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'It's clear that Moscow is just playing with Washington,' analyst says

12 October 2026 at 21:58
US President Donald Trump's envoys told ​Ukrainian officials on Friday that a deal to allow Russian diesel exports is part of a bid to draw Russia back to negotiations after the failure of previous efforts to launch sustained talks to end the war, three people familiar with the meeting told Reuters. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Grégoire Roos, director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes at Chatham House. He says that "it's clear that Moscow is just playing with Washington because Vladimir Putin knows that Donald Trump lives on borrowed time".

Au Mondial de l'auto de Paris, les marques chinoises présentes en masse

12 October 2026 at 21:55
Au Mondial de l'auto de Paris, plus d'un tiers des constructeurs automobiles présents sont chinois. Ces marques représentent, aujourd'hui, 10 % des ventes dans l'Union européenne (UE). En Chine, les ventes de voiture reculent. Alors, pour écouler sa production excédentaire, Pékin s'est tournée vers l'UE. Mais Bruxelles croule sous les importations chinoises et veut protéger son marché automobile. Un accord UE-Chine a été annoncé. Il limite les importations de véhicules hybrides chinois importés dans l'UE à 350 000 par an. 

Tehran denies involvement in UK Fairford air base incident as Britain summons Iranian ambassador

12 October 2026 at 21:23
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Monday accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of being responsible for a terror-related incident in September at England's Fairford air base, which is used by the United States military. Following Tehran's denial, the British Foreign Office summoned Iran's Ambassador for talks.

'Increasingly evident' Russia won't accept 'energy ceasefire': Zelensky

12 October 2026 at 20:40
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday it was clear that Russia would not agree to stop hitting energy targets, after US President Donald Trump unilaterally announced a deal between the warring nations. "It is increasingly evident that Russia is unwilling to accept an energy ceasefire proposed by the United States," Zelensky said on social media. FRANCE 24's Selina Sykes reports.

Andy Burnham promises ‘serious dialogue’ over UK’s relationship with EU

PM hails next month’s ‘reset’ summit as first step to closer ties, but tensions over trade may prove problematic

Andy Burnham has promised a “serious dialogue” over the UK’s future place in Europe, saying the existing relationship is “not good enough” as he framed next month’s Brussels summit as a possible first step to EU membership.

The prime minister said Britain must take a “clear-eyed rational look” at its long-term relationship with the bloc to boost economic growth and control immigration, which needed to go beyond Labour’s existing red lines.

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© Photograph: House of Commons/PA

© Photograph: House of Commons/PA

© Photograph: House of Commons/PA

'A lot of Ukrainians are feeling extremely betrayed' by Trump's Russian diesel deal

12 October 2026 at 20:04
Reporting from central Ukraine, FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg says that "a lot of Ukrainians are feeling extremely betrayed by a country that until recently they saw not only as an ally but as a beacon of freedom and democracy, a country whose values they should aspire to. All of that is falling apart very quickly and Ukrainians' admiration for the United States is disintegrating."

New publication: Discover EU-funded projects advancing AI, data and robotics

12 October 2026 at 15:54
HaDEA has published a new brochure highlighting EU-funded projects under Horizon Europe Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space, showcasing their results and contributions to Europe’s technological competitiveness and digital transformation. The publication explores how these projects are advancing artificial intelligence, data and robotics across a wide range of applications, from trustworthy AI and smart manufacturing […]

MEPs don’t have to meekly accept an EU budget deal, but will they go to war over €141bn in cuts?

12 October 2026 at 19:00

Getting co-decision powers on the budget, finally enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty after more than a decade of inter-institutional battles, was one of the European Parliament’s big wins. 

The challenge facing MEPs in the coming months is whether they are really going to use those powers on the 2028-34 budget. 

The early signs are that they are spoiling for a fight. The Irish government’s compromise proposal tabled on Saturday (10 October) – an 8 percent cut worth €141bn to the European Commission’s spending plan – isn’t exactly butchery. 

But it does display a startling lack of ambition, in particular on the raft of ‘own resources’ proposed by MEPs to make the budget process less vulnerable to member states wanting to reduce or at least freeze their annual contributions  

This time round, MEPs have proposed a digital services levy, an online gambling levy, and a levy on crypto-asset capital gains.

