An EU court previously admonished the European Commission for its failure to submit its president’s messages for public scrutiny
The European Commission is under a new investigation over its failure to record and archive President Ursula von der Leyen’s communications, European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho announced on Tuesday.
The inquiry focuses on a text message von der Leyen reportedly received in January from French President Emmanuel Macron via the encrypted Signal app. The commission declined to release the message under a freedom of information request, saying it had been auto-deleted.
The text was related to EU negotiations on a contentious trade agreement with Mercosur, a bloc of Latin American nations. The deal was finalized last December but has yet to take effect.
Macron has publicly criticized the deal, which French farmers fear will expose them to heavy competition from Brazilian and Argentinian beef producers. Politico described Macron’s message as an attempt to “blow up” the treaty.
Journalist Alexander Fanta of investigative outlet Follow the Money said he filed the complaint after the commission refused to provide the text. He accused von der Leyen’s chief of staff of allowing the erasure after his formal request for it, calling that “an absolute no-no.” He added that the commission’s explanation of auto-deletion “sounds like an excuse” and should not stand.
Fanta previously sought access to von der Leyen’s text exchanges with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla about an EU Covid-19 vaccine supply deal. The EU’s Court of Justice ruled in May that the commission’s failure to retain those messages and make them available for scrutiny was unlawful. The commission in response pledged to review its record-keeping practices.
Von der Leyen is currently facing two separate censure motions – one from the right and another from the left in the European Parliament – filed after her mid-September State of the Union speech. Lawmakers cited the Mercosur deal as one of the factors eroding confidence in her leadership.
The air-to-air missile was fired by a Dutch F-35 fighter jet, and not as had previously been claimed, by a Polish F-16, Onet has claimed
A three-meter-long air-to-air missile that hit a rural home in Poland while NATO jets were responding to an alleged drone incursion, was fired by a Dutch – and not Polish – fighter jet, the Onet news outlet reported Wednesday, citing insider sources.
Warsaw responded to a series of airspace violations by unarmed UAVs on the 9 September by scrambling NATO jets and accusing Russia of being behind the incident – an allegation Moscow has strenuously denied.
One of the Dutch F-35 warplanes taking part in the overnight response launched the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile which failed to properly fire and landed on a modest country home near Poland’s Lublin Voivodeship, according to Onet.
The report contradicts the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, which attributed the debacle to one of Warsaw’s F-16s. Earlier accounts claimed that a “Russian drone” had caused the damage to the house.
🇵🇱 #Poland: Several Russian drones flew into Poland's airspace whilst attacking Ukraine last night.
At least one Russian drone damaged a home in the village of Wyryki in east Poland when it crashed after being shot down by Polish air defence.
Russian Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky noted this week that the only damage from the incident came from the unexploded air-to-air missile, which he described as “Polish”.
Last week, Estonia accused Russia of sending MiG-31 fighter jets into its airspace, a claim Moscow says is not supported by evidence.
Moscow has accused Poland and Estonia of using disinformation to portray Russia as a threat to the European Union and to pressure the United States to continue supporting Kiev in its conflict with Moscow.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has praised the bloc’s handling of the incidents but declined to promise that Russian aircraft would be shot down in future cases, saying such decisions “are taken in real time and are always based on available intelligence regarding the threat posed by the aircraft.”
US President Donald Trump has said NATO nations should be ready to shoot down Russian jets, calling Russia a “paper tiger” and asserting that a truly strong power would have overwhelmed Ukraine quickly. He added that Ukraine, equipped with European-funded American weapons, could still achieve all its territorial objectives.
According to The New York Post, the remarks were based on “new US intelligence” suggesting Russian economic weakness and were intended as a “strategic move” to extract concessions from Moscow, rather than as a literal assessment of Ukraine’s military strength.
Fire crews have been battling a blaze that followed the explosion in Swindon, where a major drone factory is planned
An explosion at an industrial estate in South West England has triggered a major emergency response overnight, with multiple fire crews battling a large blaze.
