A sea drone exploded Friday near Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta without causing casualties. The incident prompted authorities to evacuate more than 1,000 people amid heightening concerns over the spillover effects of Russia's war in Ukraine just a week after a separate drone incident injured two civilians.

Bulgaria has become notorious for holding elections. In 5 years, voters went to the polls 8 times. But this debilitating crisis finally ended on April 19th, when the Progressive Bulgaria party won an outright majority. It is led by the former president, Rumen Radev, now the prime minister.

Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states have been trying to reach an agreement on the rights of air passengers travelling within the bloc. The current rules date back to 2004, but the scale and nature of air travel have changed dramatically since then. We take you inside the negotiations, examine the key sticking points, and explain why MEPs are pushing for stronger protections for passengers affected by delays and cancellations.

Mobile World Live brings you our top three picks of the week as Anthropic widened access to its Claude Mythos model despite security concerns, the European Commission (EC) unveiled a fresh digital sovereignty push and the FCC commenced its first spectrum auction in four years.

Anthropic expands Mythos access to 150 new companies

What happened: Anthropic expanded access to its controversial Claude Mythos AI model under the Project Glasswing to 150 additional companies in sectors including power, healthcare and communications, after initially restricting it to a group of private technology players.

Why it matters: Anthropic said the latest cohort brings in sectors underrepresented in the first wave. In commentary to security publication CSO Online, experts noted the expansion could add to security concerns around the model. Carmi Levy, an independent technology analyst, questioned what Glasswing will be able to accomplish by adding 150 more participants, noting the initial point was to allow the AI player to work closely with a small, fully vetted group of vendors to develop stronger defences against cybersecurity risks. “Expanding access into the hundreds may very well bring in more minds to build better defensive measures, but it simultaneously introduces significant concerns around potential leaks.”

Research director for AI security at IDC, Grace Trinidad, added that Anthropic’s announcement pointed out that each of the 150 new participants “will need to meet our security requirements before they gain access”, which also did not build confidence. “Nobody knows what those security requirements are.”

Earlier this week, Anthropic also confidentially filed IPO paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), ahead of rival OpenAI’s rumoured float.

EU targets AI, chips in fresh sovereignty drive

What happened: The EC unveiled a fresh digital sovereignty package targeting semiconductors, AI, cloud, open source and energy infrastructure in a bid to accelerate Europe’s push for digital sovereignty.

Why it matters: The package includes a proposed a revamped Chips Act 2.0 and a Cloud and AI Development Act to streamline data centre deployment and introduced measures to expand open source use, support startups and digitalise the energy system. EC president Ursula von der Leyen said Europe “cannot afford to depend on others for the technologies that keep our hospitals running, our energy grids stable and our services secure”.

Jennifer Okafor, a UN and Global Health strategist and AI and data analyst, said the policies represent “a comprehensive approach to balancing growth, stability, and long-term resilience across the EU”. However, president of German digital industry group Bitkom Ralf Wintergerst told Reuters it is “crucial that these efforts do not stop at mere announcements”, while Keegan McBride, director of science and technology at non-profit think tank Tony Blair Institute argued Europe “can’t regulate its way to competitiveness, it must build”. He added, “there’s still much more to do ​if Europe wants to close the gap with the US and China”.

FCC kicks off first spectrum auction in 4 years

What happened: The FCC opened Auction 113, its first spectrum auction in four years, covering spectrum in the 1695MHz to 1710MHz, 1755MHz to 1780MHz and 2155MHz to 2180MHz bands.

Why it matters: AT&T, T-Mobile US, Verizon and potentially SpaceX are among likely bidders. The licences cover territory home to more than 100 million people across 48 states and two US territories. FCC chair Brendan Carr declared: “Finally! The FCC is back in the game,” adding spectrum auctions are “the lifeblood of licensed wireless service”. Carr argued “more spectrum means more building, lower prices and stronger competition”.

Proceeds from the auction will fund the FCC’s “rip and replace” programme targeting Huawei and ZTE equipment in US networks. Indeed, the auction also bolsters the regulator’s broader Build America Agenda, which targets 800MHz of spectrum by 2034.

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Amazon committed to invest more than €10 billion on upgrading its facilities in Europe with next-generation robotics, part of a wider push to modernise and expand its operations network in the continent.

Announced at the company’s Delivering the Future event in London, the technology giant stated it plans to create more jobs across the region, while using robotics to expand ultra-fast delivery options to more international cities and invest in employee upskilling.

