Bulgaria – the poorest country in the European Union – has become the 21st member of the eurozone – leapfrogging more obvious and prosperous candidates like Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. For mostly urban, young and entrepreneurial Bulgarians, it’s an optimistic and potentially lucrative leap – the final move in a game which has […]
Continue ReadingHours later a Finnish patrol vessel caught the Fitburg with its anchor in the water in Finland’s exclusive economic zone, the country’s coast guard reported. “At the moment we suspect aggravated disruption of telecommunications and also aggravated sabotage and attempted aggravated sabotage,” Helsinki police chief Jari Liukku told media. “Finland is prepared for security challenges […]
Continue ReadingOn The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed victory in Ukraine in a defiant speech despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war. Putin used his annual televised New […]
Continue ReadingRussia’s defence ministry released video footage on Wednesday of what it said was a downed drone at a briefing intended to show Ukraine tried this week to attack a presidential residence and challenge Kyiv’s denials that such an attack took place. Kyiv says Moscow has produced no evidence to support its allegations and that Russia […]
Continue ReadingFrance could ban social media for under-15s as early as next September, according to a draft law which will be discussed by parliament early in 2026. The law would prohibit social media platforms from providing their services to children under 15 years old as of 1 September 2026, according to the draft seen by Le […]
Continue ReadingA security guard follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech on a screen in Beijing.Image: keystone December 31, 2025, 1:58 p.mDecember 31, 2025, 1:58 p.m In his New Year’s address, China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping highlighted the country’s technological progress and at the same time reiterated its claim to reunification with Taiwan. […]
Continue ReadingThe Polish digital minister Dariusz Standerski has asked the Commission to investigate TikTok under the Digial Services Act (DSA) over the spread of AI-generated disinformation videos. Poland has recently seen a surge of AI videos that call for the country to leave the EU, the minister said in a post on X on Tuesday, which […]
Continue ReadingRomania has joined the club of Western countries that buy US-made weapons for Ukraine, pledging €50 million to the so-called PURL fund created in the summer. The announcement was made by Romanian foreign affairs minister on social media on Wednesday. The Priority Acquisition List for Ukraine’s Defence is an initiative approved by US President Donald […]
Continue ReadingMali and Burkina Faso say they will bar US citizens from entering their countries in response to a similar move by the Trump administration. The two West African states were recently placed under full entry restrictions under US President Donald Trump’s expanded travel ban. In separate statements, they said they would apply the same measures […]
Continue ReadingDecember 31, 2025, 10:16December 31, 2025, 10:16 The USA and Israel are said to have agreed on a two-month deadline for disarming the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas. US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on this at their meeting in Florida, a source familiar with the matter confirmed. The newspaper “Israel […]
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