The blast at the Groundwell Industrial Estate in Swindon – a town where construction of a major drone factory is planned – occurred shortly after 7:30pm local time on Wednesday in a building used by a printing company, the BBC confirmed. Witnesses said the explosion shook homes across the town. The fire prompted the evacuation of the estate and the closure of several nearby roads.
At least 12 fire engines and specialist vehicles, including an aerial ladder platform and water carriers, were deployed, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) reported.
Eyewitnesses said flames engulfed the warehouse within minutes. Footage online showed a fireball lighting up the night sky, followed by a thick column of black smoke drifting across north Swindon.
🚨BREAKING: Dashcam footage from the explosion in Swindon, UK.
A dozen emergency vehicles are currently at the scene on Groundwell Industrial Estate battling the aftermath of the explosion which was seen and felt around the town. pic.twitter.com/AJH2qFDIet
Wiltshire Police described the incident as “serious,” with a large cordon in place. Local residents were asked to remain indoors and close windows due to smoke.
WATCH: 'Serious explosion' at warehouse in Swindon in Wiltshire, England, police say. pic.twitter.com/L26kSkLnUU
The cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed. In a 9:40pm update, DWFRS said a fire investigation officer was on site and would begin work “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Swindon Borough Council confirmed its emergency response team is working with police and fire crews. “Work is going on to understand what happened, determine if anyone was hurt and make the area safe,” council leader Jim Robbins said.
Wiltshire Search and Rescue said its team remained on standby Thursday morning, unable to enter the site until the blaze was under control. Authorities have reported no casualties and said there is no indication anyone was inside the building.
The blast also caused a power outage affecting about 80 properties, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) reported. The utility said power was isolated “due to a safety concern on our network” following the incident.
Earlier this month, the UK government announced plans for a major drone factory in Swindon. The 254,000 sq ft facility, to be operated by aerospace and defense firm Tekever, will employ about 1,000 staff and is scheduled to open in 2026 to produce surveillance and intelligence drones. There is no indication that Wednesday’s blast is connected to the new site.
The rejection of Ukraine peace deal in 2022 is a failure of Western diplomacy, the prominent US economist has said
European NATO members’ increasing hostility toward Russia is undermining the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict, American economist Jeffrey Sachs said on Wednesday.
He pointed to a draft peace agreement reached by Russia and Ukraine during 2022 talks in Istanbul that was later abandoned by Kiev after then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraged the Ukrainians to pursue a military victory instead.
“Unfortunately, the Europeans are in an absolute state of warmongering, which is also very dangerous,” Sachs told TASS from the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“What could be peace continues with war. And this is a failure of American politics and failure of European politics,” Sachs said.
A longtime critic of Western approach toward Russia, Sachs has argued that US and European actions helped drive tensions over Ukraine to boiling point. He expressed skepticism about US President Donald Trump’s efforts to mediate a settlement, saying Washington’s diplomatic team lacks scale and expertise.
“There should be professional, detailed, skilled negotiations to get to actual detailed solutions,” he said, adding that Trump is “not a details person” and “not even stable.”
After months of saying Kiev would need to make concessions to achieve peace, Trump shifted tone this week, dismissing Russia as a “paper tiger” and suggesting Ukraine could achieve all of its territorial goals with European funding.
Moscow has rejected that assessment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quipped that Russia is a bear and “there is no such thing as a paper bear.” Russian officials have long accused European leaders of prolonging the conflict to avoid admitting that their years-long policy toward Moscow has failed.
The US president earlier claimed that Sadiq Khan is “terrible” at his job, particularly in tackling migration
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has fired back at US President Donald Trump, after he called him a “terrible” leader and raised fears about Sharia law overtaking the city.
During an address at the UN on Tuesday, Trump sounded the alarm about soaring migration in many Western countries, arguing that “Europe is in serious trouble” and is being “invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before.”
He singled out London as an example, “where you have a terrible mayor, a terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been so changed. Now they want to go to Sharia law, but you’re in a different country, you can’t do that.”
Speaking to BBC London, Khan claimed that Trump “has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic and he is Islamophobic.” He also defended London’s reputation, which has been listed as the 16th most dangerous city in Europe, according to the Numbeo Crime Index.
