Author: Press Room

Published on 16/10/2026 – 16:41 GMT+2 Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital at noon on Friday after medical tests confirmed that his condition continues to improve following lung cancer surgery, according to the Vatican. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “His post-operative recovery allows him to carry out his normal daily activities completely on his own,” said a medical update signed by Leo’s personal physician Dr. Luigi Carbone and the head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli hospital, Dr. Stefano Margaritora. The service was attended by off-duty medical and nursing staff, as well as members of the Vatican City State’s Gendarmerie Corps.…

Published on 16/10/2026 – 15:38 GMT+2 A Norwegian teenager has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of travelling to the UK to carry out an assassination. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, is said to have agreed to undertake a contract killing in exchange for €25,000. He was arrested at a hotel in northern England in March 2025 after having arrived at Manchester airport two days earlier, with officers discovering a bag containing a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, and 19 bullets under his bed. Analysis of his phone and communications showed he had been instructed…

France and Germany struck a deal on Friday to soften the European Union’s effective ban on new combustion-engine cars from 2035 in exchange for tougher rules favouring European-made products. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Berlin has long opposed the 2035 rules, seeking to protect its automotive industry, while Paris has pushed for strict “Made in Europe” requirements to counter competition from Chinese manufacturers in the EU market. The agreement was reached on the sidelines of a gathering of EU leaders in Brussels. It links a revision of the 2035 rules on new petrol and diesel cars to the debate over introducing a European…

Published on 16/10/2026 – 13:14 GMT+2 Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on the European Commission to scrutinise Spain’s plan to legalise the status of 600,000 irregular migrants, directly challenging Madrid’s migration policy during the EU leaders’ summit. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “I have asked the European Commission to examine what happens when a country does almost the exact opposite of what the rest of us are doing,” Frederiksen said on Friday at the start of the summit’s second day. Her comments put her at odds with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, despite both leaders belonging to the same broad Socialist political…

Published on 16/10/2026 – 12:58 GMT+2 Russian attacks on nine regions of Ukraine caused emergency power outages for hundreds of thousands of households and damaged numerous homes, wounding at least 15 people, officials said on Friday, as civilian casualties from Moscow’s full-scale invasion climb steeply. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The latest aerial strikes on civilian targets came as fears mount that a sharp deterioration in relations between Kyiv and Washington this week could leave Ukraine further exposed to Russia’s escalating aerial attacks as the bitter winter approaches. Russia’s heavy bombardment of the power grid before winter sets in has been an annual…

EU leaders have called for a coordinated European response to the energy crisis, urging the European Commission to introduce targeted, temporary measures to ease the burden on households and businesses, including extending financial support to industries hardest hit by soaring energy prices. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT After European Council summit negotiations that went into the night on Thursday, the leaders also raised concerns about the security of energy supplies, asking the Commission to improve the capacity and efficiency of European oil refineries, which have been in decline since 2009. They also expressed interest in exploring voluntary joint energy purchasing, similar to the…

EPP MEP Dirk Gotink believes the European Union should stop issuing the “full range of visas” to Russian citizens while Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Gotink said the EU should “go further” in signalling to Russian elites that the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is “also their problem”. He argued that they should not be allowed to continue “their lives on European islands drinking margaritas while their political leader is bombing everyday civilians in Ukraine”.

Zelenskyy’s plea: After a bruising week that has seen tensions between the Ukrainian leader and US President Donald Trump boil over once more, Zelenskyy is aiming to shore up further military assistance, strengthen Ukraine’s air defences and protect its energy infrastructure as he joins EU leaders for talks. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In an exclusive interview with our correspondent Sasha Vakulina ahead of the summit, Zelenskyy’s deputy chief of staff Ihor Zhovkva called forthe development of European alternatives to US anti-ballistic missile defence capabilities and Starlink satellite communications, both of which have been undermined by uncertainty over continued US support. Watch. Zelenskyy’s…

Published on 15/10/2026 – 20:57 GMT+2 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has asked a judge to order US President Donald Trump to set a firm date to give sworn testimony in his $10-billion (€8.6 billion) defamation lawsuit against the network, court filings showed. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Nearly eight months into discovery, after seven depositions of BBC witnesses, and with only two months of discovery remaining, the BBC still has not been able to depose, and does not even have a schedule to depose, the most central figure in this case: Plaintiff himself,” the BBC’s lawyers wrote. The BBC’s lawyers asked a…

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to visit Budapest next week after being invited to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, his deputy chief of staff, Ihor Zhovkva, confirmed to Euronews in an exclusive interview. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The planned visit, which has yet to be confirmed, would come amid efforts to reset relations between Kyiv and Budapest after years of diplomatic disputes that have repeatedly obstructed Ukraine’s path towards EU membership. “We have received an invitation. On 23 October, an event will be held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution,” Zhovkva said when asked whether…