Author: Press Room

Published on 17/04/2026 – 11:25 GMT+2 A former Philippine congressman who fled the country and had his passport cancelled after being charged in a corruption scandal over flood control projects has been detained in the Czech Republic, President Ferdinand Marcos said on Friday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The alleged crime, believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, sparked protests and arrests across the storm-battered archipelago, which was hit by hundreds of floods last year alone according to United Nations data. Elizaldy Co was charged alongside a number of public works officials and construction firm owners in November, accused of violating the…

Germany announced the delivery of Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion four years ago, marking the first heavy weapons of Western design that Berlin supplied from its own stocks. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT On 26 April 2022, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht confirmed the decision on the sidelines of a meeting of around 40 supporting states at Ramstein airbase. The systems came from industrial stocks and the export had been approved the day before, Lambrecht said at the time. Germany has since delivered at least 55 Gepard systems to Ukraine, where they have become an integral part of…

Published on 17/04/2026 – 9:46 GMT+2 On paper, Bulgaria is a recent European success story, having finally adopted the euro on the first of January and joined Schengen. But there is a big euro hangover. On the ground, citizens feel impoverished and ignored by the political class. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT This profound frustration has set the stage for a bitter showdown between two major figures. On one side is Boyko Borissov. He is the veteran centre-right leader of the GERB party. While firmly pro-European, he was plagued by scandals during his decade in power, making him the symbol of the entrenched…

Published on 17/04/2026 – 8:30 GMT+2 Speaking to Euronews’ Europe Today, the European Union’s competition chief Teresa Ribera said the defeat of Viktor Orbán after 16 years in office reflected the limits of anti-EU rhetoric, as Hungarians opted for closer ties with Europe in large numbers. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Hungarians decided that they wanted to be Europeans, that they wanted to fight for their rights,” she said, describing the result as a decisive and “very clear” call for change. Orbán, a key ally of US President Donald Trump in Europe, had long positioned himself as a force for disruption within the…

A Paris court handed a former silverware keeper at France’s presidential palace a two-year prison sentence on Thursday for stealing hundreds of thousands of euros worth of luxury items between 2023 and 2025. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Thomas M. was ordered to wear an electronic tag for a year, with the second year suspended, for stealing exclusive tableware and other items worth nearly €400,000, the court ruled. He was also fined €10,000 and barred from working in a similar position and from setting foot in an auction house ever again. His partner, Damien G., was also sentenced to two years. He was…

Rescuers in Germany abandoned an elaborate operation on Thursday to save a sick humpback whale that has been repeatedly stranded off the Baltic Sea coast and has stirred up attention across the country for weeks. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The whale, which has been nicknamed Timmy by local media, is lying in shallow waters near the eastern German town of Wismar and has barely moved for days. Many fear it may soon die. Experts came up with a sophisticated plan to use air cushions to lift the animal onto a tarp, which will be secured to two pontoons and attached to a…

Published on 16/04/2026 – 21:14 GMT+2 The Russian Defence Ministry has published a list of European manufacturers that allgedly produce drones for Ukraine, saying such joint ventures constitute a “step towards escalation.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The ministry also said that such collaboration risks “increasingly dragging European countries into war,” while one Russian official called the manufacturers potential military targets. The Russian Defence Ministry says that in late March, the leadership of a number of EU countries decided to increase the production and supply of drones to Ukraine for use in strikes on Russian territory and to expand the financing of enterprises…

Staff at immigration offices across Spain cancelled plans to strike after a deal was reached with the government that took into account their concerns about an uptick in workload following an amnesty programme for undocumented migrants, the union group CCOO said on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Unions representing immigration officers cancelled the walkout that was due to start next week after securing a 10-18% pay rise and a pledge to fill 700 vacant positions, union leader César Pérez said. Union leaders had warned that an already stretched system would struggle to cope with the increased volume of applications after Spain’s government…

Pope Leo XIV criticised the “tyrants” ransacking the world on Thursday, on a high-security visit to a “bloodstained” region of Cameroon following a war of words with US President Donald Trump. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Since his landmark four-nation African tour started earlier this week, the pope has abandoned his previous restraint in speaking out in favour of world peace, particularly after Trump lashed out against his criticism of the Iran war. “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” Leo…

Berlin wants to show its best side this summer and is calling on tourists to do their bit. That, at least, is the basic idea behind the “BerlinPay” scheme. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Anyone who takes part, for example by collecting rubbish or supporting social projects, receives benefits in return at museums, participating restaurants or Berlin experiences. Sustainable behaviour by travellers is meant to be visibly rewarded. The concept itself is not new; the original idea comes from Copenhagen. BerlinPay: picking up litter for Berlin’s summer The city of Berlin is still looking for suitable partners, because the rewards need to be…