Author: staff
By Aleksandar Brezar & Euronews Arabic, Euronews Persian Published on 25/08/2026 – 11:48 GMT+2 Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa hailed Washington’s decision to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, in another step toward major sanctions relief amid Damascus’ efforts to rebuild the country after years of civil war. “Today, Syria shakes off a dark stain and tears away a painful chapter of its past to embark on a path of development, reconstruction and rebuilding,” al-Sharaa said in a speech early Tuesday. Washington’s decision on Monday rescinded a decades-old designation that came with severe economic restrictions, marking another step in warming…
The officials were the targets of so-called “state-sponsored spearphishing,” the presentation said, a term for state-backed, targeted and bespoke campaigns to get specific people to click on dodgy links or open malicious attachments. Hackers used “social engineering techniques” to trick EU officials, crafting personalized messages that were more likely to get targets to take the bait. Earlier this year, POLITICO first reported that the European Commission told some of its most senior officials to shut down a Signal group over hacking fears. It came at the same time as a series of warnings by national cyber authorities telling governments to move…
The Spanish government is expected to present a draft bill to reform immigration and asylum laws as it struggles to contain the political fallout of the Ceuta crisis, which saw 80,000 people cross illegally from Morocco into the Spanish city in one day in July. Madrid said the aim is to “bring Spanish legislation into line with the European Pact on Migration and Asylum”, which came into force this summer. However, the timing comes as the migrant crisis in Ceuta remains unresolved. While the vast majority of the 80,000 people who crossed the border illegally have returned to Morocco, around…
Published on 25/08/2026 – 15:04 GMT+2 Qatar and Pakistan are continuing efforts to revive negotiations between the US and Iran, with officials speaking to the parties daily to explore possible ways forward, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. “Our officials are on the phone on a daily basis trying to workshop ideas, workshop ways of getting back to the negotiations,” Majed Al-Ansari told reporters in Doha. Al-Ansari did not provide details of the proposals being discussed but said Qatar remained focused on reaching a diplomatic solution to the ongoing war between the two sides. “Our priority was always reaching…
Since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has stepped up efforts to bring privately owned assets — including industrial and defense-related companies — under state control. Around 805 companies were transferred to the state between 2022 and 2026, according to Vadim Yakovenko, head of the Federal Agency for State Property Management. “We are not talking about nationalization,” Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said in a press conference Tuesday, according to the state-owned news agency TASS. He blamed business owners for approaching threats “with varying degrees of responsibility.” In some cases, “ensuring the security…
The detention of a German rescue ship in Italy has reignited a long-running dispute over the role of private vessels rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean. Italian authorities detained the Sea-Watch 5 for 45 days last weekend and fined the German organisation operating it €7,500. On 13 August, the vessel rescued six people in the Mediterranean and, according to Sea-Watch, encountered an unidentified armed boat and documented the deaths of eight people. The Italian Interior Ministry said the vessel was detained for failing to inform the Libyan coastguard about the rescue operation. Sea-Watch said it planned to appeal against the detention,…
Published on 25/08/2026 – 14:31 GMT+2 President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” as the trade war between the United States and Canada intensifies. Such a change would be reminiscent of the Republican president’s unilateral action last year by executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The United States and Canada are locked in a trade dispute, with Canada expected to announce retaliatory measures on Tuesday. That’s in response to the Trump administration enacting 50% tariffs on $20 billion (€17 billion) of…
Published on 25/08/2026 – 12:31 GMT+2 Kanye ‘Ye’ West was set to become biggest western act to play in Russia since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022. The controversial American rapper, who has mainly made headlines due to his antisemitic outbursts and cancelled European shows, was set to perform on 10 and 11 October at St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena. Russian fans rushed to secure tickets after the shows were announced and the concerts had all but sold out. Now, in a fresh twist, Gazprom Arena said it would not host the rapper, as no rental agreement has been signed. In…
Published on 25/08/2026 – 13:42 GMT+2•Updated 13:42 Finnair has cancelled all flights between Helsinki and Dubai for the coming winter season, citing continuing security concerns in the Middle East. The Finnish carrier said on Tuesday that services to the United Arab Emirates would remain suspended from 25 October 2026 until 27 March 2027. “The security situation in the Middle East has remained unstable, with no clear signs of improvement,” Finnair said, adding that it would contact passengers affected by the cancellations. The decision extends the disruption that began after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28…
Russian security forces are detaining civilians off the streets and pressuring them to sign military contracts, as reports emerge that the Kremlin is preparing for a new wave of mobilisation for its ongoing all-out war in Ukraine. In mid-August, the Russian human rights project Idite lesom received 14 appeals from people who said security forces had detained them and forced or pressured them into signing military contracts, either at police stations or directly at military enlistment offices. The project, which helps Russians avoid taking part in the war, said the peak began on 10 August. “There were only isolated round-ups…