Author: Press Room

Published on 02/07/2026 – 21:10 GMT+2•Updated 21:13 The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Thursday that eight people had been arrested as part of a probe into an international network of men drugging and sexually abusing women they know. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The NCA, which looks into international crime, said it had uncovered a global network of predominantly men suspected of offences, known as organised drug-facilitated sexual assault, after a 2025 tip-off by German journalists about a platform used to facilitate them. The crime agency found “a truly international network with group members identified in dozens of countries spanning every…

Almost 1.2 million undocumented migrants have sought legal status in Spain under a scheme that has defied a growing European crackdown on irregular immigration, according to final figures released on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a standard bearer of more open immigration policies, launched the vast plan in April while European neighbours toughen measures in response to pressure from ascendant far-right parties. A total of 1,174,978 applications were submitted between mid-April and 30 June when the window closed, with more than 600,000 already being processed, Secretary of State for Migration Pilar Cancela told a…

Published on 02/07/2026 – 17:07 GMT+2 A handshake, €150,000 in cash and a coded text: Maltese prosecutors on Thursday set out their case against a tycoon accused of ordering the murder of a prominent investigative journalist. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Yorgen Fenech is accused of masterminding the 2017 killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia in a case that shook the island nation and brought down a previous government. After the defendant attempted to escape on his yacht in 2019 and many procedural delays, Fenech’s trial finally began on Wednesday. He denies the charges. According to the indictment, cited by the Times of Malta,…

Ireland is under mounting pressure to end its alumina sales to Russia, as the risk of propping up Moscow’s war machine becomes an explosive liability. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The government in Dublin is weighing whether to allow EU sanctions on the raw material, which is sold as a white powder and is essential to the manufacture of aluminium, which is commonly found in weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine. However, no decision will be taken until an internal probe to determine the final destination of alumina exports is completed. The probe is in its final stages. “We will discuss (the findings)…

EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi is facing renewed scrutiny after a leaked European Commission document indicated that Hungary’s Permanent Representation operated a spy ring during his tenure as Hungary’s permanent representative. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Last October, several media outlets reported that Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels had allegedly run a network of intelligence officers posing as diplomats, who targeted Hungarian nationals working at the Commission between 2012 and 2018. Várhelyi was drawn into the investigation because he served as Hungary’s ambassador to the EU between 2015 and 2019, which overlapped with part of the period under scrutiny. He was…

Violent clashes erupted between police and demonstrators outside Albania’s parliament on Thursday, as protests against a controversial resort development linked to US President Donald Trump’s family continue. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Since late May, protests have been held against the construction of a luxury hotel linked to Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner in a nature reserve in Zvernec, on Albania’s southwestern coast. For the second time this week, large groups of protesters had gathered outside the country’s parliament in an attempt to confront lawmakers and block entry to the building. Hundreds of demonstrators were met with lines of riot…

Published on 02/07/2026 – 15:24 GMT+2 European car suppliers and manufacturers are divided over Brussels’ “Made in Europe” strategy, an effort to shield the EU market from Chinese competition. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The EU car industry is facing fierce competition from China, threatening hundreds of thousands of jobs across the bloc. To address the issue, the EU is preparing the so-called Industrial Accelerator Act, which is designed to favour electric vehicles constructed mostly with European components in public procurement and public support schemes. However, EU car suppliers and manufacturers disagree over the proposed law, currently under discussion by EU countries and…

Published on 02/07/2026 – 14:21 GMT+2 Kyiv has urged its Western partners to take immediate decisions on air defence and sanctions after a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital killed at least 20 people, with the death toll expected to rise. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were hit in what is described as one of the most intense assaults on Kyiv in recent months. Emergency services were continuing rescue operations on Thursday. “War criminal Putin can only wage a vile and terroristic war against civilians, women and children,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote…

A spectre is haunting Europe, or at least, its external borders: the Entry/Exit System (EES), an automated mechanism for registering foreign nationals entering and leaving the Schengen Area, which risks ruining the holiday season for millions of travellers. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The EES is gradually replacing passport stamps with a digital system that records when travellers enter and exit the Schengen Area for short stays, collecting biometric information such as facial images and fingerprints, along with personal data from travel documents. It is now in place at all the external borders of all 29 countries in the free-travel area, meaning all…

Published on 02/07/2026 – 12:32 GMT+2 EU countries must match Europe’s defence ambitions in the upcoming budget negotiations, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said at a conference on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “If you want peace, prepare for war,” Kubilius said, citing an Ancient Roman proverb to argue that strength and readiness are the best deterrents against being attacked. Kubilius argued that saving money on defence comes at the expense of the future, pointing out the enormous economic damage that accompanies the escalation of tensions into open conflict. “In order to avoid the case for war, [the member…