The upgrade places the EU on the same diplomatic footing as the United States, China and Russia and was announced during a visit to Hanoi by European Council President António Costa. "At a moment when the international rules-based order is under threat from multiple sides, we need to stand side by side as reliable and predictable partners," Costa said, adding that the partnership is about "developing spheres of shared prosperity."
After spending months anticipating a holiday, a week spent packing and doing last minute admin, and several stressful hours going through check-in and security at the airport, the very last thing you want to hear is that your flight has been axed. Cancelled flights are far more common in some UK airports than others. And now, flight compensation site AirAdvisor has looked at data from the Civil Aviation Authority to reveal the cancellation rates across 20 of the UK's biggest airports in 2025. It also compared it to their rates in 2024 to figure out where cancellations are easing, and where they're getting worse.
Taras always resented his dark-red Russian passport and was happy to replace it with a blue Ukrainian one. But it was a process that took him 11 years and two trials. He is one of more than 150,000 Russian nationals living in Ukraine as the war with Russia continues. Most are relatives or spouses of Ukrainians or were born in Ukraine. Some are dissidents seeking refuge or volunteers with the Ukrainian army.
At the start of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas warned that Ukraine was facing a "humanitarian catastrophe" due to Russian strikes cutting power in frigid winter conditions. "It's a very hard winter and Ukrainians are really suffering. There is a humanitarian catastrophe coming there," she said Kallas said that Russia was "bombing Ukrainians, trying to bomb and freeze them to surrender," and that Moscow was not serious about peace during the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi.
Founded in Slovenia in 2002, REAL Security operates in eight countries across the region, connecting cybersecurity vendors with VARs, MSPs and MSSPs in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia. The firm is known for its focus on emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and blockchain, and as the organizer of the regional cybersecurity event, RISK.
BAY RIDGE - FASTELAVN, THE DANISH VERSION OF MARDI GRAS, comes to Bay Ridge on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Scandinavian East Coast Museum sponsors this annual event, held in advance of the penitential season of Lent, which is observed in many Lutheran countries, including in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Lent begins early this year, on Feb. 18, which will be Ash Wednesday. Bay Ridge carries a rich Scandinavian history dating back to the immigration waves of the mid-19th century and again post-World War II.
"It's so evocative. I'm surprised they got rid of it," Duffy said. "It's written by Stockton's Wing, Mike Hanrahan and the boys. I used to meet Mike in the old radio centre when he was in, doing bits of work." "And he'd always say to me, at least once a year: 'Thanks, we got the Lanzarote this year off it'. I just think it's evocative. And the programme is in a very hard time, a quarter to two. So you need something, a call to listen," he told The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk.
Hungarian prosecutors have charged Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony over his role in arranging last year's gay pride march in the capital city, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people despite a ban. Prosecutors have filed charges and seek a fine against the mayor of Budapest, who organised and led a public gathering despite a police ban, their office said in a statement announcing the case on Wednesday.
"Our shared commitment to advancing IoT innovation creates a unique opportunity to power some of the most advanced IoT solutions globally," he said. "Through our close alignment on values, culture and commitment to service, we can accelerate adoption across industries, enabling operators and enterprises to unlock the full potential of connected ecosystems. Together, we will make LoRaWAN the default infrastructure for massive IoT."
A Dublin Airport worker has failed to get the High Court to restore his security clearance after it was removed over his alleged "ability to facilitate nefarious activity" allegedly because he made a video in support of Gerry "the Monk" Hutch's election campaign.
Stat of the National League's opening weekend: Mayo kicked the same number of two-pointers in the first half in Salthill on Sunday - three - as they did across their six championship matches of 2025.
Solo travel can be intimidating, but it also gives you total freedom. You can eat where you want, linger where you want and change plans on a whim. TripAdvisor just released its 2026 Travelers Choice Awards, including Best of the Best Destinations, and, for the first time, the list includes awards for the best destinations for solo travel. The Best of the Best Awards are based on millions of reviews and ratings from October 2024 to September 2025.
European markets have kicked off on a negative fitting in a day that looks jampacked full of potential obstacles that will leave many be believing they are best served sitting it out for now. In a week that has seen a new front runner for the fed chair position, today's FOMC interest rate decision provides the basis for market rate expectations in the months ahead.
The chief executive of Rowing Ireland did not attend an Oireachtas committee hearing into the safeguarding of high-performance athletes at the organisation in what was described as an "extraordinary meeting before it ever started".
A Qatari military cargo plane carrying security staff in Italy to assist with law enforcement for the Winter Olympics struck a lighting tower on Sunday as it manoeuvred upon landing at Milan's Malpensa airport, it has emerged. The aircraft was carrying 104 personnel from the Gulf state's elite security forces, plus huge jeeps and snowmobiles, as part of an agreement made with the Italian government, despite Qatar not competing in the games.
Businesses and residents in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford are continuing to count the costs of Tuesday's catastrophic flooding which saw the River Slaney burst its banks and wreak havoc throughout the town. Despite being forewarned on Monday that flooding was likely due to the arrival of Storm Chandra, residents and retailers were forced to deal with a worst-case scenario as the River Slaney reached record levels by high tide at lunchtime on Tuesday.
Russia targeted a passenger train in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine killing five people, authorities said. A Russian drone hit a carriage carrying nearly 200 passengers, Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on social media. The train strike occurred just hours after drones pounded the southern city of Odesa, killing three people and wounding 25 Russia has intensified attacks on energy infrastructure, leaving Ukrainians without power in freezing temperatures.
Andy Farrell has been left reeling by another blow, with news that Hugo Keenan is out of Ireland's opening Six Nations game against France on Thursday week after suffering a fractured thumb in training yesterday.
After Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Janos Lazar is one of the most recognizable politicians in Hungary. In fact, the construction and transpor minister, who regularly makes headlines with racist and belittling attacks on minorities and poor people, is one of the few recognizable politicians within Orban's Fidesz party. He is still remembered for saying years ago that "those who have nothing are worth exactly that." Lazar, who is said to be keen to replace Orban one day, has now created the biggest scandal yet in Hungary's 2026 election campaign.
