic material in under 25 minutes. Deepfake pornography accounts for 98 per cent of all…
Good morning. It’s Mared Gwyn, back penning this newsletter after a week in my native Wales during what was a pivotal week for UK politics. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The governing Labour party has been plunged into crisis after bruising defeats in the recent Scottish, Welsh and local elections, and a tussle for the party’s leadership – and the helm of the UK government – is now well and truly underway. The former health secretary Wes Streeting, whom I understand from Labour sources has been plotting to challenge Starmer’s premiership since last year, has stepped down and is biding his time before…
Published on 18/05/2026 – 8:56 GMT+2•Updated 11:11 European Parliament and EU countries are gearing up for the final stretch of the EU-US trade deal negotiation, in crunch talks amid growing pressure from Donald Trump’s administration. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT On Tuesday at 9 pm, in the Parliament in Strasbourg, lawmakers and diplomats are set to discuss again the implementation of the deal, which would cut European tariffs on US goods to zero and set a 15% cap for American tariffs on European products. Time is running out, as the deal should be finalized before June to be approved by the Parliament’s next…
Published on 18/05/2026 – 15:29 GMT+2 A former Google executive took over as the BBC’s new director-general on Monday amid proposed job cuts and a $10-billion (€8.5 billion) lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump, arguing that the world now “needs the BBC more than ever.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Matt Brittin, 57, who has no broadcasting or journalism experience, starts the job against a background of drastic shifts in the media landscape. The British-born executive was president of Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division for over a decade, which earns around a third of its revenue. He previously worked as…