EU: court rules against EC refusal to release text messages to Pfizer
The EU General Court has ruled that the European Commission failed to justify its refusal to release text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla regarding Covid-19 vaccine contracts. The case, brought…
Vatican: a new pope is elected
On 8 May Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, was elected as the new head of the Catholic Church, becoming the first North American, American, and Peruvian pope. A member of…
Ukraine: Putin announces three-day ceasefire
Vladimir Putin has announced a new three-day unilateral ceasefire, to run from 8 to 10 May, coinciding with Russia’s World War II commemorations. It follows a previous thirty-hour Easter ceasefire, which critics say Moscow repeatedly violated.…
Spain / Portugal: cause of massive power cut still not known
A widespread power cut on 28 April disrupted millions across Spain and Portugal, prompting investigations and huge public concern. Portugal’s national grid operator, REN, attributed the blackout to a rare atmospheric phenomenon which caused extreme temperature…
