Author: Press Room

European monarchs and world leaders paid tribute to Norway’s King Harald on Friday, after the royal palace announced his death at the age of 89. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Harald was the continent’s oldest reigning monarch. His son Haakon automatically succeeded him to the throne. Here are some of the main tributes from across the continent and further afield. Danish and Swedish monarchs The kings of Denmark and Sweden called Harald an “extraordinary” leader and good friend who unified his country. “Both as head of state and a successful athlete, he was an outstanding representative of his country. He gave ‘All for…

Spain has asked the European Commission (EC) for the support from Frontex and Europol to assist with the screening of migrants who are staying irregularly in Ceuta, according to several Spanish media outlets. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has asked the EC for Frontex, Europol and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) to “reinforce the device set up to address the management of the triage and subsequent processing of the personal files of the immigrants who still remain in Ceuta irregularly.” The Interior Ministry also demanded the extension of Operation Minerva, a joint initiative of the Spanish…

Published on 28/08/2026 – 18:17 GMT+2 A Dutch drug addiction and mental health institute warned users on Friday about potentially lethal ecstasy pills shaped to look like the head of US President Donald Trump. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Trimbos Institute said that several of the pills have been handed in recently at a network of centres that test drugs for users before they take them. “Absolutely do not use these pills,” the institute warned. It released a photo of the pills that have a depiction of Trump’s head on one side and on the other side “NL” and “Trump” stamped into…

Greenland said on Friday it would establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Denmark’s forced contraception of thousands of indigenous Inuits, after experts failed to agree on whether the scheme constituted “genocide.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The forced contraception campaign is one of the darkest chapters in Greenland’s history with its former colonial master Denmark. From the 1960s to 1990, more than 4,000 Greenlandic women were forced to wear a contraceptive coil, or intrauterine device (IUD), in the vast majority of cases without their consent or that of their parents if they were minors. Girls as young as 12 were affected, some…

Published on 28/08/2026 – 17:57 GMT+2 Brussels’ chief prosecutor called for a tougher crackdown on drug trafficking gangs on Friday, after a spate of shootings that have rocked the Belgian capital. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The city, home to the headquarters of the European Union, has seen an eye-catching rash of gun violence in recent days. Masked assailants have fired off automatic weapons in a string of incidents, leaving several people wounded and seeing a police station targeted. “Anyone could get shot,” prosecutor Julien Moinil told journalists. Moinil said that there have been 69 shooting incidents in Brussels so far this year…

Published on 28/08/2026 – 17:00 GMT+2•Updated 17:04 Russia continued to send waves of drones towards the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday, repeatedly forcing residents into shelters and disrupting life across the city for a second consecutive day. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The attacks followed an extraordinary day of disruption on Thursday, when Kyiv spent almost 15 hours under air-raid warnings, with sirens sounding 13 separate times, according to the Foreign Ministry. “Again and again throughout the day, sirens sounded as Russia launched drones in small groups towards the Ukrainian capital. Each new threat put people at risk and forced them to seek…

The Hellenic Air Force was immediately put on alert after a Turkish unmanned aircraft (UAV) was detected entering the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) and violating Greek national airspace. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT It is reported that the Turkish drone flew over the wider sea area between Samothraki and Lemnos, triggering the immediate activation of established surveillance and interception procedures. The Greek response was swift. A pair of F-16 fighter jets from the Air Force took off, tasked with locating, identifying and intercepting the Turkish UAV. The scramble of the Greek aircraft highlights Athens’ operational readiness in the face of any activity…

Smalltown Klettwitz lies at the very heart of Germany’s Lusatia region. Lignite used to be mined here for decades. The bucket-wheel excavators have left gaping scars across the landscape. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT But the country is reaching a turning point: Germany is now getting serious about ending coal burning. And Klettwitz is transforming into a frontrunner in the countrys race to handle the climate crisis in a more sustainable way. Solar and wind farms now stand on the spoil heaps of the former opencast mine, as far as the eye can see. Among these, one steel structure in particular catches the…

Several hundred tonnes of fish died in August in one of Hungary’s largest fish farm complexes at Rétimajor, south of Budapest. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT This fishpond system, with a water surface of around 800 hectares, is what remains of the former Sárrét marshlands. Its current owner, Ferenc Lévai, privatised it in 1994 and has since been running it as a continuously developed, integrated agri-tourism estate, although its main source of income is still fish farming. The fishpond system, made up of shallow, nutrient-rich lakes of varying depth, reedbeds, islands and muddy shorelines, provides a uniquely concentrated and hard-to-replace habitat for water…

Norway has a new king. Crown Prince Haakon, 53, became King Haakon VIII when his father, Harald V, died on Friday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Haakon’s oldest child now becomes Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and heir to the throne. Haakon is already familiar with the role, having served as regent several times in recent years as his father’s health declined. Norway’s monarchy dates back to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. Today, the monarch’s role is largely symbolic, with political power held by an elected parliament. However, the royal family remains highly visible and plays a role in representing Norway internationally.…