Entertainment
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Brussels tops global rankings for international meetings as tourism soars to new heights
Brussels has once again secured its position as the world’s top city for international meetings, according to the latest annual report from the Union of International Associations (UIA).26 June 2025Read More... -
Coffee prices keep climbing in Czech establishments
The cost of a cup of coffee in Czech restaurants and cafés has increased by 4% over the past year, now averaging CZK 57.80, according to data from the Dotykačka point-of-sale system.15 June 2025Read More... -
Swiss tourism set for record-breaking Summer
Following a record-setting winter in 2024/25, Swiss tourism is poised for continued growth this summer. According to economist Simon Flury from BAK Economics, the number of overnight27 May 2025Read More... -
French actor Gérard Depardieu convicted of sexual assault
French cinema icon Gérard Depardieu was found guilty by a Paris court on Tuesday of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. The 76-year-old actor received an 18-month13 May 2025Read More... -
Strong public support in Switzerland for social media ban for under-16s
A large majority of Swiss residents support banning social media use for children under the age of 16, according to a new survey. Conducted by the Sotomo research institute, the study found11 May 2025Read More... -
World’s largest Zara store to open in Antwerp
Spanish fashion giant Inditex, owner of the Zara brand, has announced plans to open the world’s largest Zara store in Antwerp. The new flagship location will be housed in the Meir Corner06 May 2025Read More...
Politics
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French Finance Minister urges extension of EU-U.S. trade talks to secure better deal
France’s Finance Minister, Eric Lombard, has called for the extension of ongoing trade negotiations between the European Union and the United States, currently set to conclude by July 9.Read More... -
Russia to summon German ambassador over alleged harassment of journalists
Russia announced plans to summon the German ambassador in response to what it describes as ongoing harassment of Russian journalists in Germany, according to a statement madeRead More... -
Spain unconcerned about fallout from missing NATO 5% defence spending goal
Spain stated on Wednesday that it does not anticipate any negative consequences for falling short of a proposed NATO defence spending target of 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP).Read More... -
EU agrees on stricter rules for suspending visa-free travel over security and rights concerns
More flexibility to respond to security threats, “golden passports,” and human rights violationsRead More...
News
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Dutch Minister proposes two-day delivery standard amid declining mail volumes
Demissionary Minister of Economic Affairs Vincent Karremans (VVD) has proposed extending the delivery time for standard letters and postcards from 24 to 48 hours, as the Dutch postal sectorRead More... -
Record heat triggers widespread alerts across Europe
A historic heatwave is gripping much of southern and eastern Europe, with France issuing an unprecedented number of heat alerts. As of now, 84 out of 96 mainland French departments areRead More... -
Europe scorched by killer heat dome: Spain nears 47°C, wildfires rage in Greece, storms hit France and Germany
Europe is sweltering under a record-breaking heatwave, with Spain bracing for temperatures up to 47°C this weekend. A tourist has already died from heatstroke in Mallorca, as Saharan heatRead More... -
Warsaw hosts 2025 World Justice Forum
This week, Warsaw is the meeting ground for hundreds of global advocates for the rule of law, as it hosts the 2025 World Justice Forum. The event, co-organised by Poland's Ministry of Justice,Read More... -
Germany to add 11,000 military personnel by year’s end: Bild
Germany plans to expand its armed forces by 11,000 personnel by the end of 2025, according to a report by Bild on Saturday. Citing government sources, the tabloid said the increase includesRead More... -
Sharp rise in Belgian property prices following tax cuts
House and apartment prices in Belgium have surged, driven by a recent cut in registration fees for property purchases, according to new data released by the Belgian statistics agency Statbel.Read More... -
Dutch residents smoking and drinking less, exercising more, and feeling healthier
People in the Netherlands are making healthier lifestyle choices and increasingly following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines, according to the 2024 Health Monitor by StatisticsRead More... -
French financial giants launch European defence investment fund
Four leading French financial institutions have joined forces to launch a new investment fund focused on European defence and security, amid growing momentum across the continent toRead More...
Most Read
- Teen held after US woman killed in London stabbings
- Football: Farhad Moshiri adamant Everton deal above board
- Greece hails new post-bailout chapter but concerns remain
- The Kokorev case caused wide discussion in Brussels
- EU accession talks stir debate in Moldova: insights from Gagauzia's leader, Yevgenia Gutsul
Economics
Several Members of European Parliament have denounced the violation of human rights by Spanish judiciary in the case of Vladimir Kokorev (65), a Spanish entrepreneur of Russian-Jewish
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has defended personal business links to Russia revealed by the Paradise Papers, in an interview with the BBC on Monday.
Footage from within one of Australia's offshore detention facilities for asylum seekers reached its first international audience this week in London, with one of the filmmakers highlighting the plight of his co-director who remains inside the camp.
"Chauka, Please Tell Us The Time" portrays life within Papua New Guinea's Manus Island camp, built as part of Australia's immigration crackdown which has seen asylum seekers who try to reach the country by boat taken to an offshore site.
The footage was shot on a smartphone by Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian who has spent four years in the camp since the boat he was trying to reach Australia on was intercepted by the authorities.