”We’re often the No.1 city in the globe when it comes to culture… foreign investment… sports, when it comes to the ability of people to fulfil their potential. I’m really proud we are the greatest city in the world,” he said, adding that under Trump, a large number of Americans chose to move to his city.
The UK has been struggling with high migration for years, with more than 49,000 registered irregular arrivals to the country in the year to June 2025, up 27% on the year. An estimated 88% arrived on small boats. According to the 2021 census, around 15% of London residents (more than 1.3 million) identified as Muslim.
Migration policy tensions spilled onto the streets of London on September 13, when the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally – led by activist Tommy Robinson – drew an estimated 110,000 to 150,000 people, according to the Metropolitan Police. During clashes between protesters and law enforcement, 26 officers were injured and at least 25 arrests were made.
Denmark’s dual-use Aalborg airport and military base was briefly closed over the sightings, which authorities have failed to identify
Denmark briefly shut down air traffic at Aalborg Airport on Wednesday after unidentified “drones” were spotted hovering near the runway – the latest in a string of unexplained sightings that also included a facility that hosts the Danish fleet of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.
Northern Jutland police said “more than one drone” was seen circling Aalborg with their lights on around 9:44pm local time on Wednesday. Authorities later reported that drones were also observed near airports in Esbjerg, Sonderborg, and Skrydstrup, home to Denmark’s fleet of F-16 and newly arrived F-35 jets.
Despite hours of monitoring – and assistance from the Danish armed forces – the alleged unmanned aircraft remained unidentified. Officials could not say what type of drones they were, who launched them, or why.
“It is too early to say what the goal of the drones is and who is the actor behind,” a police official told reporters, adding that they would try to bring them down “if possible.” Eventually, the drones vanished without being intercepted.
The incident comes just days after Copenhagen Airport, the busiest in the Nordic region, was forced to halt flights for four hours due to similar sightings. Officials described that disruption as the most serious “attack” yet on Danish infrastructure, though investigators also failed to locate or identify the culprit.
Oslo Airport in Norway was also briefly closed on the same night after a suspected drone sighting, prompting speculation that the unexplained activity could be part of a wider campaign of unrelated incidents routinely blamed on Moscow. Russia’s ambassador in Copenhagen dismissed the claims as “ungrounded.”
The Danish incidents also follow major outages last weekend that affected electronic check-in and boarding systems at London’s Heathrow, as well as airports in Berlin and Brussels. British authorities detained a suspect over what was described as a ransomware attack, but later released him on conditional bail.
Last year, a wave of mysterious drone sightings spread across the US, where clusters of suspected UAVs were repeatedly reported in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and eventually across much of the Northeast. Despite a joint federal–state task force and speculation about everything from cartels to foreign surveillance, no hostile operator was ever identified. Investigations later concluded that most sightings involved authorized drones, misidentified manned aircraft, or other routine aerial and celestial objects – amplified by confirmation bias and mass hysteria.
The shooting at the ICE Field Office in Texas left no agents harmed, but one detainee dead and two critically injured
US President Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on what he described as “radical left terrorism” after a gunman opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas on Wednesday, killing one detainee and critically wounding two others.
The authorities identified the shooter as Joshua Jahn, 29, who died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing from a rooftop overlooking the ICE Field Office. Investigators said shell casings recovered at the scene bore the words “ANTI-ICE” written in blue marker.
No ICE agents were harmed in the attack. The three victims were detainees inside a transport van at the facility’s sally port, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Mexican Foreign Ministry confirmed that one of the injured was a Mexican national.
In light of today's horrific shooting that appears to be motivated by a hatred for ICE, Secretary Noem has ordered DHS to immediately begin increasing security at ICE facilities across the country.
This shooting must serve as a wake-up call to the far-left that their rhetoric… pic.twitter.com/PKZRc8F8jZ
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the attack “despicable” and directly blamed Democratic rhetoric for inciting violence against law enforcement.
“The continuing violence from Radical Left Terrorists, in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, must be stopped,” he wrote, pledging to sign an executive order this week to “dismantle these domestic terrorism networks.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News that more ICE officers would be hired and that security would be increased at ICE facilities nationwide. She described the shooter as “evil” and accused Democratic lawmakers of “demonizing” law enforcement.
