MFE bid for ProSieben must not negatively impact Germany, says Berlin
"A majority shareholding by MFE should not lead to a restriction of journalistic and economic independence and should not jeopardise Germany as a business location," the spokesperson said.
"Media power is never neutral - whoever buys it bears political responsibility," he said.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: death toll from Kyiv strike rises to 31 as Russia accelerates military advance
The death toll from Russia's worst airstrike of the year on Ukraine's capital rose to 31 on Friday after rescuers recovered more than a dozen more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in Kyiv overnight. A two-year-old was among the five children found dead after Thursday's Russian drone and missile attack, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Friday, announcing the end of the rescue operation. A total of 159 people were wounded in the strikes, which saw Russia launch more than 300 drones and eight missiles early on Thursday. The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, described Thursday's attacks as 'depraved' and posted a picture of the bloc's flag at half mast. 'More weapons for Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia are the fastest way to end the war. Getting more air defences to Ukraine fast is our priority,' she added in a post. Zelenskyy has been appealing to allies for more air defence systems and on Friday, Germany said it would soon start delivering two more US-made Patriot launchers to Ukraine. Germany has already delivered three Patriot systems to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russia's military advance in Ukraine accelerated for a fourth straight month in July, according to AFP's analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War. From August 2024 to July 2025, the Russian army captured nearly 5,900 sq km, compared with 1,360 sq km in the previous 12 months. In July, the Russian army took 713 sq km of Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine reclaimed 79 sq km. Nearly three-quarters of Russian advances in July were in the eastern Donetsk region. Moscow fully or partially controlled 78% of the region at the end of July, compared with 62% a year ago. About 31% of this region was already under the control of pro-Russian separatists before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Donald Trump has said that he deployed nuclear-capable submarines to the 'appropriate regions' in response to a threatening tweet by Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev. In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote that he had decided to reposition the nuclear submarines because of 'highly provocative statements' by Medvedev, who had earlier said Trump's threats to sanction Russia and a recent ultimatum were 'a threat and a step towards war'. Vladimir Putin has said he wants a 'lasting and stable peace' in Ukraine but gave no indication that he is willing to make any concessions to achieve it. The Russian president told journalists on Friday that a peace would need to be built on 'solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries'. Seemingly referencing Trump's comments that he was 'disappointed' with Putin, the Russian leader added: 'All disappointments arise from inflated expectations.' Europe must start seeing the Ukrainian military as a European army, the prominent Russian opposition activist Ilya Yashin told hundreds of Russian exiles in Serbia on Friday. 'The Ukrainian army is not only protecting Ukraine, it is protecting Europe from Russian aggression,' he said in a speech at a Belgrade concert hall. Yashin was imprisoned in 2022 for criticising Russia's invasion of Ukraine and released last year. Between February 2022 and 2024, more than 74,000 Russians registered for temporary residence in Serbia, according to the latest interior ministry data.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
ANDREW NEIL: The Industrial Revolution hit working class jobs but the rise of AI will decimate middle-class employment
I have a friend in storage. Not the most glamorous business, to be sure, but lucrative. It's made him rich and his business is still expanding as he creates new storage facilities for companies and individuals across the country. It's a well-run business but in the past year he's discovered how artificial intelligence, or AI, can make his companies even more productive and profitable.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Putin offers no hint of concessions as he says he wants ‘stable' peace in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin has said he wants a 'lasting and stable peace' in Ukraine but given no indication that he is willing to make any concessions to achieve it, after a week in which Russian missiles and drones again caused death and destruction across Ukraine. 'We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries,' said Putin, speaking to journalists on Friday, a week before a new deadline imposed by Donald Trump for hostilities to cease. Trump has said if Russia and Ukraine do not come to an agreement to end the war by next Friday, 8 August, he will impose a package of economic sanctions on Russia. Before he took office, Trump had promised to end the war in 24 hours, but since he became president his repeated overtures to Putin have achieved minimal results. In recent weeks, Trump has markedly changed his rhetoric on the conflict, appearing less conciliatory to Putin and more amenable to enhanced support for Ukraine. He called Russia's continued attacks on civilian areas 'disgusting' on Thursday. Last month Trump said he was 'disappointed' with Putin. 'We'll have a great conversation. I'll say: 'That's good, I'll think we're close to getting it done,' and then he'll knock down a building in Kyiv,' he told the BBC. Seemingly referencing Trump's comments, Putin said on Friday: 'As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations. This is a well-known general rule.' The death toll from a series of Russian strikes on Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday rose sharply on Friday, to 31, after rescuers found more than a dozen bodies in the rubble of an apartment block that had collapsed after one of the strikes. There were five children among the dead, including a two-year-old, while 159 people were wounded in the attack, one of the worst to hit the Ukrainian capital in more than three years of full-scale war. Putin has periodically claimed to be interested in peace, but only on terms wholly unacceptable to Kyiv. Last week, the third round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul, but broke up in less than an hour and have so far led to no agreements except on prisoner exchanges. Speaking to reporters at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, in northern Russia, Putin said he hoped the peace talks would continue, and that they should be conducted 'without cameras and in a calm atmosphere'. Ukraine, however, says Russia has shown it is not serious about the talks by sending a low-level delegation led by Vladimir Medinsky, a former culture minister known for writing patriotic books about history. 'This level of delegation does not have the authority to negotiate, just to spew insults and announce demands,' said Mykhailo Podolyak, a Zelenskyy aide, in an interview in Kyiv. Zelenskyy has said he wants to meet Putin one-on-one, with either Trump or the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as moderator. On Friday, he responded to Putin's claim of being interested in peace with another suggestion to meet. 'If this is a signal of serious readiness to end the war with dignity and establish a truly lasting peace, and not just an attempt to buy more time for the war and delay sanctions, then Ukraine once again confirms its readiness to meet at the leaders' level at any time,' Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel.
