Kai Kramatorske griaudi sprogimai, Oleksandras Čyvenkovas ir jo vadovaujamas policijos paramedikų padalinys neskuba į įvykio vietą. Priešingai – jie įsiklauso. Šiame kompaktiškame pramoniniame mieste, kur kiekvieno sprogimo garsas aidi tarp betono dangoraižių, pirmasis smūgis dažnai yra tik masalas.

Rusijos prezidentas Vladimiras Putinas ketvirtadienį pareiškė, kad Maskvos konfiskuotas Vakarų įmonių turtas Rusijoje yra įšaldytas ir galbūt galėtų būti grąžintas.

The Russian leader insists Moscow is "not threatening anyone" and is merely responding to statements by Western leaders.

The Pivdennyi bridge came under fire as a metro train was travelling across - the first such attack on Kyiv's bridges.

President Donald Trump has threatened to ban diesel exports in a bid to ease prices in the US.

The Treasury Committee, which is responsible for overseeing HMRC, has urged the body to scrutinise tax implications of the Manchester City verdict.

TIRANA, Albania — Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama took a playful shot at U.S. Democrats over ongoing “Flamingo Revolution” protests against a planned luxury resort backed by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. What started as protests against the project has evolved into broader anti-government protests and is now entering its 124th consecutive day, drawing widespread international media attention. Rama attributed this attention to the “long shadow of Donald Trump,” in an interview with WELT, which, like POLITICO, is part of Axel Springer’s Global Reporters Network. He added: “I told my Democratic friends in America: If you cannot beat Trump in America, do not come to Albania to take revenge. That is not fair.” Kushner is linked to a multi-billion-dollar project to develop a luxury resort on the uninhabited southern Albanian island of Sazan and an adjacent strip of shoreline next to a protected area inhabited by flamingos, pelicans and diverse wetland wildlife. The plans sparked national and international protests at the end of May, with rallies ongoing every night outside Rama’s office in Tirana. The protests drew widespread attention, with a resolution in the European Parliament, and international clothing brand Patagonia, and Kosovo-Albanian pop singer Dua Lipa getting involved. Rama said the plans involve two projects: One on the publicly owned Sazan Island, a former Soviet military base, with only 8% to be developed, and another on a privately owned peninsula. Protestors object to the project over environmental concerns and a lack of public consultation. Meanwhile, the country’s EU- and U.S.-backed Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption, SPAK, is investigating whether an Albanian businessman faked ownership documents related to the private land. The former owner has denied any wrongdoing. A spokesperson for the project’s investors, including Kushner, did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. Objecting to protest slogans such as “Albania is not for sale” and “Albania for Albanians”, Rama said, “If you were bringing foreign capital into Germany, would you then say that Germany was being sold off?” “I represent the interests of my country, and I will continue to do so,” he added. He also said negotiations over the project were still ongoing and that they would assess its environmental impact. At a press conference in Tirana Wednesday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Rama assured that his government will “shine a spotlight on the process by ensuring full transparency regarding all documents related to this widely discussed project.” While Rama met the EU Commission chief, several hundred people protested outside his office with placards reading “No EU with Rama.” The Axel Springer Global Reporters Network harnesses the resources of the company’s newsrooms to publish ambitious scoops, investigations, interviews, opinion pieces and analysis. It allows journalists — including those from POLITICO, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, Onet and Fakt — to collaborate on major stories for an international audience of hundreds of millions across platforms: online, print, TV and audio.

BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz moved to reassure allies in Europe and Kyiv that his domestic political weakness would not erode his government’s support for Ukraine as the war nears its fifth winter. The chancellor also sought to convince an increasingly wavering German electorate that it is in their direct interest for Berlin to provide military support for Ukraine — warning that failure to remain united behind Kyiv could one day invite a Russian military attack on Germany. “If we fail to rein in Moscow, the Russian war machine will, sooner or later, turn against us and against NATO,” Merz said during a speech at a ceremony in the western German city of Münster, where the alliance was awarded the Westphalian Peace Prize. “We must not turn a blind eye to this danger. Three generations after 1945, war would return to our part of Europe.” Merz went on to warn of the danger of conflict in Europe with some of his most dramatic language yet. “Would the Baltic states then become a battlefield for drone warfare, just as Donbas is today?” he said. “Which major European cities would be targeted by the ballistic missiles that Russia is currently firing at the populations of Kyiv and Kharkiv?” “Would we Germans ultimately be targeted as well? Would we once again experience the horrors of war firsthand? Ladies and gentlemen, our most urgent European and transatlantic responsibility today is to do everything in our power to avert this.” Merz’s comments came weeks after the far-right Alternative for Germany party recorded its best-ever election results, coming in first in two regional votes in the former East Germany, while the chancellor’s conservative Christian Democratic Union suffered historic defeats. The conservatives’ poor results were widely blamed on the deeply unpopular chancellor, prompting internal debate within his own party over whether to replace him. The surge in popularity for the Kremlin-friendly AfD sparked concerns in Kyiv and across Europe that Germany — which under Merz has become Ukraine’s greatest military supporter — could falter in its support for Ukraine. The AfD — a party that favors ending military support for Ukraine and re-establishing economic and energy ties with Moscow — is the most popular party in the country, according to surveys, polling well above Merz’s conservatives. Merz on Thursday took aim at the AfD, portraying the party as a conduit for Moscow’s influence and vowing that his government would continue to support Ukraine despite hybrid attacks and disinformation campaigns “orchestrated from Moscow” and spread through “the slogans of the AfD and its Russian backers.” At the event in Münster, Hendrik Wüst — the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia and the conservative politician often held up as a possible replacement for Merz — praised the chancellor’s leadership in what appeared to be an effort to project unity and quell talk of a so-called “chancellor swap.” “Chancellor Friedrich Merz assumed a pivotal role in NATO during a critical phase,” Wüst said ahead of Merz’s speech, commending the chancellor’s “clear commitment” to NATO’s 5% defense spending target. “While others hesitated, the German chancellor stayed the course, thereby providing stability to the alliance,” he went on, adding: “Thanks to you, dear Friedrich, it is clear that Germany is making a strong contribution to peace and freedom.” While Merz and Wüst sought to project stability and resolve to an international audience, many of the chancellor’s remarks aimed to convince an increasingly wavering German electorate to stay the course on military support for Ukraine. Many Germans continue to express worry about a potential Russian attack on NATO territory. According to a recent survey for German public television, 42% of respondents said military support for Ukraine goes too far — the highest proportion yet. Opposition to military support for Ukraine is particularly prevalent in the former East Germany, where the AfD is strongest. “Ukraine must get through this winter, and I am convinced it will. It can count on our help,” Merz said. “If we falter in Germany, then Europe falters,” he added. “If we remain steadfast, then Europe will remain steadfast.”

The filmmaker taking on Kenya’s colonised tea plantations

ICC and Axa terminate agreement amid mounting US criticism and looming financial restrictions on the court, FT reports.

German chancellor says Moscow’s escalation shows ‘desperation’ over the war in Ukraine

Even if the president backs down, his threat should prompt Europe to be more energy independent

British police on Thursday arrested a British-Iranian dual national in connection with the security incident at the Fairford airbase Wednesday. Five other men initially arrested over the incidence were later released without charge on bail.

With looming elections and a draft budget that aims to address a €305.7bn financing requirement, French households are increasingly in the red. Will wages ever manage to outpace energy inflation?

The 82-year-old has spent most of his life, since his ouster in 2019, between hospital and prison

Classes for some 1.6 million public-school students were due to start in early September but have been postponed indefinitely, as teachers regularly take to the streets to protest over unmet demands