Author: Press Room
By Emma De Ruiter Published on 27/05/2026 – 22:22 GMT+2 Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted on Wednesday that he had “not betrayed the trust of the French people,” in his final statement before the Paris Court of Appeal, which is retrying the case into allegations that the late Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi secretly funded his successful 2007 presidential campaign. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “This case of alleged Libyan financing of my campaign began with lies and with a conspiracy; it must end in truth and transparency”, he added. “I will never be able to confess to something I did not do; that…
Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar will meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Friday in an effort to secure a largely symbolic deal aimed at resetting Hungary’s relationship with the EU. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Magyar is also scheduled to meet Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday. The Hungarian Prime Minister announced the trip on social media. “Tomorrow I will be meeting with the NATO Secretary General and the Belgian Prime Minister, and on Friday with the President of the Commission in Brussels. Everyone is working on bringing back…
Published on 27/05/2026 – 21:01 GMT+2 In this special edition from the Imperial Fora in Rome, we are joined by Claudio Borghi, senator for the League, and Arturo Scotto, member of the Italian Parliament for the Democratic Party (PD). ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The debate focuses on the alleged shift in the foreign policy of Giorgia Meloni’s government. In recent months, tensions have grown with the United States and Israel — two of Rome’s historic allies, both led by figures politically close to the Italian prime minister. The call for European sanctions against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, following the shocking…
Artificial intelligence is “an unstoppable force” that is being weaponised in ways that fall just short of traditional warfare, Britain’s cyberspying chief warned on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Anne Keast-Butler, director of the communications intelligence agency GCHQ, also said Britain and its allies are in “a space between peace and war” as Russia increases its “daily hybrid activity” against the West, even as Russian combat deaths in Ukraine approach 500,000. She said the West risks losing the conflict in cyberspace against Russia and other adversaries unless citizens, companies and governments treat cybersecurity with greater urgency. “I’ve spent three decades working in…
The prospect of engaging directly with Russia to end its war on Ukraine has once again faded as foreign affairs ministers of the European Union gather in Cyprus amid Moscow’s explicit threats to hit diplomatic missions in Kyiv. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The idea of direct talks, which has been on and off the political agenda since January, gained momentum earlier this month after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, frustrated by the White House’s heavy focus on the Middle East, asked Europeans to speak with “one common voice” and appoint a designated envoy. The plea led to various names, such as Finnish President…
Published on 27/05/2026 – 17:18 GMT+2 Former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, will face a crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court from 30 November, the presiding judge said on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013-2018 during his so-called “war on drugs.” The 81-year-old will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world’s worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. Prosecutors had sought the 30…
Published on 27/05/2026 – 16:47 GMT+2 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the United States to provide more ammunition for its Patriot air defence systems to counter Russian ballistic missiles, according to a document reviewed by the AFP news agency on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The appeal underscores Ukraine’s almost total reliance on its Western allies to down Russian missile barrages, despite having pioneered a system for intercepting long-range drones that is the envy of some of the world’s most advanced militaries. The request comes just days after one of the worst combined missile and drone attacks launched against Kyiv since…
Published on 27/05/2026 – 15:41 GMT+2•Updated 15:53 European countries have roundly rejected Russia’s threat against diplomats based in Kyiv and confirmed their representations would continue to operate without interruption. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Germany, France, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia and the European Commission are among those that have summoned Russia’s ambassadors to convey their outrage after the Kremlin published a notification urging foreign citizens and diplomatic staff to leave Kyiv “as soon as possible” ahead of fresh air strikes. “Through its actions, Russia demonstrates daily its cynicism and contempt for international law,” the French Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said on Wednesday.…
Published on 27/05/2026 – 13:26 GMT+2 Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Wednesday there was “no reason” to withdraw support for his predecessor Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is under investigation for corruption, following the publication of new details about the case. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “I think there is no sufficient reason, there is no reason to change that position,” Sánchez told a Rome news conference after a meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. The Socialist premier, in office since 2018, reiterated his “full cooperation with the judiciary” and respect for the presumption of innocence. Zapatero, who governed…
Published on 27/05/2026 – 12:56 GMT+2 A map shared widely online has been used to falsely claim that the Andes strain of the hantavirus is spreading rapidly across Europe and North America. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The pictures are screenshots of a map from HantavirusMap.com, which have spread on X and TikTok in the aftermath of a hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius. Social media users are claiming that the red and orange markers on the map show confirmed hantavirus cases across the world, particularly in Europe and North America. This is, however, misleading. The screenshots from the website do…