jasohill has added a photo to the pool:

BOEKAREST (ANP/AFP) - Het Roemeense parlement heeft de regering weggestemd. De sociaaldemocratische PSD trok zich vorige maand al terug uit de coalitie omdat de regering van minister-president Ilie Bolojan van plan was om impopulaire bezuinigingen door te voeren. De partij kwam daarna met de radicaal-rechtse AUR met een motie van wantrouwen.

Nu de regering is weggestemd, volgen waarschijnlijk moeilijke onderhandelingen over een nieuwe. Mogelijk keert zelfs de oude coalitie van Bolojans liberale partij, de PSD en twee andere EU-gezinde partijen terug, maar dan onder leiding van een nieuwe premier.

De Roemeense president Nicușor Dan zei maandag dat hij zal helpen om Roemenië op een pro-Westerse koers te houden. "Politieke discussies zullen moeilijk worden, maar het is mijn verantwoordelijkheid als president, en die van de politieke partijen, om Roemenië in de juiste richting te loodsen."

LONDEN (ANP/BLOOMBERG/RTR) - De Britse premier Keir Starmer waarschuwt dat het niet zonder gevolgen blijft als duidelijk wordt dat een ander land achter het belagen van de Britse Joodse gemeenschap zit. "Onze boodschap aan Iran of aan elk ander land dat geweld, haat of verdeeldheid in de samenleving zou willen aanwakkeren, is dat dit niet getolereerd zal worden", verklaarde hij op een bijeenkomst met vertegenwoordigers van allerlei sectoren.

Kort voor de speech had de antiterreurpolitie laten weten dat een onderzoek wordt ingesteld naar brandstichting bij een voormalige synagoge in Londen. De afgelopen tijd hebben ook vergelijkbare incidenten plaatsgevonden en eind vorige maand zijn twee Joodse mannen neergestoken. "We kijken onder meer of een buitenlandse staat achter sommige van deze voorvallen zit", aldus de premier.

De incidenten zorgen voor onrust binnen de Joodse gemeenschap in het Verenigd Koninkrijk. Die bestaat uit ongeveer 300.000 personen, onder wie ook de vrouw van Starmer.

Romance fraudsters scammed Britons out of £102 million ($138 million) last year, according to the latest police figures. That works out to roughly £280,000 ($379,000) a day, the City of London Police said Tuesday. The average victim loses around £9,500 ($12,866) per scam, though individual cases have reached £1 million ($1.35 million). The figures come from Report Fraud, a City of London Police service that logged 10,784 romance scam reports in 2025, a 29 percent year-on-year bump. "Romance fraud is particularly harmful because it targets trust and emotional connection," said Detective Superintendent Oliver Little at the City of London Police.  "Offenders will often spend significant time building what appears to be a genuine relationship before attempting to exploit their victim financially," he added. "While the monetary losses can be substantial, the emotional impact is often just as damaging. This crime can affect anyone, and by reporting it, victims help us build intelligence, disrupt offenders, and protect others from harm." The scams disproportionately hit older victims, with almost half of 2025's total losses coming from those aged 55-74. Men submitted the highest number of reports, but women incurred the greatest financial losses. The playbook is well-established: criminals build fake profiles on social media, cultivate rapport with targets – often expressing strong feelings early – then request money for various reasons, including travel, medical expenses, and other invented needs. City of London Police has urged the public to look out for common tactics used by fraudsters: unsolicited affection from strangers online, excuses to avoid video calls or in-person meetings, and sudden investment pitches. A second opinion from a friend or family member can help. Confidence/romance scams are an even bigger problem in the US, where they rank as the fifth most costly form of cybercrime. An annual report from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) estimated total losses in 2025 at $929.4 million, ahead of data breaches, phishing, extortion, and ransomware. In the UK, romance fraud sits at the lower end of the cybercrime spectrum. Advance fee fraud, banking fraud, investment fraud, and online shopping scams all generate far more reports. Total fraud losses in the UK reached £3.4 billion ($4.6 billion) in 2025 across 388,895 reports, according to data, a figure that puts romance fraud's toll in stark perspective. Underreporting is also thought to be widespread, with many victims staying silent out of shame. ®

Victims losing £280K a day to fake profiles and sob stories

Romance fraudsters scammed Britons out of £102 million ($138 million) last year, according to the latest police figures.…

Vodafone has struck a deal to take full ownership of VodafoneThree, the mobile network formed from last year's merger of its British operations with Three, in a move designed to accelerate its UK ambitions. The £4.3 billion ($5.8 billion) agreement will see Vodafone Group buy out Three parent CK Hutchison Group's 49 percent minority stake, pending regulatory approval, in the second half of 2026. The move came sooner than most industry watchers expected as the merger only completed last June, and the original terms gave Vodafone the right to bid for CK Hutchison's stake after three years. Market intelligence firm Megabuyte values VodafoneThree at £13.85 billion under the deal, some £2.65 billion below the original £16.5 billion threshold. "CK Hutchison is taking a haircut in favor of early cash, but this benefits the broader group's strategy of exiting European assets," Megabuyte senior analyst Tom Oughton commented. Assuming the agreement is cleared, it will simplify the ownership structure of the business, Oughton added, though it is not expected to have any material effect on its strategy and operational plans. "Accelerating the ownership change is logical, with CK Hutchison deeming the UK non-core and full ownership allowing Vodafone to accelerate its UK plans (which has now become a core market following several European disposals) and arguably taking advantage of a cheaper valuation." According to other market watchers, the move demonstrates the progress VodafoneThree has made in delivering on the network obligations attached to last year's merger approval. CCS Insight director for consumer and connectivity Kester Mann, said it "reinforces a wide-held industry view that the Vodafone brands will eventually prevail over the Three brands." PP Foresight founder and analyst Paolo Pescatore told The Register: "Integration is ahead of plan, network performance is improving, and customer service is being taken to a whole new level." "It should lead to better service for customers and the acceleration of new services, rather than requiring approval or having all stakeholders on board." The merger was originally driven by Vodafone and Three's shared struggle to compete as Britain's third and fourth-largest mobile operators against BT/EE and Virgin Media O2. Combining them reshaped the market into three dominant players. The tie-up has not been without controversy. Staff were told last October that UK roles may be offshored to India under new contracts with Ericsson and Nokia. Around the same time, Vodafone and Three announced mid-contract price hikes for customers, in defiance of guidance laid out by regulator Ofcom. But in this instance, it was following VMO2 and BT, which had also exploited a loophole in the rules that were intended to end unpredictable mid-contract increases. VodafoneThree CEO Max Taylor said today: "Vodafone's decision to take full ownership of VodafoneThree is a clear vote of confidence in our business, and the fast start we've made in creating one integrated team and delivering early benefits for our customers." The telco will host an investor event in the UK later this year to provide greater detail on its priorities and future growth ambitions. ®

Rijnmond en OPEN Rotterdam besteden vandaag live aandacht aan bevrijdingsdag. Tussen 12:00 en 16:00 uur kan iedereen luisteren naar muziek, reportages en gesprekken over vrijheid en geschiedenis op Radio en TV Rijnmond. De uitzending komt live vanaf het Bevrijdingsfestival in Het Park bij de Euromast in Rotterdam.