Author: Press Room
For almost two years, Ukraine’s ambition to one day join the European Union has been defined not by its progress but by its lack thereof. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Hungary’s veto, imposed in June 2024 and since entrenched, has effectively paralysed Ukraine’s membership application, pushing Kyiv and Brussels towards informal avenues to advance the legal and technical work in the hope of a breakthrough. As a result, Ukraine today finds itself in a highly unusual position: on paper, it is ready to open the six clusters of negotiations that structure the accession process, but in practice, it is unable to open any…
When confirmation of the conviction on appeal came through, Nessy Guerra was still in Egypt, where she has been living for some time and which she is not allowed to leave. The woman, an Italian citizen originally from Sanremo, is the mother of a three-year-old girl and has for months been at the centre of a legal saga combining criminal law, a family dispute and diplomatic tensions. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The ruling hands down six months in prison for adultery. An offence that no longer exists in Italy, but which is still prosecuted under the Egyptian system. The case stems from…
The fatal New Year’s Eve fire at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana left 41 people — many of them young people — dead, making it one of the deadliest disasters in Switzerland’s recent history. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Six Italian teenagers were among those killed. At least 13 Italian nationals required hospital treatment for severe burns. Months on, the tragedy has taken on a political dimension as diplomatic tensions rise between Italy and Switzerland. On 21 April, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted on X that she was”shocked” after reports emergedthat some of the victims’ families had received what appeared to…
The USS Gerald R Ford is returning to the United States after more than 300 days at sea — the longest deployment of any American aircraft carrier since the Cold War — following operations in the Iran war and the mission in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT It is unclear when exactly the Ford is expected to leave the Middle East, but it will return to its home port in Virginia in mid-May, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Ford, widely considered the world’s most powerful and advanced aircraft carrier,…
Published on 30/04/2026 – 12:03 GMT+2•Updated 12:49 Press freedom has fallen to its lowest level in a quarter of a century, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “For the first time in the Index’s 25-year history, more than half the world’s countries now fall into the ‘difficult’ or ‘very serious’ categories for press freedom,” RSF said in a statement. “The average score for all countries and territories worldwide has never been so low,” it said. The Index shows that press freedom is in decline in 100 of the 180 countries and territories it evaluates. Moreover, it determines…
Published on 30/04/2026 – 12:30 GMT+2•Updated 13:12 Israeli naval forces have intercepted 22 ships and arrested 175 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest-ever humanitarian mission bound for Gaza. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed the overnight interception, in international waters near Crete, adding that drugs had been found on board. Over 20 vessels have been intercepted so far, according to the mission’s tracker, while more than 30 are still navigating and have entered Greek territorial waters to avoid interception. Activists detained in the operation are from several countries, with many Italians and Spaniards among them. Those on…
Croatia signed a deal with the United States on Wednesday to boost the expansion of gas pipelines and energy infrastructure throughout the Balkans, a step that could bind the country to long-term reliance on fossil fuels and threaten the EU’s energy and climate objectives. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The agreement, signed in Dubrovnik by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, comes as Zagreb phases out Russian oil and gas in line with EU rules requiring member states to reduce dependence on Moscow after it weaponised energy following the war in Ukraine. As part of this shift, Croatia…
Spain’s migration policy is “almost like a state policy”, focused on integration, coexistence and recognising the positive contribution of migrants, the country’s migration minister Elma Saiz told Euronews. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT While much of Europe is hardening its stance on migration, Spain, under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s leadership, is taking a very different approach. “Spain was once a country of migrants. Today it is a country of opportunities,” Saiz said during an interview for Euronews’ interview programme 12 Minutes With, stressing migration is a key factor in the country’s economic and social development. At the centre of its current migration policy…
False rumours have gained traction online alleging that Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, stole several bottles of wine after a gunman opened fire and attempted to storm the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD). ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The allegations targeting Stefanishyna snowballed after footage shared across social media racked up hundreds of thousands of views, accompanied by dubious claims. The video in question shows a woman putting multiple wine bottles under her arm, in the aftermath of the attempted shooting at the Washington Hilton hotel on 25 April. The room appears to be largely empty, following the cancellation of…
Published on 30/04/2026 – 18:01 GMT+2 A French teen is facing mischief and public nuisance charges in Singapore after posting a video on social media of himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and then putting it back. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, was charged on 24 April and hasn’t entered a plea, the city-state’s largest English-language newspaper, The Straits Times, said. He allegedly committed the offense at a shopping mall on 12 March and his video spread rapidly when it surfaced, the report said. The teen was granted court permission on Wednesday to travel…