Author: Press Room

European Union member states must put the bloc’s sovereignty over national independence to be competitive in the face of the United States and China, Enrico Letta told Euronews, referring to the EU’s two rival economies as “giants”. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT His comments come ahead of key elections in 2027, the outcome of which could have profound consequences for the political balance in the EU, particularly the presidential elections in France. Last week’s decision by Marine Le Pen to run in the presidential race has left Brussels fearing a rupture in its ties with Paris. The National Rally figurehead campaigned to take…

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Athens carried out searches and seizures last week at various locations in Attica and Kastoria, as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected VAT fraud involving the trade of small electronic devices and the laundering of proceeds from criminal activities. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The investigation, launched almost a year ago, has so far uncovered a complex network of companies set up in Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Greece, which are believed to have been used to trade small electronic devices across the European Union. At the centre of the case is an alleged…

Migrants from outside the EU who are living and working in the bloc appear to have a harder time finding stable, long-term employment compared to the native EU population. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The latest Eurostat figures show that non-EU citizens aged 20 to 64 living in one of the 27 member states had the highest prevalence of temporary contracts and part-time employment over the past decade, while nationals had the lowest. Experts put this down to a number of factors, including linguistic hurdles, cultural differences and administrative burdens. “Many non-EU citizens face additional barriers in accessing stable, permanent jobs, including language…

A fire at a construction site in central Brussels has killed several people and left others missing, according to Belgian authorities. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The blaze broke out at the Oxy building on Place de Brouckère, a multifunctional complex that had been undergoing renovation. Roughly 250 workers were on site, according to local media. Firefighters rescued a number of workers, but authorities believe six are still missing. The blaze erupted in the morning and was seemingly quickly under control. However, the fire caused damage to two elevator shafts before reaching an underground section of the building, igniting a second fire and…

Hungary is running out of time to secure its students’ participation in the EU’s Erasmus+ exchange programme, despite earlier assurances from Prime Minister Péter Magyar and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the process would be completed on schedule. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Following Magyar’s election victory in April, both the new Hungarian government and the Commission signalled their willingness to readmit Hungarian students to the scheme from the start of the next academic year in September. But without immediate administrative action from Budapest, the Commission will not be able to lift the suspension in time. “As early as the…

Published on 14/07/2026 – 15:47 GMT+2 Ukrainian forces have struck at least 105 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov over the past eight days as part of their intensified campaign to isolate Moscow-occupied Crimea, reports reveal. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT According to the Ukrainian General Staff and Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) Commander Major Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, his forces have recently struck 10 vessels in just one night, including ferries and tankers that Russia uses to transport oil and petroleum products and circumvent sanctions. “The peninsula’s transhipment infrastructure is being stung every night, traffic through the strait has stopped, and cargo…

A Spanish court banned the brother of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from holding public office for nine years on Tuesday after convicting him of helping secure a public-sector job tailored for him. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT David Sánchez was convicted by a court in Badajoz in the western Extremadura region of administrative misconduct but was cleared of influence peddling, which could have resulted in a prison sentence. In its ruling, the court said he was guilty as a necessary accomplice in the unlawful creation of the position and imposed a nine-year ban on holding public office and exercising voting rights. The court…

In the last message Lyudmyla Dubnytska received from her husband, he told her he was likely about to be captured by Russian forces. Two days later, she recognised his body in a video on social media of a group of killed Ukrainian troops. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Her partner, Andriy Dubnytsky, is among hundreds of prisoners of war that Kyiv says Russia’s army has executed since it launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. The exact number is unknown, varying according to different Ukrainian and international sources, but Kyiv alleges the executions reveal a deliberate policy by Moscow. Dubnytsky was 25 when he…

Published on 14/07/2026 – 11:17 GMT+2•Updated 11:37 The fire in the Fontainebleau forest in Seine-et-Marne is still not under control. While the main blaze, which began burning late on Sunday afternoon, has already swept through nearly 1,500 hectares (15 square kilometres), a second fire broke out on Monday shortly before 3 pm (CEST) near the town of Fontainebleau and its 15,000 residents, and by 9 am on Tuesday morning had reduced 300 to 400 hectares of land to ashes. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Around 850 firefighters and 200 ground vehicles have been deployed. Given the severity of the situation, four Canadair aircraft,…

Published on 14/07/2026 – 11:32 GMT+2 Ten men suffered injuries during the eighth and final bull run of Spain’s famed San Fermín festival on Tuesday, bringing the total number of daredevils injured during this year’s fiesta to 57. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT An 18-year-old man suffered a gore wound to the thigh and a 46-year-old man was gored in the chest, while the remaining eight were taken to hospital with bruises of varying severity, the Navarre regional government said in a statement. The bulls completed the 848.6-metre (928-yard) course from a holding pen to the city bull ring in two minutes and…