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  • King Charles III’s charity celebrates 50 years of helping young people find work with a gala in NYC

    King Charles III’s charity celebrates 50 years of helping young people find work with a gala in NYC

    As King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive in the United States for their first state visit since Charles ascended to the British throne, one of the monarchy’s most enduring charitable initiatives is stepping into the global spotlight: The King’s Trust, formerly known as The Prince’s Trust, is celebrating 50 years of lifting young disadvantaged entrepreneurs and job seekers out of economic uncertainty, with plans to deepen its work across the U.S. and more than 20 other countries.

    The organization’s origin story traces back to 1976, when a young Prince Charles poured his entire £7,600 Royal Navy severance pay into launching the charity amid widespread economic turmoil across the United Kingdom. Half a century later, the trust reports it has supported more than 1.3 million young people across the UK, turning early seeds of opportunity into household names from actor Idris Elba to fashion designer Ozwald Boateng. But for Scottish entrepreneur Mike Welch, now a Florida-based business leader who built a multimillion-dollar fortune as an online tire retailer, the charity’s impact is a deeply personal turning point that changed the entire trajectory of his life.

    Welch, a working-class dyslexic teen, left school at 15 after struggling with college entrance exams and landed a job installing tires. When that position fell through, he found himself waiting in line at a Liverpool job center, staring at two options: an opening for a funeral director role, which he calls a “great career” but a “pretty grim” path, and an advertisement for a Prince’s Trust charity event offering small business grants to young aspiring entrepreneurs. He chose the grant opportunity, and less than a day later, he was pitching his unpolished idea: selling affordable tires to niche customers like his friends who owned customized modified cars. What the plan lacked in structure, it made up for in enthusiasm — and the trust backed him. He walked away with a £500 (worth roughly $677 today) grant and access to a mentor who offered office space for his new venture. That small startup eventually sold to tire giant Michelin for £50 million ($68 million). “It wasn’t a well thought out plan, really,” Welch recalled. “But they backed me. And they backed my enthusiasm. And they gave me a chance.” If he had chosen the funeral director listing instead, he says he would have built his career in death care instead of e-commerce.

    Today, the organization bears a new name: it rebranded from The Prince’s Trust to The King’s Trust after Charles became monarch in 2023. It has long outgrown its UK origins, expanding its footprint primarily across countries that were once part of the British Commonwealth, with a growing focus on the U.S. market. Its core programs are built around one core belief: young people from marginalized communities do not just need funding — they need opportunity. Offerings include Get Hired, which supports young people without college degrees to land their first full-time job; Development Awards, small grants to cover work essentials like laptops, professional clothing or training; and the Enterprise Challenge, an afterschool program that tasks students with building small businesses to solve pressing local problems.

    That model has already delivered tangible results in the U.S. At Chicago’s Collins Academy High School, located in the majority-Black, economically disinvested neighborhood of North Lawndale, students launched C2C: Crops2Customers, a small business that grows and sells fresh produce to local retailers that lack access to affordable healthy groceries. The team won the King’s Trust USA Enterprise Challenge, and for principal LaKenya Sharpe, the win was about far more than the prize. “A lot of times our babies, especially in this community, feel like no one’s watching, no one is looking, no one is paying attention,” Sharpe explained. “This shows that they can achieve anything. Their belief now is ‘Oh, other people are watching. Other people are seeing this.’ And they ask ‘How far can this go?’ My answer is, ‘It can go as far as you guys take it. Don’t let anything limit you.’”

    To mark its 50th anniversary, the trust will host a high-profile gala in New York on Wednesday, designed to highlight the longstanding philanthropic partnership between the UK and the U.S. The event comes at a moment of unusual political tension between the two allies: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent refusal to back U.S. military action against Iran has sparked anger from U.S. President Donald Trump. But charity observers note that Charles’ choice to center the trust during the state visit offers a quiet reminder of the shared priorities that bind the two nations beyond political rifts.

    “The harsh reality today is that the need for the work of people like the trust is growing at a rate far faster than we can grow,” said Jeremy Green, trustee of the King’s Trust Group Company and chair of King’s Trust USA. JP Tribe, a senior law lecturer at the University of Liverpool who specializes in royal patronage, explained that Charles’ decision to build his own charity, rather than just lend his name to an existing organization, speaks to his longstanding commitment to youth employment. “Hopefully the gala is a kind of event which shows that both countries have and can continue to engage in very positive public benefit activity that helps the most disadvantaged in our society,” Tribe said.

