Breaking news of Wednesday, 16 September 2026
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- 21:01
Von der Leyen proposes Canada as EU's first associate member
In her State of the Union address in Strasbourg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that they work together to make Canada the first “associate member” of the European Union, a status that does not yet exist and has yet to be defined in detail. Carney, present in the chamber as the first foreign head of government to attend an annual State of the Union address, rose to applause. The proposal comes as tariffs imposed by the United States push Ottawa closer to Europe; an EU-Canada summit is scheduled for next month in Montreal. Sole primary source, the address itself: NPR.
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- 21:01
Kosovo, former president Thaçi sentenced to 25 years for war crimes
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a tribunal based in The Hague and supported by the European Union, has sentenced former Kosovar president Hashim Thaçi to 25 years in prison for war crimes committed during the 1998-2000 conflict: murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention. He was acquitted, however, of the charges of crimes against humanity. Three other former UÇK top officials were convicted alongside him. In Pristina, a crowd attempted to storm the headquarters of the EU’s Eulex mission, and was repelled by police. Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the ruling an injustice. The news currently comes from a single primary source, the tribunal in The Hague. Source: ANSA.
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- 12:01
Russian drone hits bus in Nikopol: five dead
A Russian drone attack hit a public bus in the Ukrainian district of Nikopol, causing five deaths and seven injuries, according to Ukrainian media. The incident comes amid rising tension between Russia and NATO following the downing of a drone in Lithuanian skies, described as “probably Russian” by Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto. Overnight, Russian forces intercepted 71 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the Black Sea, according to Moscow’s Defence Ministry (Russian state source). Meanwhile, the US Congress has given initial approval to new sanctions against Russia. Fanpage, Sky TG24
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