Author: Press Room
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that incidents such as last month’s Russian drone sabotage in Germany had become the “new normal”, marking a further escalation of Russian activity on European Union soil. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Leipzig marks a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia, but it is part of a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents,” she said, alongside NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte at a press conference in Brussels. If the attack had succeeded, “this would have resulted in enormous damage, and possibly even loss of life.” “Europeans are faced with a…
Uncertainty over fishing quotas may have made many Icelandic voters reluctant to embark on an EU membership pathway. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The country voted no on 29 August on resuming negotiations with Brussels by 52.8%, with the talks between the two on hold since 2013. The campaign was fierce and, as with many crucial public votes in recent years, was also marked by inaccurate claims circulating online and among media channels. One of them involved the referendum’s main sticking point: fisheries. A few media outlets reported on talks between Iceland’s foreign affairs minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and Dutch Prime Minister Rob…
The man suspected of fatally shooting an Italian woman at a rave party in Switzerland is suffering from “psychological problems” and has remained silent while in custody, prosecutors said on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT According to AFP, the man turned himself in to police and confessed to the shooting, saying he had “been suffering from health problems for some time”. He is a 43-year-old Swiss citizen living in the canton of Jura. The man is in custody and faces charges of intentional homicide, bodily harm and violations of firearms legislation. Gunfire broke out early on Sunday as an annual rave was…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 20:30 GMT+2 On Sunday, Saxony-Anhalt could become the centre of a political earthquake. The AfD party is polling at more than 40 percent, far ahead of Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU). ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Such a strong result could give the far right a path to governing a German state for the first time since World War II. That would shatter one of the most important political taboos in modern Germany — and send a powerful signal to Europe. A stronger AfD would mean a tougher battle over migration, climate policy and support for Ukraine — and…
It was the highlight of Emmanuel Macron’s two-day visit to the United Kingdom, which began on Wednesday: the French president and the British prime minister joined King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a private viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The masterpiece of medieval art, which depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066, is a centuries-old symbol of Franco-British relations. Macron personally decided on the one-year loan during his state visit to the UK in July 2025, to “reinvigorate cultural relations” and underline “the trust that now exists” between Paris and London. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 22:08 GMT+2 A jury in Malta on Wednesday found Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech not guilty of charges related to the 2017 car bomb killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Caruana Galizia’s killing shocked Europe, sparked protests that led to the resignation of a prime minister and exposed a culture of impunity in Malta, the European Union’s smallest member state. Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, was indicted in 2021 on charges of complicity and criminal conspiracy. He was involved in a consortium that won a controversial contract with the Maltese government to build a…
The Spanish government was plunged into crisis on Wednesday after a leaked police report suggested Moroccan forces played a role in pushing migrants into Ceuta in an unprecedented border violation, putting Madrid on the defensive. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Multiple media outlets, citing a law enforcement document, alleged Moroccan authorities helped push migrants by sea, acted “passively” and concluded that the mass influx of around 80,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave was not accidental. The allegations have triggered a political frenzy, putting Spain’s Interior Ministry on the back foot. The Spanish Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, under fire for his handling of Spain’s…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 15:52 GMT+2•Updated 18:59 Ukraine has formally informed the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that Russia’s airspace is unsafe for civilian traffic, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Ukraine has officially notified ICAO that the Russian airspace is not safe for civilian aviation because of increased military activity. We urge everyone to avoid it,” Sybiha said on X. He said Russia had been “deliberately ignoring the existing threats” created by its all-out war against Ukraine, arguing that the risks had already resulted in several aviation incidents in recent years. “This is our responsible decision…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 16:52 GMT+2•Updated 17:04 Around 500 people gathered in front of the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday to protest against the Spanish government’s handling of the crisis in Ceuta, where several thousand of more than 70,000 migrants who arrived in the exclave on 30 July remain. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT MEPs and staffers from the centre-right European People’s Party and far-right Patriots for Europe gathered in the area in front of Parliament, waving the flags of Ceuta and Spain, and accusing Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of failing to defend Spain’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Two separate demonstrations…
Belgium has forcefully pushed back against a new attempt to tap into the Russian Central Bank’s immobilised assets to provide additional support to Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The European Union holds €210 billion in these assets, the bulk of which is kept at Euroclear, a depository in central Brussels. The hot-button topic was discussed at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, with Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland leading the push following their joint letter sent last week. The Baltic countries also voiced support. But according to Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, the debate “generated little enthusiasm or…