    King’s Trust USA has set an ambitious target: reach 1,000 young people across the country in 2024, working with local partners including education nonprofit City Year, workforce development organization Per Scholas, and Maryland public school districts to pilot its core programs. Victoria Gore, CEO of King’s Trust USA, notes that the organization’s focus on local impact aligns with what young participants already prioritize: solving problems in their own backyards. “Keeping employment in communities and keeping people in communities is actually the key to everyone’s success,” Gore said.

    For Welch, who now runs the Anglo Atlantic advisory and investment firm, the blueprint for successful U.S. expansion is already proven. The model that worked for a teen in Liverpool works just as well for a student in Chicago or an aspiring entrepreneur in Orlando, he says — all it takes is partnership with local organizations that can connect the trust to the young people who need support most. “It doesn’t require giant investments to make an impact,” Welch emphasized, pointing to his own small £500 grant that grew into a multimillion-dollar business.

    Looking ahead, the trust plans to launch a fundraising campaign in 2026 to build a permanent endowment for its UK operations, capping off a year of global celebrations for its 50-year legacy of opening doors for young people. The Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits for this story received support through a collaboration with The Conversation US, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., with the AP retaining sole editorial control over the content.

  • UK prime minister condemns attack after 2 stabbed in a Jewish neighborhood of London

    UK prime minister condemns attack after 2 stabbed in a Jewish neighborhood of London

    LONDON – A Wednesday morning stabbing incident in Golders Green, a northwest London neighborhood with one of the largest Jewish communities in the United Kingdom, has left two people injured and sparked a cross-unit counterterrorism investigation into what officials have formally classified as an antisemitic attack. A 45-year-old suspect is currently in custody, facing suspicion of attempted murder following the violent assault.

    According to local Jewish security organization Shomrim, witnesses observed the suspect moving along Golders Green Road armed with a large blade, actively targeting Jewish civilians going about their daily routines. Members of Shomrim, a community patrol group that provides supplementary security for Jewish neighborhoods across the U.K., managed to detain the suspect before law enforcement arrived. Metropolitan Police officers subsequently took the suspect into custody, deploying a stun gun to subdue him during the arrest. Officials confirmed the suspect also attempted to stab responding officers, though no law enforcement personnel were harmed in the confrontation.

    The two victims, a man in his 30s and a second man in his 70s, were transported to local hospitals for treatment. As of the latest update, both are reported to be in stable condition, with no immediate threat to their lives.

    Counterterrorism detectives have taken lead on the investigation to determine whether the stabbings are connected to a recent string of arson attacks targeting synagogues and other Jewish community sites across London. While investigators are probing potential extremist links, the incident has not yet been formally designated as an act of terrorism. Detectives are still working to establish the suspect’s full background, nationality and potential motives, with Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams noting that “investigators are considering all possible motives” tied to the attack.

    The stabbing comes on the heels of multiple arson incidents over recent weeks that have all targeted Jewish infrastructure within a few miles of Golders Green. Those attacks damaged a Jewish charity’s ambulance fleet parked in the neighborhood and hit a synagogue located a short distance away. No injuries were reported in any of the arson attacks, and law enforcement has already arrested and charged multiple suspects ranging in age from teenagers to people in their 40s. Counterterror officials are currently examining whether the arson attacks were carried out by proxies linked to Iran, a line of inquiry that has now expanded to include the Wednesday stabbing.

    Local residents expressed shock and unease following the latest attack, which comes amid a sustained rise in antisemitic aggression across the country. “It happens in Israel, but happening on our own doorstep, of course it’s shocking,” said Golders Green resident Moishe Grunfeld, who spoke of his concern for his children and grandchildren who live in the area. Golders Green has long been a central hub for British Jewry: the neighborhood is home to dozens of synagogues, multiple Jewish day schools, and a wide array of kosher businesses, alongside sizable Asian and Middle Eastern communities. The broader U.K. Jewish community numbers roughly 300,000 people, a small share of the country’s total population but one with deep, centuries-long roots in British society.

    Top political leaders across the U.K. united to condemn the attack. Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized the inseparable link between attacks on British Jews and attacks on the nation itself, stating that “attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.” London Mayor Sadiq Khan echoed that condemnation, noting that “London’s Jewish community have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks.” He added, “There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society.”

