Bill White, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, has drawn attention ever since his appointment — fittingly, the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States was a grand affair in the heart of Europe. Sunday, however, didn't go entirely smoothly.
Russia has armed a gas tanker in the Baltic Sea with heavy machine guns. This is evident from photos taken by the Estonian Border Guard and documents reviewed by researchers. According to media reports, the ship, the Marshal Vasilevskiy, is sailing along the coasts of NATO countries in the Baltic region and is also carrying Russian military personnel on board.
Eleven people were killed on Sunday in Tomblaine, France, near Nancy, when a small civilian plane belonging to a skydiving school crashed shortly after takeoff. The aircraft took off from Nancy-Essey Airport and, moments later, crashed vertically just a few hundred meters from the runway in an area close to residential homes. According to BFMTV, there were no casualties on the ground.
Russian President Vladimir Putin blames the West for Russia’s problems.
The world will be less peaceful in 2026 than it was a year earlier, but a small group of countries remain remarkably stable. According to the Global Peace Index, the peace situation deteriorated in 99 countries, though Iceland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Ireland in particular remain at the top of the rankings. This is according to the 2026 Global Peace Index.
Elon Musk has given Armie Hammer’s comeback a major boost. The tech billionaire shared the new film “Citizen Vigilante” on X, instantly bringing director Uwe Boll’s controversial action film to a much wider audience. Boll had made the film available for free on the platform for 48 hours just before that.
U.S. President Donald Trump has once again lashed out at Iran following new U.S. attacks on Iranian targets and tit-for-tat exchanges of fire in the region around the Strait of Hormuz. On his platform Truth Social, Trump wrote that the U.S. may reach a point where it will be “forced” to “finish the job militarily”—a mission he claims has already begun successfully. “If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist,” he warned.
Tens of thousands of people took part in Budapest Pride on Saturday, the first since the departure of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The parade crossed the Elizabeth Bridge over the Danube, among other places, and took place amid a scorching heat wave. According to an AFP journalist, turnout was lower than in 2025 but higher than in previous years, when approximately 35,000 people participated.
A video of a Russian veteran threatening Putin with mutiny has already been viewed millions of times on social media.
Is Russia the promised land for those who are frustrated by the erosion of moral standards and want to return to traditional values? BBC World set out to investigate and sought out Westerners who are openly anti-woke and have moved to Russia.