Put together the parliament reckons that these new taxes could bring an additional €30bn to the EU’s budget, on top of the €57.4bn that the EU commission believes can be raised from other levies, such as the emissions trading scheme and the carbon border levy. 

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Trump rewards Putin and betrays Ukraine with Russia diesel deal - The Latest

Donald Trump’s deal to buy Russian diesel has been met with fury from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said it was ‘a weak decision’ and would generate ‘billions’ in extra revenue for Putin’s war effort. The Ukrainian president has also rejected US calls for an ‘energy ceasefire’, which would require Kyiv to stop striking oil refineries, saying Moscow must first end its attacks on energy infrastructure. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s senior international correspondent, Luke Harding – watch on YouTube

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© Photograph: Image credits: AP Photo/Dan Bashakov AP Photo/Alex Brandon Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

© Photograph: Image credits: AP Photo/Dan Bashakov AP Photo/Alex Brandon Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

© Photograph: Image credits: AP Photo/Dan Bashakov AP Photo/Alex Brandon Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Russian Strikes against Ukraine Have Reached New Horrifying Level, Top United Nations Peacebuilding Official Warns Security Council, amid Calls for Immediate Ceasefire

10 October 2026 at 12:34
Russian Federation strikes have killed over 100civilians across Ukraine this week, United Nations officials told the Security Council today, warning that intensifying attacks on cities and critical infrastructure threaten to leave millions without electricity, heating and water as winter approaches. Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, […]

How significant are Burnham’s remarks on Kremlin interference in Brexit vote?

Prime minister has reopened the debate over whether Russia sought to influence the 2016 referendum

Andy Burnham unexpectedly reopened an old Brexit debate when he said he had been told after becoming prime minister that Russia had interfered in the 2016 EU referendum.

It was a contentious issue in the second half of the previous decade, but one that had largely been forgotten about as the UK finally adjusted to the reality of leaving the EU. Now Burnham’s comments have given the topic a fresh impetus.

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© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Reuters

© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Reuters

© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Reuters

A Complaint Against an Unscrupulous Company from 4,000 Years Ago

12 October 2026 at 17:24
Humanity has changed significantly over the millennia, yet in one respect, we have remained the same throughout history: we have always found things to complain about—dishonest merchants, for instance. The oldest known complaint, inscribed in cuneiform on a clay tablet, is directed at a Mesopotamian merchant named Ea-Nasir. Judging by the accusations, he was arguably […]

87 out of 561 Soviet Army monuments remain in Poland

12 October 2026 at 17:19
Russian Ambassador to Warsaw Georgy Mikhno stated recently that 87 Soviet military monuments remain in Poland—down from the original 561—and that these, too, are at risk of demolition, RIA Novosti reports. “According to the embassy, ​​Polish authorities have demolished 474 of the 561 monuments—specifically those not associated with burial sites—listed in the ‘Register of Memorial […]

Highways Built for Monkeys

12 October 2026 at 17:16
They aren’t made of asphalt, have no traffic lights, and no cars drive on them. Yet, these unusual “highways” are already saving thousands of lives. In the Brazilian Amazon, conservationists have built rope bridges high up in the trees, allowing monkeys, sloths, and other jungle inhabitants to safely cross over the roads. The results are […]

Scientists Create First Hypoallergenic Gene-Edited Dogs

12 October 2026 at 17:13
Scientists have used CRISPR gene-editing technology to create the first dogs lacking a key protein that triggers allergic reactions in humans, the Associated Press reported two months ago. The study, published in *The CRISPR Journal*, describes how specialists from the US company Kindred Companion Sciences created two female Beagles—Bailey and Alfie. They “switched off” the […]

Human speech alters the way dogs’ brains function

12 October 2026 at 17:10
The study challenges prevailing views on the evolution of language A new study conducted by Hungarian researchers reveals that dogs can segment continuous speech into words—a capability previously observed only in humans. Hungarian researchers from Budapest have discovered that human speech changes the way dogs’ brains work, even though the animals cannot speak themselves. The […]

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