Author: staff
Updated: 16/12/2025 – 18:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this December 16th, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
The reference to recent proposals refers to the package agreed on Dec. 8, which includes sweeping new rules to reform how the EU deals with migration, including setting up asylum processing centers in non-EU countries. Governments want the EU executive to put even more weight on the external dimension of migration by cooperating with countries of origin and countries they travel through to stop them reaching the EU. That means accelerating what they called “innovative solutions,” a catch-all term for measures such as so-called return hubs and new partnerships with non-EU countries, which supporters say could make EU migration policy…
In the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, bands in bright uniforms filled the narrow streets with music and drew large crowds. For some, the parade was a display of resilience, while others remained cautious as Israeli airstrikes continue almost daily in southern Lebanon. The parade forms part of the wider “Beirut Christmas Spirit” programme running from early December to January in the city centre, alongside a large tree, festive stalls, food stands and activities for children. Lebanon has the highest share of Christians in the Middle East, and Christmas remains widely celebrated. Thousands of Lebanese living abroad are expected to return home to…
In a bid to boost housing stocks, the Commission’s plan includes a revision of state aid rules to expressly authorize the use of public funds for the construction of affordable housing. These new rules will allow national governments to pour cash into homes for the middle-class families increasingly priced out of the housing market. In collaboration with the European Investment Bank, national banks and other financial institutions, the Commission will also mobilize public and private cash for new social and affordable housing via a pan-European investment platform. The construction of these kinds of homes will be listed as a specific…
On Tuesday morning, tents in the Muwasi area were soaked after overnight rain. Muddy water flooded the camp, pooling several inches deep. Children walked barefoot after shoes were lost in the brown water. Displaced say the rain now frightens them as much as the war, as each storm threatens to ruin the few belongings they have left. Local officials are calling for quicker delivery of sturdier shelters and urgent drainage repairs, while aid groups warn that restricted access imposed by Israel is slowing relief in Gaza and leaving families exposed as winter sets in.
Former GB News producer Liam Deacon, who is now consultant at London public affairs firm Pagefield, said: “Trump taking GB News seriously has been useful in that it’s made them feel like a prestigious brand. But they also thrive as an underdog, so it’s not critical.” Stirring the pot Criticism of the BBC is nothing new, but the broadcaster has been under pressure in recent months over more than just its Trump edit, with its coverage of the war in Gaza coming under particular criticism. That’s allowed GB News to position itself as a fresh alternative, even though television viewers in the UK have other options, including Sky…
Updated: 16/12/2025 – 20:29 GMT+1 Thousands of dinosaur footprints have been found in a national part in northern Italy known as the Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio Branchi. Experts say they are from enormous herbivores that lived there 210 million years ago in the Triassic period. … More
Built deep underground, the stations combine modern transport with layers of ancient history uncovered during excavation. Commuters and visitors entering the stop near the amphitheatre can see ceramic vessels, stone wells and the remains of a Roman bath from a first century home, displayed along the platforms. The line has taken nearly two decades to build. Work was slowed by funding issues and by the need to protect ruins buried beneath Via dei Fori Imperiali. Engineers also had to manage groundwater while preserving what lay above ground. Nearby, the Porta Metronia station reveals a military barracks and decorated rooms from…
But according to two legal opinions — one prepared by law firm Covington & Burling, another by a group of international legal scholars — assert that the risk of a successful legal claim against Belgium over the assets is minimal. The main reason cited by the scholars is that Russia would find it nearly impossible to find a jurisdiction that would be willing to hear a case against Belgium or enforce any claim against the Belgian government or Euroclear over the assets. “Any judgment of a Russian court would not be recognized or enforced in the EU or the U.K.…
Published on 16/12/2025 – 19:51 GMT+1 Authorities in Lithuania said on Tuesday they had arrested 21 people allegedly connected to a criminal network that smuggled cigarettes using specially equipped weather balloons from Russia-allied Belarus which have violated the Baltic country’s airspace in recent weeks. Investigators conducted more than 80 searches, seizing cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps, SIM cards, communication and tracking signal jammers and firearms, the Lithuanian general prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Luxury cars and valuable property were also confiscated. Tuesday’s operation involved more than 140 officers from the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, Vilnius police and special anti-terrorism…