Author: Press Room
Published on 06/04/2026 – 8:00 GMT+2 EU member states’ defence research and development (R&D) amounted to €13 billion in 2024. Investments increased by an additional €4 billion in 2025, according to European Defence Agency estimates. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The US and China still maintain a significant lead over Europe. In 2024, Washington invested €138 billion in defence innovation, while China’s estimated defence industry R&D reached €38 billion, with a focus on AI, hypersonic, and quantum technologies. The EU’s Programme for Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation (AGILE) supports “new defence players” to accelerate the development of new defence technologies. The plan allocates…
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Sunday morning that army and police found explosives that had been placed near a pipeline that carries gas to Serbia and Hungary. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT He said that “two large packages of explosives with detonators” were found inside backpacks in northern Serbia’s Kanjiza, “a few hundred metres from the gas pipeline”. The Balkan Stream pipeline is an extension of the TurkStream pipeline, and transfers Russian gas to both Serbia and Hungary. Vučić said he had informed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “of the initial results of the investigation by our military and police authorities into…
In the pursuit of peak physical performance and mental resilience, a “warm shower and a soft towel” are no longer the benchmarks of luxury. 2026 has ushered in the era of Primal Wellness, where high-end travelers are intentionally seeking out biological stress to trigger cellular repair. This is the heart of Contrast Therapy—the rhythmic switching between extreme heat and bone-chilling cold. As the definitive voice on the future of well-being, Travel & Spa Magazine has identified contrast therapy as the most essential tool in the modern recovery toolkit. By forcing the vascular system to rapidly dilate and constrict, this…
By Méabh Mc Mahon & Alice Carnevali Published on 05/04/2026 – 9:00 GMT+2•Updated 10:49 Bulgarian writer Irina Papancheva started journaling at the age of nine and is now the author of seven books, including Brussels Naked – an experimental novel made up of twelve interconnected stories, each named after a neighbourhood in Brussels. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In a special Easter Sunday episode, Irina Papancheva and Stefan Grobe meet behind the microphones of Brussels, My Love? to share their reading recommendations for the Catholic Easter holiday weekend. Brussels, Naked by Irina Papancheva: A guide to navigating the EU bubble and Brussels Brussels Naked is Papancheva’s…
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that an extended conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran risks diverting Washington’s attention away from Ukraine, potentially leaving Kyiv with a dangerous shortage of essential Patriot air defence systems. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Ukraine desperately needs more US-made Patriot air defence systems to help it counter Russia’s daily barrages, Zelenskyy said in an interview late on Saturday in Istanbul. Russia’s relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago has killed thousands of civilians. It has also targeted Ukraine’s energy supply to disrupt industrial production of…
A US military pilot who had been missing after his plane was shot down in Iran has been found, said President Donald Trump on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A frantic US search-and-rescue operation unfolded after the crash of the F-15E Strike Eaglejet on Friday, as Iran also promised a reward for anyone who turned in the “enemy pilot.” “This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” he wrote. A second crew member was rescued earlier. “This brave Warrior was behind enemy…
A Sea-Watch rescue ship arrived in Lampedusa Saturday carrying 44 migrants rescued from an abandoned oil rig in the Mediterranean. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Sea-Watch, a non-profit sea rescue group, said the migrants were on the oil rig ‘Didon’ after taking refuge to escape a storm. The presence of the migrants on the oil rig, in the waters between Tunisia and Libya, was reported on Wednesday by Alarm Phone, a group of volunteers who handle emergency calls from migrants. Initially it was thought there were 47 people aboard the rig. Earlier, in Italy, authorities found 19 people dead and rescued 58 others…
Published on 04/04/2026 – 14:41 GMT+2 The escape of Roberto Mazzarella, head of the eponymous clan that controls Naples, ended in a luxury resort in Vietri sul Mare, in the Salerno area. Carabinieri on Friday night arrested the boss, who had been wanted since 28 January 2025, after having escaped a European arrest warrant for murder aggravated by mafia-related offences issued by the Court of Naples. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Mazzarella, 48, was fourth on the Ministry of the Interior’s list of the most dangerous fugitives (source in Italian). With this capture, the list of Italy’s so-called superlatitantes is reduced to three…
Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Austria have asked the EU for energy companies to help alleviate the burden on consumers and taxpayers triggered by the war in the Middle East, using the extra profits that companies are accumulating thanks to rising fuel prices. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The five Ministers of Economy and Finance wrote this in a letter addressed to EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, pointing out that actions taken at national level on excise duties must be accompanied by a joint effort. “It would make it possible to finance temporary relief, especially for consumers, and curb rising inflation, without placing…
US President Donald Trump’s tirade against NATO has intensified in recent weeks against the backdrop of the war in Iran, going as far as threatening to pull out of the alliance after European countries and other Western partners refused to actively take part. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT His latest verbal assault, in which he called the alliance “paper tiger”, came after NATO countries didn’t respond to his calls to assemble a naval force to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively blocked. “I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration,” he said in an interview with UK newspaper The Telegraph. “I…