EU digital chief warns of ‘weaponised’ reliance on foreign tech
Europe's reliance on foreign tech firms could be "weaponised against us", the EU's digital chief Henna Virkkunen warned today, urging more use of homegrown services for critical…
Sweden charges man for selling wife to 120 men
A Swedish prosecutor on Monday charged a man, suspected of exploiting his "vulnerable" wife to have sex with men for money, with aggravated pimping, several rapes and assault…
French masonic lodge at heart of murky murder trial
Twenty-two people went on trial in France on Monday on charges of murder and other serious crimes centred on members of a Masonic lodge accused of running hit squads.
Spain shuts airspace for US planes involved in Iran war
Spain's leftist government has closed Spanish airspace to US planes carrying out missions against Iran, in addition to denying Washington use of its bases, the defence minister…
Middle East war: global economic fallout
Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war:
EU accuses four porn platforms of letting children access adult content
The European Union accused four pornographic platforms on Thursday of allowing children to access adult content in breach of digital rules, putting the companies at risk of…
Sweden wants to force authorities to report illegal migrants
Sweden's government today said it was moving forward with a contested bill that would require authorities to report immigrants believed to be staying in the country illegally…
French judge probes ex-EU border chief for complicity in crimes
A French judge will investigate claims brought by an NGO that the former head of the European Union border agency, Frontex, was complicit in crimes against humanity, a judicial…
Hungary’s Orban lashes out at claim FM passes EU data to Russia
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban lashed out on Monday at allegations in the Washington Post newspaper that his foreign minister had passed sensitive information about…
UK’s Farage says would ban mass prayer events amid iftar row
Hard-right UK lawmaker Nigel Farage, currently leading opinion polls, has said he will ban mass Muslim prayer at historic British sites if he becomes prime minister.
Record number of migrant deaths in Mediterranean for early 2026
The first two months of 2026 saw a record number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, despite fewer crossing attempts towards Europe, according to data from the International…
EU lawmakers back ban on sexualised AI deepfakes
EU lawmakers today approved a ban on AI systems generating sexualised deepfakes, after a global outcry over non-consensual nudes created by Elon Musk's chatbot Grok.
Senior US counterterrorism official resigns to protest Iran war
A senior US counterterrorism official resigned today to protest the US-Israeli war against Iran and said the Islamic Republic posed no imminent threat to the United States.
German investor confidence plummets amid Mideast war: survey
German investor morale has plunged to its lowest level in almost a year as the Mideast war rattles market nerves in Europe's largest economy, said a ZEW survey released today.
War in the Middle East: latest developments
Here are the latest events in the Middle East war on Friday: An explosion during an annual pro-government rally in Tehran killed at least one person, state media reported.
Poland starts human trafficking probe into Epstein ring
Polish prosecutors said today they were investigating human trafficking tied to Jeffrey Epstein they suspect took place in the country.
Russia sole ‘winner’ in Iran war, says EU’s Costa
Russia is so far the only winner of the Iran war, EU chief Antonio Costa said today, lamenting that Moscow profited from soaring energy prices sparked by US-Israeli strikes…
War in the Middle East: latest developments
Here are the latest main events related to the war in the Middle East:
Italy to send air-defence aid to Gulf countries: PM
Italy will send air-defence assistance to Gulf countries hit by Iranian strikes launched in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said today.
Ireland to deploy military attaches in embassies for first time
Ireland said today that it will send senior military officers to key foreign embassies for the first time, the latest step by the EU member to beef up its modest defence structures.
Energy prices soar, stock markets slide on Iran war fallout
Oil and gas prices soared, stock markets slid and the dollar firmed on Monday as the widening Iran war shook financial markets across the globe.
Israel, Hezbollah trade fire: latest developments in Iran war
Israel and Hezbollah traded fire on Monday, while President Donald Trump vowed to avenge the deaths of US service members and said the war with Iran could last for weeks.
Belgium seizes Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker
Belgium's special forces boarded and seized an oil tanker from the "shadow fleet" Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, the government said…
Latest developments after US, Israeli strikes kill Iran’s Khamenei
Iranian state television confirmed the death of its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and launched a fresh wave of attacks on Sunday as Israel hit back at the capital…
French prosecutors probe Al-Fayeds over sex trafficking
He traded on the glamour of owning Harrods, the Paris Ritz and luxury yachts, but Mohamed Al-Fayed was at the centre of a dark web of alleged abuse, say French lawyers for…
Pakistan bombs Kabul in ‘open war’ on Afghanistan’s Taliban government
Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul on Friday, with Islamabad's defence minister declaring the neighbours at "open war" following months…
ECB books third straight annual loss
The European Central Bank said Thursday it booked its third straight loss in 2025 due to the lingering impact of a record run of interest rate hikes. The ECB lost €1.
France appoints new president at Louvre after jewellery heist
The president of France's famed Palace of Versailles took over as head of the Louvre following a litany of problems at the world's most-visited museum including a $100-million…
Despite drop in 2025, Russian oil exports exceed pre-war volumes: report
While Russian oil exports dropped last year, Russia is still exporting higher volumes than before its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, researchers said Tuesday, calling for stricter…
EU ire as Hungary stalls new Russia sanctions over Ukraine
The EU's top diplomat said she did not expect to get a deal on new Russia sanctions Monday after Hungary vowed to block them unless Ukraine re-opens a key oil pipeline.