Author: staff

Spanish National Police have arrested two fugitives linked to the Neapolitan Camorra criminal organisation one in Tenerife and another in Almería, both wanted by Italy under European arrest warrants. The suspects face combined prison sentences of up to 60 years. The investigation began in late October following a cooperation request through the National Police’s information exchange agreements with FAST Italy and the Sirene bureau. Italy issued a European arrest warrant for one suspect on charges of blackmail, extortion, kidnapping, illegal detention and hostage-taking, carrying a potential 30-year sentence. The arrested man is considered a high-value target as one of the…

“Eurovision is a contest. Human rights are not”. The president of the Corporación de Radio Televisión Española (RTVE), José Pablo López, has defended the public broadcaster’s initial position, after weeks of speculation about the fate of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The head of the public broadcaster has reiterated that the Spanish delegation will not participate in 2026 if Israel is allowed to compete. Three weeks ago, Lopez’s Austrian counterpart went so far as to travel to Israel, the current Achilles heel of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), to openly defend the participation of the country accused of perpetrating genocide…

Nonetheless, Western leaders continued to characterize the war as a contest between good and evil, with huge stakes for democracy. They cast it as a struggle not only for territory but between liberal and autocratic values, and as one with global consequences. But in that case, why be restrained in what you supply? Why hold back on long-range munitions and tanks? Why delay supplying F-16s? And why prevent Ukraine from using Western-supplied long-range missiles to strike deeper into Russia? Or, as Ukraine’s former top commander Gen. Valery Zaluzhny fumed in the Washington Post: “To save my people, why do I…

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) raided the premises in the early hours of Friday linked to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak as part of a major corruption investigation involving the state nuclear power company. Ukraine’s anti-graft watchdogs confirmed that the raids are part of an investigation but did not specify whether Yermak is a suspect. Zelenskyy’s chief of staff confirmed on Telegram that NABU and SAPO were “indeed conducting procedural actions at my home” . “The investigators are not encountering any obstacles. They have been given full access to the apartment,…

But the mood in the European Parliament and in some capitals has turned volatile. And with the clock ticking down to a tentative Dec. 20 date for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to fly to Brazil for a formal signing ceremony, the path to that successful outcome is narrowing. Brazil’s ambassador to the EU, Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva, is bullish that the agreement, which has been 25 years in the making and would create a free-trade area spanning nearly 800 million people, can still be done. “What will happen will be exactly what happened with other…

Published on 28/11/2025 – 9:11 GMT+1 Art lovers from the UK, US and China hoping to admire the Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile will have to shell out an extra €10 to do so next year. The Louvre has decided to increase the price of admission for non-European visitors by 45% starting in 2026. From 14 January, nationals from outside the European Economic Area (EEA, which includes EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) will have to pay €32 to visit the world’s most visited museum – €10 more than the current admission price. Approved on Thursday by the Louvre’s board…

It’s also a worry in Poland, Austria and inside EU institutions — all of which are rushing to put in safeguards to block, or at least monitor, third-country investment in key tech and transport infrastructure. What accelerated Sweden’s move was a recent EU court ruling involving Turkish and Chinese companies bidding on two railway projects. Judges concluded that suppliers from countries without a free-trade agreement with the EU do not enjoy the same rights as EU firms — a reading Stockholm took as both a green light and a warning signal. Sweden’s new rules are due to take effect in…

Severe floods and landslides have swept across Indonesia’s Sumatra island, leaving at least 90 people dead and dozens missing. In West Sumatra’s Padang Pariaman district, hundreds of families were evacuated to mosques and community halls as more than 4,400 residents were affected. Authorities report that over 1,600 homes were damaged, some remaining submerged under up to a meter of water. Emergency teams, police, and military units have been deployed to restore access, deliver supplies, and support recovery efforts.

Another step forward in the fast-growing partnership between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia was made during the 3rd EU–Central Asia Economic Forum, that took place in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent. Following this year’s EU–Central Asia Summit in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), the ministerial meeting in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to Brussels in Belgium, the forum became the latest milestone in a year that has elevated cooperation to a new strategic level. It brought together business leaders, investors, and government representatives from 32 countries. The European delegation was led by EU Commissioners Jozef Síkela and Marta Kos.…

Spain is being urged to strengthen its climate resilience and advance decarbonisation efforts to protect its economy. A new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found the Spanish economy has held up “remarkably well” following a slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Steady GDP growth has been recorded in recent years, with Spain surpassing many of its European peers. This has been driven by a plethora of factors, including tourism, investments from the EU Recovery and Resilience Funds and increased government spending. However, researchers warn that Spain is among the European countries “most exposed” to climate…