    The incident is the latest in a dramatic nationwide surge in antisemitic hostility recorded since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent outbreak of the Gaza war. Data from the Community Security Trust, the leading organization tracking antisemitic incidents in the U.K., shows recorded attacks jumped from 1,662 in 2022 to 3,700 in 2025. Britain’s Chief Rabbi has warned that British Jews are now facing an organized campaign of violence and intimidation. The Golders Green stabbing also comes just months after a fatal antisemitic attack in Manchester in October 2025, when an attacker drove a vehicle into a crowd gathered outside a synagogue on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, stabbing one person to death. A second person at the scene died after being inadvertently shot by responding police.

  • Irish government announces further fuel supports after protests

    Irish government announces further fuel supports after protests

    Weeks after widespread public demonstrations against skyrocketing fuel prices brought major Irish infrastructure to a standstill, the Irish government has formally announced a new €220 million (£191 million) targeted relief package designed to ease cost pressures on commercial transport operators, farmers, agricultural contractors and fishers. The government has emphasized that policy work on the support framework began long before protests kicked off early in April, when demonstrators blocked key motorways across the country and paralyzed Dublin’s main commercial thoroughfare.

    This new package marks the latest round of government intervention to address volatile fuel costs, following earlier cuts to excise duty on both petrol and diesel rolled out in preceding months. Details of the two new targeted schemes were laid out by cabinet ministers on Wednesday at Dublin’s Government Buildings.

    The first initiative, the €120 million Road Transporters Supports Scheme, is tailored for road hauliers, bus companies and coach operators. The program will be backdated to March, covering the period when average national diesel prices surged past the €1.90 per litre benchmark – a threshold the government identifies as the point where fuel costs become unsustainable for commercial transport operators. Payments under the scheme are structured on a graduated sliding scale tied to the number of vehicles an operator holds on their license: operators with five or fewer vehicles will receive €1,350 per vehicle, those with 6 to 20 vehicles get €790 per vehicle, and businesses with more than 21 vehicles will receive €300 per vehicle. Applications for the scheme will open in May 2026.

    The second initiative, the €100 million Fuel Support Scheme, targets farmers, agricultural contractors and commercial fishers, who rely heavily on green diesel – a marked fuel priced lower for agricultural use that has seen significant cost hikes in recent months. This program is also backdated to March and will run through the end of July, providing support equal to roughly 20 euro cents per litre of green diesel (€200 per 1,000 litres), based on verified fuel usage from 2025.

    Alongside the two sector-specific support schemes, the government is launching a public communications campaign to share guidance for households and small businesses looking to manage rising energy and fuel costs. Counting this latest announcement and all prior excise cuts, the Irish government has now allocated a total of €755 million (£654 million) to fuel-related relief measures in recent months. It has also paused scheduled annual increases to the national carbon tax to avoid further pushing up fuel costs for consumers and businesses.

    Speaking at the announcement, Irish Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien framed the new package as targeted and time-limited, noting that while the government retains flexibility to introduce additional support if needed, it must maintain sustainable management of public finances. Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon added that the package reflects the government’s commitment to responding in real time to the cost challenges facing key sectors of the Irish economy.

  • Read the complete transcript of King Charles III’s speech to Congress

    Read the complete transcript of King Charles III’s speech to Congress

    WASHINGTON — In a landmark address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, King Charles III has delivered a sweeping, history-rooted speech celebrating the centuries-long interconnected destiny of Britain and the United States, while calling for renewed collective action to confront modern global crises against a backdrop of widespread international uncertainty.

    Opening his remarks, the King extended sincere gratitude to congressional members and the American public for the opportunity to speak during his first visit to the U.S. as monarch and head of the Commonwealth, marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. He began with a lighthearted nod to the shared cultural ties between the two nations, quoting Oscar Wilde’s famous quip: “We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language.”

    King Charles acknowledged the precarious global moment the address was delivered in, noting ongoing conflicts stretching from Europe to the Middle East that have created ripple effects felt in communities on both sides of the Atlantic. He also directly referenced the recent violent incident near the Capitol that targeted U.S. national leadership and sought to sow division, stating with unwavering conviction that such acts of aggression will never undermine democratic resolve. “Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries,” he affirmed.

    The monarch traced the deep historical roots of the bilateral relationship, noting that the modern connection between the two nations stretches back more than four centuries, and he is the 19th British sovereign to follow U.S. affairs closely. He paid tribute to Congress as a “citadel of democracy” founded to advance universal rights and freedoms, and recalled his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s 1991 address to the same chamber, drawing a throughline of diplomatic friendship between the two nations. He even added a touch of gentle humor referencing the ancient British parliamentary tradition of holding a member of parliament hostage at Buckingham Palace during the State Opening of Parliament, prompting a light response from assembled lawmakers.

