Published on
25/03/2026 – 20:30 GMT+1

Imagine a former five-star army general in the same room as an anti-war activist? That is what we witness on this latest edition of The Ring, Euronews’ weekly debate show.

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Riho Terras, an Estonian general and centre-right MEP, went face-to-face with far-left Turkish-born German MEP Özlem Demirel on the role of the EU in the ongoing war in the Middle East.

As the conflict enters its fourth week, EU leaders have called for “de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and restraint,” while avoiding direct involvement. But the question of whether Brussels should take a stronger stance has exposed deep divisions.

“We know from history that military means and wars never brought democracy to this region,” Demirel said, adding starkly: “Bombs fall, the stock markets rise, people die.”

Riho Terras disagreed and took a more security-focused line, defending the need for military strength in global politics. “Nobody listens to somebody who does not have military means,” he argued, stressing that diplomacy alone is insufficient without power behind it.

This episode of The Ring is anchored by Méabh Mc Mahon, produced by Luis Albertos and Amaia Echevarria, and edited by Vassilis Glynos.

Watch The Ring on Euronews TV or in the player above and send us your views by writing to thering@euronews.com

Grab your wands and polish your broomsticks, because Hogwarts is calling. HBO has released the first trailer for its upcoming “Harry Potter” series, inviting audiences to return to the Wizarding World with a fresh take on the iconic series. Season 1 will premiere during Christmas 2026, the network says.

The trailer starts out by showing Harry living in his cupboard room under the stairs at the Dursleys’ home. He’s bullied by his cousin Dudley and gets a painful haircut by his Aunt Petunia, who tells him he’s not special — until he gets his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. The trailer then shows Hagrid explaining the Wizarding World to Harry and teases some information about his deceased parents. With his luggage piled onto his trolley, Harry runs through the gateway at Platform 9 3/4 to board the Hogwarts Express.

On the train, he sees Ron hugging his mother goodbye as he boards. The two sit down on the train with Hermione, and Ron asks him “Are you really Harry Potter?” There’s also a montage that show the trio exploring Hogwarts, Harry unwrapping a Quidditch broomstick and quick looks at Dumbledore, Snape, Draco Malfoy, Mr. Ollivander, the Sorting Hat and more.

Dominic McLaughlin stars as the young Harry Potter, joined by Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. Together, they navigate the challenges of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, forming close friendships and facing the rising threat of Lord Voldemort.

The ensemble also includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Petunia and Vernon Dursley and Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley.

The series is structured as a faithful retelling of J.K. Rowling’s novels, with each season adapting one book from the seven-part saga. Fans can expect iconic moments brought to life, from the magical classrooms to the soaring Quidditch pitch. A first-look image previously released by HBO showed Harry in his Gryffindor cloak walking toward the Quidditch field, signaling the production’s attention to detail and reverence for the source material.

Filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the U.K., the series is led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner, with “Succession” director Mark Mylod taking on multiple episodes. Executive producers include Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts and David Heyman.

The “Harry Potter” series is set to give fans a chance to step back into the magic that has captivated generations.

A new analysis of social media activity during the opening days of Operation Epic Fury suggests that much of the online backlash and anti-Israel content may not have been driven by Americans at all.

The report identified recurring narratives pushed by foreign-based accounts, including claims that the operation was a “betrayal of MAGA,” “highly unpopular with the American people” and carried out “on behalf of Israel.”

Sixty percent of the most viral posts on X mentioning “Iran” during the first week of the operation originated from accounts based outside the United States — despite often presenting themselves as American voices, according to research conducted by Argyle Consulting Group, a private intelligence and data analysis firm.

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“These aren’t just random opinions,” Eran Vasker, CEO and co-founder of Argyle Consulting Group, told Fox News Digital. 

“What we’re seeing is discourse that looks American — written in English, using U.S. political language — but is actually coming from outside the country … almost impossible for a regular user to detect,” Vasker said, explaining that the accounts “look very American” and mirror domestic political language and debates.

The analysis examined 100 highly X viral posts — each with more than 10,000 shares — between Feb. 28 and March 7. In total, posts containing the word “Iran” generated 98 million posts, 696.4 million interactions, and an estimated 1.5 trillion potential views, making it one of the largest online information events on record. 

Foreign accounts alone generated 155.6 million views, compared to 93.4 million from U.S.-based accounts, outpacing them by more than 60 million views in the sample.

Even more striking, every single foreign-based post in the dataset was negative toward the operation, while the only supportive content came from U.S.-based users, Argyle found. 

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JP Castellanos, Binary Defense director of threat intelligence and a former member of U.S. Central Command’s Active Cyber Defense Team, said much of the activity is focused on Israel and combines disruption with messaging. 

“About 42% of the attacks that we’re seeing or the claims that we’re seeing online are directed toward Israel,” Castellanos said.

He also pointed to doxing campaigns and AI-generated videos “trying to basically shape the information space.”

Much of the challenge, Castellanos said, is distinguishing real cyber incidents from inflated online claims by hacktivist groups seeking attention.

“A lot of times, these are just claims that they put online,” he said. 

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Researchers said the scale, consistency and geographic spread of the messaging point to a coordinated effort rather than organic global debate.

Cyber threat analysts say that an online narrative campaign is unfolding alongside broader activity by pro-Iranian and aligned groups across the digital space.

One of the most prominent groups to emerge in the current conflict, Castellanos said, is Handala, an Iran-linked hacking operation that has claimed responsibility for attacks on both U.S. and Israeli targets. 

Among the most influential voices driving engagement, seven of the top 10 accounts were based outside the United States, including accounts linked to Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and South Asia.

U.S. authorities and cybersecurity firms have linked Handala to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, describing it as part of a broader effort combining cyberattacks with psychological and information operations.

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The cybersecurity researchers told Fox News Digital Handala is part of a wider network of Iran-aligned and pro-Russian hacktivist groups that have mobilized since the start of the war, blending disruptive cyber activity with narrative-shaping campaigns online.

Fox News Digital reached out to X multiple times, providing a list of the accounts in question per their request, but has not yet received a response.