Author: Press Room

Published on 04/05/2026 – 14:51 GMT+2 Spanish police have impounded what is believed to be a national record haul of cocaine from a ship in the Atlantic Ocean, with the seizure potentially reaching 40 tonnes, a union said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Civil Guard intercepted the vessel in international waters off Spain’s Canary Islands on Friday, with around 20 people arrested, sources from the force’s main AUGC union said. It is estimated that “between 35 and 40 tonnes of cocaine have been seized” because the hold “was completely stuffed” with bales of the drug, making it “a historic seizure,”…

Published on 04/05/2026 – 17:49 GMT+2 Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has led the charge for EU leaders to pin down what the bloc’s mutual defence clause could look like – and how it could be used to support the security of the union. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT That push has now moved from political debate into formal EU structures, with the issue discussed on Monday afternoon at a behind close doors meeting of the Political and Security Committee—an ambassadorial body responsible for foreign affairs and security matters— according to several EU officials. One of them confirmed the meeting to Euronews but declined…

Russia has declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between 8-9 May, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations and threatened a “massive missile strike” on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Russian President Vladimir Putin first proposed the truce last week, during a phone call with US counterpart Donald Trump. “In accordance with a decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been declared from May 8–9 2026…We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit,” the Russian defence ministry said in a post on state-backed messaging app…

Published on 04/05/2026 – 18:20 GMT+2 Four migrants were found dead near the Slovenian border and two others were taken to hospital in a serious condition after being transported by truck in “inhumane conditions,” Croatian police said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT There was no detail provided on the cause of death, but investigations were underway. Thirteen other people were also found by police near the Croatian village of Donje Prilišće, 70 kilometres southwest of the capital Zagreb, and taken to a detention centre. Police said the group were allegedly dropped at the border by an unknown smuggler who fled. Croatia,…

Published on 04/05/2026 – 18:52 GMT+2 Austria expelled three Russian Embassy employees who were suspected of espionage by using antennas on Russian diplomatic buildings, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The ministry confirmed a report aired on Sunday by the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, which said authorities suspected the three diplomats of engaging in spying activities using antennas on the roofs of the Russian Embassy in Vienna and a diplomatic compound in the Donaustadt district. The installations allowed Russia to intercept data transmitted by international organisations based in Vienna via satellite internet, ORF reported. Austria hosts several UN…

Armenia hosted on Monday the eighth meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), an all-inclusive format conceived in the early days of Russia’s war on Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The EPC is famously known for producing no formal written outcomes or binding agreements. Instead, leaders use the occasion for cosy bilaterals and photo-ops, which are then meticulously documented on their social media accounts. Admittedly, there was plenty of that in Yerevan, but there was also substantive discussion that laid bare the turmoil and anxiety that the continent is going through. Here are the six takeaways from the EPC in Armenia. Merz’s…

Tensions flared on Monday between Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and European Parliament boss Roberta Metsola at a high-level political summit held in Armenia. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Addressing the European Political Community, which brings leaders from the EU, neighbouring countries with shared interests and candidate countries together, Aliyev accused the European Parliament of “spreading slander and lies” about Azerbaijan. Metsola, who chairs the EU parliament, rejected the claims in a sharp rebuttal, as she asked to take the floor in an impromptu intervention. “We will never change the way we work,” she told the chamber, “even if it is uncomfortable”. Prior to…

Published on 04/05/2026 – 15:24 GMT+2•Updated 15:29 An image of a newspaper front page is circulating widely online, claiming that Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will give the country’s newly regularised migrants €2,800 per month per family for two years until they find a job. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The article supposedly belongs to a news outlet called “El Diario de España”, and refers to Madrid’s recent measure to grant an estimated 500,000 undocumented migrants legal status by allowing them to apply for a renewable one-year residence permit. This is provided that they can prove that they have lived in Spain for…

The European Commission will gradually eliminate the use of Chinese-made inverters in EU-funded energy projects, a major step aimed at protecting critical energy infrastructure from possible cyber threats that could trigger power outages. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The move follows warnings from analysts that Europe’s heavy reliance on Chinese-made solar inverters — produced by firms like Huawei and Sungrow — could pose risks to Europe’s power grid stability, especially as Europe relies more on renewable energy such as solar and wind. “We have identified serious economic and cybersecurity risks,” an EU official speaking on condition of anonymity told reporters on Monday, noting…

World leaders began to arrive in Yerevan, Armenia on Sunday ahead of the 8th European Political Community meeting under the motto ‘Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe’. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT At a time of profound geopolitical transformation, leaders from nearly 50 countries, including all 27 members of the European Union, will meet on Monday to discuss important politics face-to-face, including the US-Iran tensions. British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk were amongst those arriving on Sunday afternoon. The summit will be co-chaired by European Council President…