    Reflecting on the foundational dispute of American independence, King Charles framed the conflict as a testament to the shared democratic roots that bind the two countries today. The core principle of “no taxation without representation,” he noted, grew from democratic values inherited from British legal and political tradition, turning an early disagreement into the foundation of a resilient partnership. Citing former U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2019 remarks during a state visit to the UK, he echoed that the kinship between the U.S. and UK is “priceless and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable.”

    He further traced shared ideological origins back to the 1215 signing of Magna Carta, noting that the foundational document’s principles of checks and balances on executive power have been cited in more than 160 U.S. Supreme Court cases since 1789. He pointed to the shared memorial stone at Runnymede, where an acre of the historic Magna Carta site was gifted to the U.S. by the British people in memory of President John F. Kennedy, as a lasting symbol of shared commitment to liberty.

    Against the current era of global turbulence, King Charles called for a revitalization of the transatlantic alliance, echoing Henry Kissinger’s framing of an Atlantic partnership built on twin pillars of Europe and America, a partnership he says is more critical today than at any point in history. Recalling his grandfather King George VI’s 1939 visit to the U.S. on the cusp of World War II, he noted that while the geopolitical context has shifted dramatically, the shared values that united the two nations then remain just as vital today.

    Addressing modern security challenges, King Charles announced the UK’s commitment to the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War, a transformation he said is necessary to address evolving global threats. He also marked the upcoming 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, noting that he and Queen Camilla would pay their respects to victims and their families during their stop in New York, reaffirming that Britain stood with the U.S. then and continues to stand with the nation today. He recalled the unified global response after the attacks, when NATO invoked Article V for the first time in its history, as a testament to the centuries-long history of shared sacrifice between the two nations.

    The King reaffirmed unwavering support for Ukraine and its people, calling for continued collective resolve to secure a just and lasting peace. He outlined deep integrated defense cooperation between the U.S. and UK, from joint production of F-35 fighter jets to the groundbreaking AUKUS submarine partnership with Australia, noting these projects are built not on sentiment alone but on a shared commitment to long-term regional and global security.

    Beyond security, King Charles highlighted the deep economic and technological ties that bind the two economies, noting $430 billion in annual bilateral trade and $1.7 trillion in mutual investment that supports millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. He outlined new partnerships in cutting-edge fields including nuclear fusion, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and pharmaceutical discovery, partnerships he said hold the promise of saving millions of lives around the globe.

    He also drew attention to shared environmental responsibility, noting that the ancient Appalachian and Scottish mountain ranges were once a single continuous landmass, a natural reminder of the shared global fate of the two nations in confronting climate change and biodiversity collapse. He emphasized that the collapse of natural systems threatens both global prosperity and national security, a risk the world cannot afford to ignore.

    Closing his historic address, King Charles framed the U.S.-UK relationship as one of the most consequential alliances in human history, forged from early division into a partnership that has shaped global order for decades. He called on both nations to reject inward-looking nationalism and reaffirm their shared commitment to defending democratic values alongside global partners. Echoing Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he noted that the world will remember actions more than words, and called for a rededication of the two nations to serving their people and all the people of the world. He closed with a simple, heartfelt toast to the enduring friendship between the two nations: “God bless the United States and God bless the United Kingdom.”

  • Another Russian oil facility burns after Zelenskyy touts Ukraine’s drone reach

    Another Russian oil facility burns after Zelenskyy touts Ukraine’s drone reach

    In a significant escalation of Kyiv’s cross-border long-range strike campaign, Ukraine has confirmed it carried out a drone attack on a critical oil facility deep in the Ural Mountains of Russia, more than 1,500 kilometers from Ukrainian territory, marking one of the farthest-reaching strikes in the more than four-year-old full-scale invasion. The target, located in Russia’s Perm region, was an oil pumping station operated by Transneft, Russia’s state-owned pipeline monopoly, which serves as a key hub for the country’s oil transportation network. Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, confirmed it orchestrated the strike as part of Kyiv’s systematic effort to disrupt Russia’s energy infrastructure and cut off revenue that funds its invasion.