Its pledge reflects a broader push to use AI and robotics to support its workforce, taking aim at “repetitive and physically demanding tasks”, freeing up employees to focus on higher skilled roles while customers get better service.

As part of its next-generation robotics development, Amazon introduced Proteus, an upgraded autonomous robot that is able to move items across different sites. Through AI advances, employees can apparently direct Proteus with plain, conversational text-based prompts without the need for technical commands or programming interfaces.

According to Amazon, once an employee instructs Proteus on what needs to be done, the robot figures out the priority, route and timing.

Proteus is designed to take on physically demanding tasks, move heavy carts and cover long distances. It is currently being piloted in Amazon labs, with deployment planned for the first half of 2027.

Through its €10 billion commitment, Amazon added it will expand Vulcan, its first robot with a sense of touch and STARK, a new robotics system that works alongside employees. STARK will be deployed across 15 sites in Europe by 2027.

This week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also talked up the robotics opportunity within industry, as he unveiled work on a new model for academics using hardware from Unitree and Sharpa.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday rejected a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting to end the four-year war, saying he saw "no point" in meeting his Ukrainian counterpart until a possible peace deal had been agreed. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for a face-to-face meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a rare open letter, saying he was also ready for a “full ceasefire”. In response, the Kremlin said Zelensky could meet Putin in Moscow "any time".

from Liberty Sentinel by Alex Newman : TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

A massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, is facing mounting resistance from protesters in Albania, angered by its environmental impact and doubts about its legality. Here's what we know.

A number of European Union member states are pushing the European Commission to put forward legislation that makes it easier to deny tourist visas to Russian citizens over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On 3 May 2026, Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced the creation of a Council for a New Constitution. The initiative, framed as a response to chronic institutional deadlock, has opened a debate that reaches far beyond technical constitutional reform. It touches the core question quietly confronting much of Central and Eastern Europe: whether governance architectures […]

Apple unveiled plans to open a facility for developers in Berlin, Germany, a site intended to help European companies in creating and improving apps for the iPhone-maker’s devices.

The developer centre will be Apple’s first of its type in Europe. It runs similar facilities in Singapore, Shanghai, Cupertino and Bengaluru.

It is set to host workshops for app developers, one-on-one appointments and other in-person sessions in an attempt to help companies elevate the design and performance of applications for iPhones, iPads, macs and other devices using its operating systems.

Apple added dedicated labs will also offer hands-on support across multiple languages.

The company’s VP worldwide developer relations Susan Prescott said Europe was “home to an extraordinary community of developers who are building apps that create connections, encourage creativity, and drive innovation”.

“We have always believed that when developers have the right tools and resources to do their best work, incredible things follow. That belief is what this centre is built on, and we look forward to seeing what the community continues to develop.”

The site, located in the Mitte district of the German capital, is due to open later this year.

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Russia has increased its pressure on Armenia ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections, pulling out virtually all the stops linked to trade should its long-term ally persist in its ambitions to join the European Union. Moscow has threatened to raise gas prices, put measures in place to be able to restrict the Russian import of certain Armenian products and warned it may suspend the country from the Eurasian Economic Union.

At least four people have been killed in Crimea, Moscow-installed authorities said on Thursday, a day after Kyiv targeted energy and military facilities in Saint Petersburg during Russia's flagship economic forum. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of a "real" risk of escalation, while Ukraine described the attacks as justified retaliation for intensified Russian strikes on its territory.

The captain of the Tagor, a tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s “ghost fleet” that was boarded in the Atlantic Ocean by the French Navy, was taken into custody on Tuesday, announced Brest prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger.

The European Commission (EC) took the wraps off a sweeping new package outlining measures to boost the continent’s ambitions around semiconductors, AI, cloud and open source, as part of a bid to strengthen the bloc’s digital autonomy.

EC stated measures in the four areas will help Europe “become an AI continent”, established as a leader in research, development and adoption of AI.

It hopes the package will fast track ambitions around technology sovereignty and protect European digital independence, as part of a long-standing goal to reduce reliance on the US and Asia.

Starting with chips, the EC said it wants to secure the semiconductor base for Europe’s AI ambitions through the Chips Act 2.0, which is designed to speed up permitting, deepen cooperation with “like-minded partners” and introduce a new excellence label for Europe’s semiconductor regions.

It is an update of the original Chips Act, in force since 2023, which represented Europe’s response to vulnerabilities in the semiconductor supply chain.

