Popiežius Leonas XIV per valstybinį vizitą rugsėjo 26-ąją aukos mišias Paryžiaus Santarvės aikštėje ir gretimoje Eliziejaus laukų alėjoje, penktadienį naujienų agentūrai AFP pranešė Prancūzijos sostinės arkivyskupas Laurent'as Ulrichas (Loranas Ulrikas).

Šiandien „Sprinte“: demokratų į ministrus keliami politikai, atviri konservatorių kandidatų į Kauno merus rinkimai.

A nine-year-old and five women were killed when Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen drove into the market in 2024.

Temperatures in Germany could hit 40C in some areas while French officials bring in alcohol restrictions to ease pressure on hospitals.

Lithium battery fires are the number one safety risk to aircraft, yet the number of devices found in hold bags has nearly doubled in a year.

Rising costs are forcing more young adults to live with their parents, here's how not to come to blows.

The European Commission’s headquarters was forced to shut down its air-conditioning system on Friday due to the heat wave. Staff working at the Berlaymont building received a text at midday, reading: “BERL — URGENT — Due to extreme weather conditions, forced shut down of air cooling system from floor 1 to 7 for the rest of the day.” The 13-story building is home to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, her 26 commissioners and about 3,000 staff. Von der Leyen works on the 13th floor, and most of her commissioners’ offices are housed on floors eight or above. Belgium and much of Europe have been sweltering for the past week, with record-breaking temperatures. The Commission issued guidance for its staff earlier this week, which included avoiding going outside at the hottest times of day, drinking water regularly and starting work earlier. But the advice angered some Commission staff who work in buildings without air-conditioning, including DG AGRI, according to internal communications seen by POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook. “It’s like feudalism,” a Commission official working on a lower level of the Berlaymont, granted anonymity to speak freely, told POLITICO on Friday, referring to the fact that upper floors housing commissioners got to keep their AC on. A second official agreed it was a “disgrace.” A third staffer working on the 8th floor told POLITICO on Friday that even with working AC, the temperature inside was still 25.7 degrees. The heat wave has prompted a renewed discussion about the lack of air-conditioning systems in homes and offices across much of Europe. Only about one-fifth of households on the continent have AC. In Belgium, one-fifth of all trains are without AC, prompting the national rail company to cancel many peak-hour services. The European Parliament has also faced blackouts this week due to energy consumption from cranking up its cooling system. Gerardo Fortuna and Gabriel Gavin contributed to this report.

Germany’s biggest automaker Volkswagen plans to cut about 15 percent of jobs from its workforce of more than 650,000, according to a Friday report from Manager Magazin business magazine. VW had previously announced it would cut about 50,000 jobs by 2030. Friday’s report says CEO Oliver Blume intends to double that figure, close four factories and spin off the VW brand. The automotive giant has been struggling financially, reporting a 14.3 percent drop in operating profit in the first quarter of 2026 to €2.46 billion. In 2025, Volkswagen Group reported a €8.9 billion operating profit, a 53 percent decline from 2024.  The magazine’s report, which cites anonymous sources, says Blume already presented a restructuring plan to the company’s board. Under the plan, VW factories in Hanover, Emden and Zwickau; the Audi factory in Neckarsulm would close in the medium term. In an emailed statement to POLITICO, VW said it would “not comment on internal, confidential documents,” but added that “the entire Group — including its brands and subsidiaries — must undergo a profound transformation. To this end, the Group Executive Board has been working intensively over the past few months on a strategic plan for the company’s restructuring.” VW has been squeezed by declining demand from China, tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and a difficult transition to electric vehicles. The company’s struggles mirror challenges faced by many of Germany’s industrial giants. Bosch announced 20,000 job cuts in January, and Mercedes-Benz is offering severance packages to around 40,000 employees as part of a cost-cutting effort. A 2025 study conducted for the German Ministry for Economic Affairs estimated that about 90,000 jobs in the German auto sector would disappear by 2030. In response to the media report, representatives of VW’s works council and the German Metalworkers’ Union said Friday that “should such plans be pursued, we would do everything in our power to prevent them.” With Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government fighting to stem the deindustrialization of Germany’s traditional industries amid intensifying competition from China, VW’s planned layoffs are also expected to trigger a wider political backlash. Minister President of Lower Saxony Olaf Lies and Deputy Minister President of Lower Saxony Julia Willie Hamburg also said the state — which is the second-largest shareholder of VW — “will not approve any plan that relies on plant closures as a supposedly simple solution or that calls into question the proven system of co-determination.” This story has been updated.

Al-Zaidi campaign to combat corruption seizes $86m, properties, vehicles and gold. But analysts say he needs to do more.

Progressive, Muslim and Arab American candidates are challenging old limits on debate over Israel and Palestine.

Energy minister warns of risk to gas supplies if planned rules affecting imports come into force

People booking rooms during the day to work while others seek night-time respite from stifling apartments

How a French government inquiry has uncovered systemic judicial failures in investigating a man who's now accused of the murder of an 11-year-old schoolgirl. Her death has prompted mass protests nationwide. Also pregnant women in India are now entitled to 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave. But in a society which still has very traditional values, how many women actually return to work after childbirth? Plus divorce parties are catching on in France as people celebrate the end of one chapter before beginning another. 

William Hilderbrandt is pleased to welcome Paolo Cravero, Senior Officer for Communications and Media Relations at the IFRC. The devastating earthquake in Venezuela has exposed not only the immense human cost of a natural disaster, but also the complex interplay between humanitarian response, state capacity, and international solidarity. Carvero, ever-so-carefully avoids political judgement while presenting a broader humanitarian framework through which to understand the crisis. Rather than framing the catastrophe primarily as a failure of governance, Carvaero argues that an earthquake of such magnitude would overwhelm virtually any national emergency system.

Togo’s constitutional reform establishing a parliamentary system was unconstitutional, according to the ECOWAS Court of Justice.

Thousands of Shiite Muslims marked Ashoura in Nabatieh on 26 June, holding processions through neighbourhoods devastated by recent Israeli airstrikes in a powerful display of resilience.