    Multiple Russian sources have acknowledged the incident, though local authorities have offered limited details. Perm Governor Dmitry Makhonin only confirmed that an unspecified industrial site was hit by a drone, triggering a large blaze. This strike follows closely on the heels of a third attack on Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery and Black Sea terminal in less than two weeks, which forced mass civilian evacuations and prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to warn of potential severe environmental damage. By Wednesday, Russian officials stated the Tuapse fire had been contained.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly acknowledged the expanding scope of Kyiv’s long-range strike operations in a Telegram post Wednesday, alongside unverified footage showing a massive column of black smoke rising over a rural area near an urban settlement. Though he did not explicitly name the Perm facility, Zelenskyy made clear Ukraine is entering a new phase of targeting Russian war capacity. “We will continue to increase these ranges,” he stated, noting the 1,500-kilometer straight-line distance of the Perm strike and framing the attacks as a tactic to cut off the Kremlin’s access to critical oil revenue that sustains its war effort. Zelenskyy later praised the SBU for the precision of the operation, echoing claims from the security service that most oil storage tanks at the Perm hub were engulfed in flames. To date, none of Ukraine’s claims about the strike’s scale or damage have been independently verified by third-party outlets.

    The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) released an analysis this week noting that Kyiv’s escalating strikes on Russian energy infrastructure are specifically designed to block unexpected financial gains Moscow has secured from a U.S. sanctions waiver, at a time when global energy supplies remain constrained by geopolitical conflict. The think tank added that Ukraine is effectively exploiting a key structural vulnerability of Russia: its vast territory stretches thousands of kilometers, creating an enormous attack surface that Russia’s overstretched air defense systems cannot fully cover. “Ukrainian forces will likely continue to exploit the large attack surface of Russia’s deep rear and overstretched Russian air defenses to launch more frequent and larger strikes against Russian oil infrastructure and military assets, supported by increased Ukrainian domestic drone production,” the ISW’s analysis read.

    This strike comes amid a landmark shift in Ukraine’s defense production capacity. After relying heavily on Western military aid for the first years of the war, Kyiv has now ramped up domestic drone manufacturing to the point that it is reporting a surplus of some weapons systems, and is poised to share drone technology and expertise with partner nations around the world. In a Telegram post Tuesday, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine is now producing a surplus of up to 50% for some types of weapons, and that military cooperation projects are already active with partners across the Middle East, Gulf states, Europe, and the Caucasus. These partnerships cover joint production and supply of drones, missiles, related software, and defense technology, Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv has also submitted a formal proposal to the U.S. for expanded joint cooperation on drones, multi-domain defense systems, and other weaponry.

    On the same day as the Perm strike, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted 98 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple Russian regions and Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Moscow illegally annexed in 2014. Meanwhile, Russia continued its own campaign of near-nightly long-range strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, killing and wounding civilians across multiple regions. In Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, regional prosecutors confirmed eight people were wounded in an overnight attack. In neighboring Sumy region, officials reported a 60-year-old woman died from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a Russian strike. In the southern Odesa region, Russian forces hit the port city of Izmail, damaging critical infrastructure and a district hospital. Ukraine’s air force reported it intercepted 154 of the 171 drones Russia launched in the overnight wave of attacks.

  • A barge carrying Timmy the humpback whale begins journey to the North Sea

    A barge carrying Timmy the humpback whale begins journey to the North Sea

    BERLIN – For nearly five months, a wayward humpback whale that wandered hundreds of kilometers off its natural migration route has captured global public attention, and on Wednesday, a long-planned rescue operation finally moved the ailing animal one step closer to its intended home in the Atlantic Ocean.

    Nicknamed Timmy by German media outlets, the young humpback was first spotted off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, thousands of kilometers from the cool Atlantic waters that make up the species’ native habitat. Since its unexpected arrival, Timmy has faced repeated stranding events in the region’s shallow coastal waters, and its overall health has steadily declined. Multiple earlier attempts to guide the whale out to deeper open water failed, with every step of these efforts streamed live to audiences around the world, turning the stranded mammal into an international headline maker.

    According to Germany’s national press agency dpa, rescuers worked for hours on Tuesday to secure the whale with heavy-duty straps and pull it through a specially dredged channel onto a flooded cargo barge, marking the start of the most ambitious rescue attempt to date. By early Wednesday morning, the barge had already reached the northern German island of Fehmarn, which sits just a short distance from Danish territorial waters. From there, the vessel will travel around the northern tip of Denmark, through the Skagerrak Strait, before reaching the North Sea, where the whale is scheduled to be released to make its own way back to the Atlantic.

