-
Russia expands surveillance reach with Kaliningrad radar installation
Russia has built a large radar installation in Kaliningrad, its militarised Baltic enclave between Poland and Lithuania, extending its ability to monitor activity across Europe. If its reported capabilities are accurate, the system could detect aircraft, missiles and ships at long range, including targets in the UK, making the enclave an important surveillance site on…
-
Google Cloud’s London zones takes a nap, multiple services disrupted
A failure in Google Cloud’s London zone europe-west2-b disrupted several cloud services from 0608 UTC on 20 October, with no recovery time initially available. The incident affected customers and services across Western Europe, including banks, delivery firms and other businesses that rely on Google Cloud. Google listed BigQuery Data Transfer Service, Cloud Filestore, Cloud Run,…
-
Storm Adam floods eastern Spain, killing four and forcing evacuations
Storm Adam brought torrential rain and severe flooding to eastern Spain, killing four people, inundating towns and sweeping cars away. The flooding cut off several communities and prompted authorities to order residents to shelter indoors as emergency teams carried out rescues. Spain’s weather agency recorded 632 mm of rain in Pego over 36 hours, while…
-
London’s mobile networks fall to bottom of Europe’s capital league
London’s mobile networks have fallen from seventh place among 18 European capitals for median download speed in 2021 to last place in Ookla’s Q3 2026 comparison. The findings point to growing congestion and the difficulty of expanding capacity as demand rises, leaving the capital with the slowest speeds and the highest latency under heavy use.…
-
How booze bans made Europe drink differently
Alcohol restrictions across Europe often changed drinking habits rather than stopping people drinking, as consumers found ways around bans and governments eventually relaxed them. The measures helped shape traditions including weekend-focused drinking in Finland, Nordic trips abroad for cheaper alcohol and Iceland’s annual Beer Day. Finland’s prohibition lasted from 1919 to 1932, and 70% voted…
-
Putin, Trump and Xi three-way meeting to discuss Ukraine war proposed by Moscow after US president slammed Zelensky
Vladimir Putin has proposed meeting Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in China next month, potentially on the sidelines of the APEC forum, to discuss matters including the war in Ukraine. The idea comes as Trump has criticised Volodymyr Zelensky and suggested someone else should negotiate for Ukraine, raising concern in Kyiv that talks without its…
-
England unchanged to face France after Tonga defeat
England coach Brian McDermott has named the same 19-man squad for Saturday’s Rugby League World Cup match against France, despite England’s 30-12 opening defeat by Tonga. The result, England’s first loss to Tonga, leaves their semi-final hopes in danger, and the team likely need two wins by substantial margins to stay in contention. AJ Brimson…
-
Trump makes promise to Americans as France comes under siege from anarchists
Donald Trump used a rally in Kansas to promise that the United States would not descend into the unrest seen in France, blaming immigration and France’s border policies for the turmoil. His comments matter because they linked the French protests to his domestic political message and criticism of President Emmanuel Macron. The French demonstrations began…
-
Zelensky urges US senators to speed up Ukraine’s military support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a bipartisan group of US senators that Ukraine urgently needs military support, saying the situation is its most difficult since the war began. The appeal came as President Donald Trump questioned Zelensky’s leadership and said someone else should negotiate for Ukraine, amid a dispute over US support. Zelensky said Ukraine…
-
French soccer icon Emmanuel Petit condemns arson and looting, warns Macron to ‘protect honest citizens’
Former France midfielder Emmanuel Petit condemned the arson, looting and clashes during riots across France, saying those taking part were harming the country. His remarks matter because he also challenged President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders to protect law-abiding residents and address public concerns. Petit said he supported peaceful demonstrators frustrated by living costs and…