Personal care brand Dove has apologised for an advert that showed a black woman removing a top to reveal a white woman underneath, following accusations of racism.
The three-second video clip appeared in the United States on the social networking site Facebook.
Dove said on Twitter that it had "missed the mark in representing women of colour thoughtfully" and deeply regretted any offence caused.
The body wash ad showed a black woman removing her top, revealing a white woman underneath. She then took off her t-shirt, showing a third woman underneath.
"Ready for a Dove shower? Sulfate free with 100 percent gentle cleansers, our body wash gets top marks from dermatologists," the advert said.
The Dove brand, owned by Rotterdam-based food and consumer products giant Unilever, which is listed on the London and Amsterdam stock exchanges, apologised after several people on social media deemed the advert racist.
The case of Vladimir Kokorev, a Spanish businessmen, has moved beyond the territory of the Canary Islands and even Spain. At a roundtable event held at the European Parliament in Brussels 28 September, the Kokorev case was called a Europe-wide affair as the case now faces gross violations of law and human rights, and this takes place in a EU country. The roundtable conference was organized by MEP Fulvio Martusciello, Chair Delegation for relations with Israel.
Vladimir Kokorev (66), his wife Yulia (68) and their son Igor (35) have been kept in a Las Palmas (the Canaries, Spain) prison for two years without being lodged any charges and without any hope for fair justice. The family are charged with money laundering on behalf of Obiang Nguema, President of Equatorial Guinea, and for almost two years the family have been in custody with their case classified. It later emerged that the secrecy was required for the investigation bodies to conceal the absence of proof and evidence of Kokorevs’ guilt.
Ana Isabel de Vega Serrano, investigative judge at Las Palmas Court No 5, who issued an international arrest warrant for the Kokorevs, apparently thought that the case being classified gives her the power to keep people in prison for as long as she would want. Kokorevs’ defense lawyers who spoke up at the roundtable conference and later at the press conference deduced that the case had been masterminded by some interested parties.
Four children and an adult were killed when a fire engulfed a social housing block in the French city of Mulhouse on Sunday night, authorities said.
Eight others were injured, three critically, in the blaze that began in the basement of a four-storey building in the northern Bourtzwiller district, the fire service said.
The fire broke out shortly before midnight.
In Paris, near the building of the Council of State, a demonstration was held last week on 28 and 29 September against the policy of double standards towards international fugitives. Around 20-30 people had gathered to protest against the practice of granting asylum in France to foreign citizens accused of fraud and economic crimes on an international scale.
In particular, protesters were concerned about what they feel is a policy of double standards in France. Despite common obligations and established legal practice, some convicted criminals who are on international wanted lists and satisfy the conditions and procedures for their extradition, are nevertheless released due to politically motivated decisions and despite existing judgements by the courts and judicial authorities.
The participants at the demonstration chanted: “no to scammers”, “extradite scammers”, “extradite Kuznetsov”, “extradite Ablyazov”, “no negotiations with thieves”, “France does not participate in international crime”.
At the moment, in the territory of France, there are several controversial figures accused by a number of foreign countries of having committed economic crimes and fraud in substantial scale.
On September 28 2017 at 10am, the Conference Room of European’s People Party will hold a round table on the matter “Justice, Human Rights and Due Procedure in EU – the Case of Vladimir Kokorev,” presided by MEP Fulvio Martusciello.
Vladimir Kokorev, his wife Yulia and their son Igor, have been held for over 2 years in a prison of Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain) on a suspicion of money laundering in favor of the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang. Despite the unusually prolonged detention without a trial, and the fact the investigation has supposedly started back in 2009, Mr. Kokorev and his family has not yet been formally indicted, nor presented with evidence of any wrongdoing.
Moreover, the attorneys of Kokorev family have provided the judge in charge of investigation with exhaustive documentary proof of legality of transactions deemed “suspicious” by the prosecution office of Las Palmas, and thus attesting to his innocence.
Furthermore, the case itself presents strong evidence suggesting severe police manipulation, such as deliberate mistranslations and misrepresentation of documents pertaining to the case, interference with IT devices and the reliance on a witness indicted for embezzlement and forgery.
Azerbaijan's ruling elite ran a secret 2.5 billion euro ($2.9 billion) slush fund to pay off European politicians and launder money, according to an investigation by a group of European newspapers published Tuesday.
The fund operated for two years from 2012 to 2014 through bank accounts of four shell companies registered in Britain, according to the investigation by papers including The Guardian and France's Le Monde and published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.
Nicknamed the "Azerbaijan Laundromat", the origin of the fund is unclear "but there is ample evidence of its connection to the family of President Ilham Aliyev", the report said.
An Australian woman who fled in fear from the Barcelona attack has told how she was caught up in two other recent terror incidents in Paris and London during her European travels.
"I was in London at the time of the London Bridge attack, and we were also at Notre Dame the day the attack took place there too," Julia Monaco, a 26-year-old from Melbourne, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
She recounted how she and her friends took refuge inside a shop as crowds ran from a vehicle as it ploughed through pedestrians on the famous Las Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona on Thursday afternoon.