    The high-stakes operation has sparked widespread public and scientific debate across Germany, dividing experts, officials and animal welfare activists over the best course of action for the ailing whale. Till Backhaus, environment minister for the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where Timmy has been stranded, publicly threw his support behind the private rescue initiative that planned the transport, even saying Tuesday that he was “on the verge of jumping into the water to help the whale get through the last few meters.” Despite warnings from some scientific experts that the stress of the transport could be fatal for the already weakened animal, Backhaus greenlit the operation following sustained pressure from activists, who held public protests on Wismar beaches demanding the whale be rescued and returned to its natural habitat.

    Critics of the operation, however, argue that repeated rescue attempts have only caused unnecessary suffering for Timmy, who many scientists confirm is severely ill. Thilo Maack, a marine biologist with the environmental organization Greenpeace, told the Associated Press earlier in the month that the ongoing interventions have already placed extreme, harmful stress on the animal. “I believe the whale will die very soon now. And I would also like to raise the question: What is actually so bad about that?” Maack said. “Yes, animals live, animals die. This animal is really, really very, very, very sick. And it has decided to seek rest.” Many scientists have echoed this position, noting that Timmy likely sought out shallow coastal waters intentionally because his declining health left him too weak to swim further and he needed to rest. Still, the veterinary team working with the private rescue initiative maintains that the whale is healthy enough to withstand the multi-day journey to the North Sea, leaving the final outcome uncertain as the barge continues north.

  • EU chief warns billions could be wasted if energy aid is not well targeted as the Iran war bites

    EU chief warns billions could be wasted if energy aid is not well targeted as the Iran war bites

    STRASBOURG, France – As escalating Middle East tensions roil global oil and gas markets, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has issued a urgent warning to European Union member states: billions of euros in energy relief will go to waste unless aid is prioritized exclusively for vulnerable households and energy-reliant industries. Speaking to EU lawmakers in Strasbourg on Wednesday, von der Leyen framed the new energy volatility sparked by Middle East conflict as a critical test of the bloc’s ability to learn from costly mistakes made during the 2022 Russian energy crisis.
    The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, compounded by potential disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world’s daily oil supplies pass — is already extracting a heavy economic toll from the 27-nation bloc. Current estimates put the daily cost of elevated energy prices at close to 500 million euros (equivalent to $600 million), pushing up retail fuel prices for consumers and triggering widespread warnings that jet fuel supplies could run critically low within weeks.
    Von der Leyen stressed that the EU cannot repeat the missteps of 2022, when Russia cut natural gas exports to Europe in retaliation for the bloc’s support of Ukraine. At that time, member states allocated more than 350 billion euros to broad, untargeted energy relief programs that strained national budgets without delivering support to the groups that needed it most. “So let us not make the same mistake again, and let’s focus our support where it matters most,” she told the assembled legislators.
    Beyond short-term relief policy, von der Leyen used the address to double down on the bloc’s push for full energy independence, noting that just as Europe successfully broke its reliance on Russian fossil fuels after 2022, it must now cut broader dependence on imported fossil fuels by scaling up domestic low-carbon energy sources. “Our over dependency on imported fossil fuels makes us vulnerable,” she said, pointing to wind, solar, and nuclear power as the core of a secure domestic energy future.
    Progress in cutting Russian energy reliance already speaks to what the bloc can achieve, von der Leyen noted. Since 2022, Russian gas imports to the EU have plummeted from 45% of total imports to just 12% in 2023. Coal imports from Russia were fully eliminated via sanctions, while oil imports have dropped from 27% of the bloc’s total in 2022 to just 2% today — with only Hungary and Slovakia continuing to receive Russian crude under limited exemptions.
    Von der Leyen warned that the economic ripple effects of the current Middle East energy shock “may echo for months or even years to come.” The only long-term solution, she argued, is expanding “homegrown, affordable, clean energy supply from renewables to nuclear.” She called on member states to transition more end-uses — from passenger and air transport to residential heating and industrial production — to electricity generated from domestic low-carbon sources, a shift that would undercut global fossil fuel price volatility. Currently, electricity accounts for less than a quarter of the EU’s total final energy consumption, leaving massive room for expansion.
    The gravity of the current crisis has been clear from top EU energy officials for days. Last week, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen emphasized that the current shock is far more than a temporary minor price blip. “This is a crisis that is probably as serious as the 1973 and the 2022 crises combined,” he said, noting that Europe has been forced into a defensive position with limited control over geopolitical developments in the Middle East. “Even in a best-case scenario, it’s still bad,” Jørgensen added. “Whether or not we will be in a security of supply crisis is primarily a result of what goes on in the Middle East. What we can do is to try and prevent, and limit the damage.”

