Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Moscow on Thursday. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed the attack, writing on Telegram that it was "a just response to the constant Russian strikes against Ukrainian cities and towns". The oil refinery is one of the largest facilities in Russia and covers a significant proportion of the capital's fuel demands.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham of the Labour Party, has won the by-election for a seat in parliament representing the Makerfield constituency. As an MP in London, he can now challenge the embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a leadership election. If successful, he would become the new head of government.
The European Parliament has approved the deregulation of plants developed using genetic editing technology in food production. The new directive will mean that if the plant in question could in theory have been bred in a certain way naturally – i.e., no foreign genes have been introduced – the labelling requirements and most environmental assessments will no longer apply.
Prices for chicken, an important and affordable staple food, have risen by between 150 and 250 percent in Turkey since the start of the year. The Turkish Competition Authority had already identified a price-fixing cartel in 2025 and imposed heavy fines on 13 poultry companies. Now the Ministry of Justice has placed those same firms under trustee supervision. The national press questions this strategy.
The US and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war. US President Donald Trump signed the document at the Palace of Versailles, while Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian signed it digitally, according to a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran. The Strait of Hormuz is now to be reopened with immediate effect. Further issues – including what will happen with Iran's nuclear programme – are to be negotiated over the next 60 days.
The Russian artist and dissident Semyon Skrepetsky was shot dead in broad daylight on a street in the eastern Polish city of Biała Podlaska on Monday. The authorities are searching for the perpetrator. Four days earlier, Skrepetsky, known for his satirical caricatures of Putin, Lukashenko and Stalin, had demonstrated outside the Russian embassy in Berlin.
The leaders of the G7 countries have agreed on tougher sanctions against Russia and new arms deliveries to Ukraine. The summit's host, French President Emmanuel Macron, described the meeting in Évian as a "moment of strategic awakening", bearing in mind that US President Donald Trump left the summit early last year, thus blocking any joint decisions. For some commentators, however, the newfound unity is illusory.
In Lithuania, the Social Democrats have dissolved their ruling coalition with the right-wing populist party Nemuno aušra and plan to form a new government with the centrist Union of Democrats Vardan Lietuvos and the conservative Farmers' and Greens' Union (LVŽS) instead. Social Democrat Mindaugas Sinkevičius is set to replace his party colleague Inga Ruginienė as prime minister.
Citing national security risks, the US government is forcing AI developer Anthropic to block access to its most powerful models, Mythos 5 and Fable 5, for all non-US users. In response, the company has temporarily deactivated the two models entirely. Europe's media discuss the implications of Washington's decision in the debate about digital sovereignty.
Details of the framework agreement to end the war, which the US and Iran intend to sign in Geneva on Friday, have not yet been made public. The two sides have presented slightly different versions of the content. There are open questions regarding the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's nuclear programme and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon. The press sees numerous pitfalls.
The government in Prague has decided to scrap licence fees for Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo). In future, the two broadcasters are to be financed by the state budget, but will receive less money than before. The opposition says the government is seeking to gag these key media outlets. Commentators are also critical of the move.