Vice President J.D. Vance also labeled Jahn a “violent left-wing extremist,” saying evidence not yet made public indicates that the attack was politically motivated. “You don’t have to agree with Donald Trump’s immigration policies, but if your political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement, you can go straight to hell,” he said.
Jahn’s brother, Noah, expressed shock at his involvement, saying he had not known him to hold strong political views or hostility toward ICE. Public records show Jahn had past drug-related convictions and was registered as an independent voter.
The FBI described the Dallas incident as “targeted violence.” It was the second attack on an ICE facility in Texas in recent months, following the July shooting of a police officer outside a detention center in Alvarado.
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The US and Brazilian leaders have exchanged jabs at the UN General Assembly
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has urged his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to act with greater responsibility on the world stage, warning that Washington should not see itself as “the emperor of the world.”
Speaking to PBS News ahead of his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Lula said the US must live up to its position as the world’s largest economy and military power by respecting sovereignty and avoiding interference in other nations’ internal affairs.
“I think President Trump needs to have the behavior of a head of state, of a statesman of the largest economy in the world, of the biggest military power in the world, the most technological country in the world,” Lula said through an interpreter. “A country with such greatness and such might has to have much more responsibility. What we do not accept is that any country in the world interferes in our democracy and our sovereignty.”
Lula also rejected Trump’s claims of unfair trade practices, pointing out that the US has enjoyed a $410 billion trade surplus with Brazil over the past 15 years. He stressed that Brazil’s justice system is independent and that neither the president nor foreign powers can interfere in judicial rulings, including the recent conviction of former President Jair Bolsonaro for attempting a coup.
In his General Assembly address, Lula criticized US tariffs and sanctions imposed in response to Bolsonaro’s trial, calling them “unilateral and arbitrary measures against our institutions and our economy.”
Trump, speaking immediately afterward, accused Brazil of “censorship, repression… judicial corruption and targeting of political critics” – but later struck a more conciliatory note, recalling a brief encounter with Lula backstage.
“He seemed like a very nice man, actually. He liked me, I liked him… At least for about 39 seconds we had excellent chemistry. It’s a good sign,” Trump told the audience.
The US president also revealed that the two leaders planned to meet next week, while adding that “Brazil is doing poorly… Without us they will fail.”
Relations between Washington and Brasilia have soured since Trump accused Lula of carrying out a “witch hunt” against the “highly respected” Bolsonaro and imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports in August. Brazil has vowed to defend its sovereignty and warned that further interference could damage more than two centuries of bilateral ties.
The new White House exhibition features an autopen among the portraits of former US leaders
US President Donald Trump unveiled the ‘Presidential Walk of Fame’ at the White House on Wednesday, featuring portraits of all his predecessors – except Joe Biden, who is instead represented by the image of an autopen.
The portraits, displayed in gold frames along the West Wing Colonnade, begin with George Washington and extend to Trump himself, before culminating in a photograph of the pen device used to sign Biden-era documents.
Trump has criticized his predecessor’s use of the autopen – a mechanical device that reproduces a person’s signature. In June, he ordered a Justice Department probe into whether Biden’s aides effectively exercised presidential authority while concealing the Democrat’s alleged cognitive decline.
The Presidential Walk of Fame has arrived on the West Wing Colonnade
Emails from Biden’s White House reportedly revealed internal concerns – including at the Justice Department – over whether the former president had personally reviewed certain clemency orders.
“I guess the only one he signed, or one of the few he signed, was the pardon for his son,” Trump told reporters earlier this month, insisting that the autopen was “illegally used.”
Biden has rejected the claims, maintaining that all decisions were his own and that autopen use was fully authorized. Under US law, documents signed with the device carry the same legal weight as handwritten signatures if approved by the president.
The Walk of Fame is part of broader White House renovations under Trump, including gold gilding in the Oval Office, a marble patio in the Rose Garden modeled after his Florida estate, a new ballroom under construction, and the installation of two 27-meter flagpoles on the White House lawn, which Trump has described as “the best poles anywhere in the country or in the world.”