  • Europol task force nets 280 arrests as ‘violence for hire’ spreads across Europe

    Europol task force nets 280 arrests as ‘violence for hire’ spreads across Europe

    THE HAGUE, Netherlands — In a landmark first year of operations targeting an emerging dangerous trend in European organized crime, an international law enforcement task force focused on dismantling ‘violence as a criminal service’ networks has secured 280 arrests, Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement cooperation agency, announced Wednesday.

    The widespread arrests have pulled back the curtain on a growing cross-continental criminal pattern: criminal organizations are increasingly recruiting people — disproportionately young people — through social media platforms and encrypted messaging apps to carry out violent attacks, from brutal physical assaults to targeted assassinations. Europol officials have framed this model as a disturbing, illicit twist on the gig economy, where violence is contracted out on demand rather than planned and executed by established local criminal gangs alone.

    In an official statement, Europol emphasized that this shifting criminal landscape has moved far beyond the traditional boundaries of isolated, local incidents of violence. “Violence is no longer confined to isolated acts or local dynamics. It is increasingly offered as a service: accessible, scalable and driven by online ecosystems that enable recruitment, coordination, and execution across borders,” the agency noted.

    Launched one year ago, the task force brings together specialized law enforcement units from 11 European nations: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Over its first 12 months of coordinated investigations, the joint operation has identified more than 1,400 individuals tied to these transnational violence-for-hire networks.

    Among the high-profile arrests made through the task force’s work are a Dutch national charged with acting as a getaway driver for two minors suspected of carrying out a series of explosions across Germany in mid-2025. In a separate cross-border case, a minor was taken into custody in Sweden earlier this year in connection with a shooting outside a prison in the Dutch city of Alphen aan den Rijn.

    Beyond the arrests already completed, Europol has added three top suspected network leaders to Europe’s most-wanted online portal. Two of the men are Swedish nationals, and the third is German. All three are wanted on charges including murder, large-scale drug trafficking, and money laundering for their alleged leadership roles within the illicit violence-as-a-service structure.

  • Ferragamo expands leather mapping efforts as EU sustainability rules take shape

    Ferragamo expands leather mapping efforts as EU sustainability rules take shape

    MILAN – Iconic Italian luxury fashion house Ferragamo has announced a landmark progress for the global fashion industry: it has successfully mapped the country of origin for more than 80% of the leather used in its signature footwear and handbag lines, marking one of the most ambitious early moves toward full material traceability amid incoming European Union sustainability regulations.

    The milestone, detailed in the brand’s 2025 sustainability report released on March 31, represents the first time Ferragamo has published formal traceability data for its core material – a particularly challenging resource to track compared to common textile fibers like cotton, according to industry experts. The development comes as a growing wave of EU sustainability legislation is ratcheting up pressure on all fashion brands to map every step of their supply chains, from raw material extraction to end-of-life product disposal.

    A century-old family legacy of innovation
    Founded in Florence in 1927 by Salvatore Ferragamo, who built his reputation as a shoemaker for A-list Hollywood stars including Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland after years working in the United States, the brand has long adapted to material constraints. During World War II, widespread leather shortages pushed the founder to experiment with unconventional alternatives, using wicker as a leather substitute and cork for shoe soles, notes James Ferragamo, the founder’s grandson and the brand’s current chief transformation and sustainability officer.

    Today, leather goods and footwear remain Ferragamo’s core business, accounting for 86% of the company’s 2025 total sales of €976.5 million ($1.1 billion). The brand first launched its leather traceability pilot in 2024, starting with the calf leather used for its iconic Fiamma handbag, tracking the material all the way from cattle breeding to final product assembly.

    Building traceability to meet upcoming regulatory demands
    For 2025, Ferragamo partnered with its key strategic tanneries – which collectively supply 80% of the hides the brand purchases – to roll out the origin mapping project, relying on standardized supplier declarations to document where raw materials are sourced. Across all materials, including cotton, silk and nylon, 81% of Ferragamo’s inputs are already third-party certified under global sustainability standards. The vast majority of the brand’s traced leather originates in Europe, and the company’s approach has already brought it further along the compliance path than many peers in the luxury sector.

    “Currently, there is no one-size-fits-all technological solution that can trace every single piece of leather all the way back to the individual birth farm of the cow,” explained Davide Triacca, Ferragamo’s sustainability director. “We achieved this result through a consistent, highly targeted effort, and today we can trace the origin of more than 80% of all the leather we source.”

