Author: Press Room
Construction of a high-speed rail line (LAV) linking Lisbon and Porto began in Portugal on Monday, with work starting on the first section between Porto-Campanhã and Oiã, in the district of Aveiro. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Once completed, the line will enable passengers to travel between the two cities in 1 hour and 15 minutes. According to the government, the high-speed project is a key part of the country’s national airport strategy, supporting the new Lisbon airport, and will also help strengthen rail links with Spain. The government says the project will help set up a roughly three-hour journey between Lisbon and…
Ceuta made its presence felt at Spain’s National Day parade without a single one of its soldiers setting foot on Madrid’s Paseo del Prado. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT No troops from the autonomous city took part this year, as the Spanish Ministry of Defence has kept its forces deployed there following the crisis that erupted in July, when tens of thousands of migrants crossed into the territory from Morocco. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who presided over the ceremony in Madrid, will travel to Ceuta on Tuesday. The parade took place against a tense political backdrop, after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro…
The EU’s Red Sea naval mission is struggling to attract reinforcements, with only the Netherlands and Belgium offering one extra vessel each, while the Houthis escalate their attacks on Riyadh. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Italy has been driving the push to bolster Aspides, the EU naval operation launched in February 2024 to secure navigation in the Red Sea. But little extra capacity has materialised, and the security situation has worsened. “We need at least ten ships, and we are not there. But today we also heard from a few member states that the discussion is ongoing,” EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said…
Published on 12/10/2026 – 19:59 GMT+2•Updated 20:03 Investigators in France used DNA evidence and vehicle tracking to help recover two paintings worth millions of euros that were stolen from a Renoir museum last month. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Four men have been handed preliminary charges after the impressionist artist’s “Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano” and “Young Woman at the Well” works were taken from the Musée Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French riviera in a daring September heist. The suspects are believed to have gained entry to the museum after sawing through a fence using an electric saw. They then cut clips…
Europe is once again trying to save face after US President Donald Trump blindsided the continent by striking a tailored deal with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to release thousands of tonnes of diesel that had until now been sanctioned. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The news alarmed Ukraine and its European allies, who have long been wary of Trump’s unpredictable diplomacy and his understanding of what a just and lasting peace means. Tensions between the two sides of the Atlantic have never fully receded since February last year, when Trump unexpectedly called Putin and launched negotiations to end the war without consulting…
EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to set up a new civilian and military mission in Lebanon to strengthen the country’s security forces, as the United Nations prepares to end its long-running peacekeeping operation there. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The mission, which could deploy within months, will focus on border and maritime security, counter-drone operations and training Lebanese security forces. Its precise mandate, staffing and command structure have yet to be finalised. Unlike the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose mandate expires at the end of 2026, the EU mission will not be deployed in the south, where Israel is…
Miriam González presented Democracia21 in Madrid over the weekend, the new political party with which she hopes to break away from Spain’s traditional parties and appeal to centrist voters, with the aim of “reinvigorating Spanish democracy”. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Spain has a new name in the electoral race for 29 November: Miriam González Durántez announced on 10 October her candidacy for the general election at the head of Democracia21 (d21), a newly created party that will make its debut only in Madrid and Barcelona, with plans to expand across the country in future contests at the ballot box. Who is Miriam…
Published on 12/10/2026 – 8:01 GMT+2•Updated 8:03 Sasha Vakulina analyses Donald Trump’s announcement of an immediate energy ceasefire, what has been agreed, and what his call for Ukraine to replace Volodymyr Zelenskyy says about US–Ukraine relations. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Maria Tadeo reports from the Warsaw Security Forum, where Zelenskyy addresses delegates as he seeks to shore up European support. Interview with Baiba Braže, Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister, as Europe’s eastern flank is facing another moment of heightened tension amid growing concerns over Russian drones, airspace violations and a broader campaign of hybrid pressure against NATO. Laila Humairah reports from Doha, Qatar,…
By Franziska Müller Published on 11/10/2026 – 16:23 GMT+2•Updated 18:18 Around 2,000 cubic metres of rock broke away from the Hochvogel mountain in the Allgäu Alps in June. Now researchers are warning that another major collapse could be imminent, potentially sending up to 400,000 cubic metres crashing down the mountainside. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The summit itself is at risk of breaking apart, with a fissure that has existed since the 19th century steadily widening. Records suggest the crack was once about shoulder-width, but the gap is now several metres across. Scientists have been monitoring the hotspot for twelve years, initially on field…
Multiple power plants in Ukraine were struck by Russia hours after US President Donald Trump claimed an ‘energy ceasefire’ between the two countries. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A power plant in Kyiv was hit by a drone, leading to power outages in the capital, followed by strikes on Kharkiv’s energy infrastructure. Earlier, Donald Trump said that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure. “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” he wrote on his Truth Social network, without giving further details.…