Secondly, a new Cloud and AI Development Act is designed to aid the buildout of new data centres, streamline conditions for deploying facilities across the European Union (EU) and introduce a single EU-wide framework to assess cloud and AI sovereignty. The wider aim is to triple the region’s data centre capacity in the next five to seven years.

Through open source, the EC wants to strengthen digital autonomy, scaling up alternatives in priority areas, invest in skills, startups and digital infrastructure while support greater use of open source in public administration.

Finally, the EC put the focus on digitalising Europe’s energy system, pledging to define a roadmap in the sector to ensure data centres are integrated, while building sovereign and secure AI models.

Technological sovereignty
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the commission, said Europe “cannot afford to depend on others for the technologies that keep our hospitals running, our energy grids stable and our services secure”.

“This is about protecting our citizens, defending our interests and making our own choices. Europe has the talent, the research excellence, the industrial base and the Single Market. Together, we must turn these strengths into technological sovereignty.”

Before the package is put into force, the proposal will be negotiated by the European Parliament and Council of the EU. The commission will also launch a consultation process with member states.

Investment will be made through existing grants until 2028, while future funding is to be confirmed in the next EU budget. The EC has previously estimated a combined public-private investment of €120 billion by 2035 to rejuvenate the continent’s chip industry.

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Ukrainian drone attacks in St. Petersburg targeted military and energy infrastructure overnight into Wednesday, setting ablaze a Russian warship and oil depots on the Baltic coast. This attack deep in Russian territory came on the opening day of Putin's three-day economic forum held in the city and as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit.

Ofcom called for a concerted effort from mobile operators, local authorities and other entities to improve coverage across the UK, as it published a study highlighting widespread mobile signal issues uncovered on the country’s railway network.

Its research assessed coverage on 24 segments of the UK’s key railway lines. A good performance was deemed to be a download speed of at least 5 Mb/s, 1.5 Mb/s upload, and a response time of 50 milliseconds or less.

It found EE met those standards on 42% of the lines, Virgin Media O2 hit 20%, Vodafone scored 17% and 3 UK 21%. The latter two are now the same company.

Ofcom noted the research “highlights the core problem that mobile signal from masts on the ground often isn’t strong enough around train lines and that some carriage types are difficult for signals to pass through”.

It also found on-board Wi-Fi by train companies was little help, performing well 1% of the time. This was blamed on “outdated technology” and speed caps.

Goals
Alongside the train-specific research, the regulator published a report detailing general aims to improve the quality of mobile coverage in the country.

Here, Ofcom called for a “national effort” to improve services, noting the roles of the mobile industry, local authorities, central government, building developers and landowners.

Highlighting a binding £11 billion investment commitment from VodafoneThree related to merger clearance, Ofcom expects “other networks to respond with their own investment, and collectively this will be a key driver of improvements”.

Ofcom also pointed to issues with infrastructure planning applications in some areas and the advantage of having dedicated indoor coverage systems within sites such as shopping centres.

On train-specific problems, it noted “competition between mobile networks alone won’t be enough to improve mobile signal on trains, and government is currently considering options for how it can help”.

“As well as providing technical advice to Government to help inform its approach, we’ll also look at whether more spectrum – the airwaves all wireless technology relies on – is required”.

Challenges
A statement issued by trade association Mobile UK on behalf of the country’s three mobile operators welcomed the Ofcom research, explaining it “highlights the unique structural and capacity challenges of delivering consistent connectivity on moving trains”.

Noting building the advanced infrastructure required needed “the right enabling environment” the organisation urged government action through the country’s Mobile Market Review and “planning reform to establish a supportive policy and regulatory framework”.

“Dedicated public investment is also critical to tackle complex trackside blackspots, as commercial rollout alone cannot bridge the gap on the rail network,” the statement added. “We look forward to working with Government and Ofcom to achieve this, balancing the need for major investment with Ofcom’s vital role in maintaining low costs for consumers.”

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NATO chief Mark Rutte said in Kyiv on Wednesday that Russia was growing desperate as it faced mounting military and economic difficulties in its four-year-long invasion of Ukraine. Earlier, Kyiv launched drone attacks on the Russian city of St. Petersburg where officials and visiting dignitaries were gathering for a flagship economic forum. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog.

Protesters in the southern British city of Southampton on Tuesday attacked police at the site of the murder of an 18-year-old student who was handcuffed as he lay dying in December from stab wounds after his killer falsely alleged a racist attack. Far-right firebrand figure Tommy Robinson addressed the crowd, with many of them waving Union Jack and England flags.