    James Ferragamo emphasized that leather, when sourced responsibly, can be a leading sustainable material for fashion. “Most of our partner tanneries already manage water use responsibly, maintain fair labor practices, audit their own upstream suppliers to avoid sourcing from regions impacted by deforestation, and adhere to strict standards for animal welfare and responsible cattle breeding,” he said.

    Industry context: Traceability as the foundation of circular fashion
    Sustainability experts frame traceability as the non-negotiable first step for the fashion industry as it adapts to the EU’s upcoming sweeping sustainability framework, which will eventually require brands to prove their products are sustainable across every stage of their lifecycle, with compliance phased in over the coming years. Full implementation of the new rules will eventually require the industry to shift to a fully circular economy, with mandates to extend product lifespans through repair services, improve end-of-life management via recycling and upcycling, and ban the destruction of unsold inventory for large companies generating more than €40 million in annual revenue.

    “Traceability is an absolutely essential factor, but it is not the end goal on its own,” explained Francesca Rinaldi, a sustainability scholar at Milan’s Bocconi University and director of the Monitor for Circular Fashion. “It is the foundational requirement that makes broader sustainability and circularity practices possible. Any company that cannot trace its materials does not truly understand its own supply chain, and opens itself up to valid criticism of greenwashing.”

    Experts note that Ferragamo’s country-level origin mapping is an early-stage milestone, not full chain-of-custody traceability that the EU may eventually require, and the bloc does not currently mandate leather traceability at all. Still, the move positions Ferragamo ahead of regulatory deadlines and industry trends.

    Continuing experimentation for future sustainable materials
    Ferragamo’s traceability project is just the latest step in the brand’s decade-plus work on sustainability, which has included annual sustainability reporting for more than 10 years and ongoing experimentation with alternative materials. Past innovations include a 2017 capsule collection using silky textiles derived from orange citrus fibers, the Nova men’s tote crafted from nylon made from castor oil rather than fossil fuels, and the Back to Earth collection, which features the brand’s popular Hug handbag dyed with plant-based vegetable dyes.

    “Our research and development work is ongoing – it’s a constant process that never stops,” James Ferragamo said. “We are always testing new approaches and new materials, and not every experimental material will be ready for commercial release right away. But that doesn’t mean we stop experimenting.”

  • Russia to hold Victory Day parade without military equipment for 1st time since invading Ukraine

    Russia to hold Victory Day parade without military equipment for 1st time since invading Ukraine

    For the first time since Russia launched its full-scale incursion into Ukraine in 2022, Moscow will forgo rolling armored vehicles, artillery, and nuclear missile systems across Red Square for its iconic annual May 9 Victory Day parade, the Russian Defense Ministry announced in a statement released late Tuesday. The event, which marks the 81st anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II, will proceed without the traditional procession of military equipment and exclude cadet participants, with the ministry only citing the “current operational situation” as justification for the change and offering no additional details.

    The scaled-back parade will still include marching contingents of service members from all branches of Russia’s armed forces and the country’s military higher education institutions, as well as the signature ceremonial flyover of military aircraft, the ministry confirmed.

    Victory Day, which commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941–1945 Great Patriotic War, stands as Russia’s most widely revered secular national holiday. Unlike many divisive events in modern Russian history, the legacy of World War II victory unites political factions across the ideological spectrum, and the Kremlin has long leveraged this shared national sentiment to bolster collective pride and reinforce Russia’s standing as a major global power. The Soviet Union suffered an estimated 27 million civilian and military casualties during the conflict, a catastrophic loss that remains etched deeply into the Russian national collective psyche.

    For more than 25 years of his leadership, President Vladimir Putin has elevated May 9 celebrations to a central symbolic pillar of his administration, and has repeatedly invoked the legacy of World War II to frame and justify his current military campaign in Ukraine.

    Last year’s parade marked the largest display of Russian military might since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, drawing more international heads of state to Moscow than any event in the previous decade. High-profile global leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico attended the 2025 event, which featured more than 11,500 marching troops and over 180 pieces of military hardware. The display included frontline equipment actively used in Ukraine, such as main battle tanks, armored infantry vehicles, and artillery systems, alongside strategic assets including Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers armed with nuclear warheads and military drones. A full squadron of fighter jets also conducted the traditional flyover over Red Square.

    In advance of last year’s parade, Putin announced a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire in Ukraine starting May 7, and Russian authorities shut down cellular internet access across Moscow for multiple days to reduce the risk of targeted Ukrainian drone strikes on the capital. The 2024 parade, by contrast, was already significantly scaled back, with a reduced troop contingent, far less equipment on display, and no aerial flyover component.