Author: Press Room

Published on 18/08/2026 – 13:03 GMT+2 A German court on Tuesday handed a jail sentence of one year and three months to a Ukrainian man for spying for Russia and helping prepare possible acts of sabotage. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The court in Stuttgart acquitted two other Ukrainian men who were on trial for the same plot, which involved posting test packages containing GPS trackers to Ukraine, a plan the court found was aimed at “disrupting transport and infrastructure.” The court said the 30-year-old Ukrainian man was “most recently resident in Switzerland” and was guilty of “spying for the purposes of sabotage.”…

Published on 18/08/2026 – 12:12 GMT+2 A coalition of 26 businesses and civil society organisations representing more than 11,500 companies is urging the European Commission to make low-carbon criteria mandatory in EU public procurement rules ahead of a revision expected on 9 September. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In a letter sent to the Commission on 18 August and led by the Italian Climate Change think tank ECCO, the signatories say public authorities spend around €2.5 trillion a year on procurement, equivalent to about 16% of EU GDP. However, they argue Europe is not using that purchasing power aggressively enough to create demand…

Published on 18/08/2026 – 9:57 GMT+2 In Marseille, plunges into the Mediterranean from the corniche are attracting more and more young people in search of thrills. Despite a ban on jumps of more than three metres in place since 2006, the practice, amplified by social media, is gaining ground and is prompting the city council to step up prevention and look for ways to regulate it more effectively. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “I started this year. We psych ourselves up, we jump and then we try to move on to another spot,” says Dédé, a Marseille resident. Alongside the regulars from Marseille,…

Europe has slipped into its annual summer lull. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Brussels has emptied out, national parliaments are in recess, and politicians are looking to make the most of the rare opportunity to step away from the demands of public office. But for Europe’s political class, switching off can be harder than it looks. Europe’s crises haven’t disappeared. Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine, political tensions in the Middle East, economic uncertainty and wildfires that have ravaged several European countries continue to loom over governments, even as politicians seek to unwind. Leaders find themselves measuring the length and extravagance of their escapes…

Published on 18/08/2026 – 7:21 GMT+2 Liechtenstein’s royal house has said that the tiny country’s rules of succession will be changed so that a woman could in the future inherit the principality’s throne. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Hereditary Prince Alois announced the change and said it had been approved by the necessary two-thirds majority of family members who can vote on such matters. “The ability to combine continuity and renewal is also a principle that we foster inside the princely house,” Alois said, according to a text of his remarks posted on the house’s website. “In our centuries-old history, it has served…

Three people were killed after a private helicopter crashed on the island of Sifnos in Greece on Monday, the Greek fire service said. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The aircraft came down close to homes in the Tholos region of the popular tourist island – which is part of the Cyclades island group – where it burst into flames. The fire service was notified shortly after 18:15 about the incident and rushed to the scene along with rescue crews. The victims are reportedly a Greek pilot and a newlywed British couple. The cause of the crash is not yet clear. Video footage circulating…

A 29-year-old American tourist has died after being hit by lightning while hiking on Mount Etna in Sicily. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The man was struck on Sunday as a severe thunderstorm swept across the volcano. He was rushed to a hospital in Catania by a firefighter helicopter but was pronounced dead. His identity has not yet been made public. An emergency call came in shortly before 8 pm. He had been in the isolated Rocca Capra area of the active volcano, in the Valle del Bove, around 1,400 metres above sea level. According to preliminary information from authorities, the man is…

Published on 17/08/2026 – 20:42 GMT+2 The King of Norway, Harald V, has been admitted to hospital and placed on sick leave for two weeks, with Crown Prince Haakon taking over as regent in the meantime, according to a statement from the royal palace. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT It said the monarch, 89, has been battling haemolytic anaemia, a blood disorder characterised by the premature destruction of red blood cells. “In recent weeks, the King has been treated with cortisone,” the palace’s statement reads. “This has led to fluid retention in the body, which requires hospital treatment.” Harald has been King of…

Another mass recall, once again linked to software and safety. Stellantis is recalling around 955,000 vehicles from the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands because a problem with the infotainment system software may prevent the rear-view camera images from being displayed correctly when reversing. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The recall covers around 848,000 vehicles in the United States, 83,000 in Canada, 8,000 in Mexico and roughly another 15,000 in markets outside North America. It affects various 2026 and 2027 model-year vehicles, including the Chrysler Pacifica, Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid and Voyager, Dodge Charger, Jeep Cherokee, Compass, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Grand Wagoneer and Wrangler,…

Published on 17/08/2026 – 8:04 GMT+2 More than 31,000 people, including several MPs, have signed a petition urging UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to hold a public inquiry into alleged media harassment of the late academic Jason Arday, organisers said. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The petition was launched by the Good Law Project activist group after Arday, who was appointed three years ago as the youngest-ever black professor at Cambridge University, was found dead on Friday. The project had been supporting Arday since he resigned earlier this month from the university and as a fellow of Jesus College after both institutions launched…