Europe

Belarus launches drills near Polish and Lithuanian borders

Belarus has begun four-day military exercises near its borders with Poland and Lithuania, as Ukraine reported that Russia was using Belarusian relay stations to guide drone attacks on targets in…

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Denmark raises alarm after Russian vessel fires at helicopter

A Russian ship fired flares at a Danish military helicopter off the southern coast of Denmark, triggering alarm in Copenhagen as the Kremlin's belligerence against Europe ramps up. "The Russian…

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NATO jets shoot down drone over Lithuania

Italian Eurofighter Typhoons affiliated with NATO shot down a drone that entered Lithuania's airspace. A drone entered Lithuania's airspace before NATO fighter jets shot it down, the Baltic country's president…

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Poland and Ukraine slam Russian strike on train near their border as ‘escalation’

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he expected Moscow to escalate the war in "in the coming weeks", following Russian strikes that hit a Warsaw-bound train in Ukraine, just two…

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Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s leaders join forces for independence push

A joint pact signed by the heads of the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin decleraction that "Westminster’s time is coming to an end", mounting fresh pressure on Downing Street…

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International operation targets Camorra-linked counterfeit euro network

Europol has supported an international operation targeting a criminal network linked to the Italian mafia-type organisation Camorra, leading to six arrests and searches of 16 residential and commercial properties in…

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Next 9/11 shock might be being planned where we’re not looking, UK’s MI5 chief says

Intelligence services must not dwell too much on past threats but accept that a new strategic shock along the lines of the 9/11 attacks could already be in preparation where…

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Italian civil-rights icon Emma Bonino dies at 78

Emma Bonino, a veteran Italian civil-rights campaigner, former foreign minister and former European commissioner, has died at the age of 78, her More Europe party said Friday. Bonino, a leading…

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Thousands of horses caught up in Europe-wide trafficking scheme

Europol has supported a major operation against a criminal network suspected of trafficking horses across Europe using falsified documents and manipulated microchips to conceal the animals’ true identities. Between 8…

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Russia sends bones of medieval warrior prince to Ukraine front to boost morale

Bone fragments from the sword hand of a medieval Russian prince who won a famous victory over the Mongols have been sent to the front in Ukraine to raise army…

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Drone alert delayed Zelenskiy’s departure for Norway

The departure from Moldova of a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Norway was delayed when authorities closed the country's airspace over a ‌drone alert, a Moldovan government spokesperson…

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Merz says disaster narrowly averted in Russia-prepared drone attack at airport

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday that an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle ‌airport had been prepared in Russia over an extended period and that a disaster was only…

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UK flights delayed after hundreds cancelled by air traffic control glitch

Flight delays will continue on Wednesday after an air traffic control problem in the UK cancelled hundreds of journeys. Tens of thousands of passengers were affected by the disruption and…

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France rejects mandatory deposit system for plastic bottles

France has dropped plans to introduce a mandatory deposit system for plastic bottles, instead proposing that towns and cities establish voluntary schemes. The French environment ministry said that no mandatory…

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Kremlin says it does not rule out restart of peace talks with Ukraine and US

The Kremlin said on Monday that it did not rule out the resumption of peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States, but ‌said it was too early to…

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Germany’s far-right AfD scores its biggest win with Saxony-Anhalt landslide

Germany’s far right claimed its biggest electoral success since World War II in Sunday’s regional vote in Saxony-Anhalt, with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party advancing to the cusp of…

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Italy’s population to shrink by 4 million by 2050

Italy's population will shrink by almost 4 million by 2050, undermining the sustainability of its economy and welfare system as the proportion of elderly people increases, national statistics bureau ‌ISTAT…

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Poland to increase fighter jet, helicopter patrols after Russian aircraft intercepted

Poland will increase fighter jet and helicopter patrols after another Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying without identification signals was intercepted over the Baltic Sea on Thursday, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.…

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Denmark expects to send first migrants to return hub outside EU in 2027

Denmark said on Friday it expects to be ready by the end of 2027 to send migrants without legal residency to a return hub outside ‌the European Union, as five…

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Putin cites chance of peace deal, Zelenskiy says US negotiators to visit both countries

Russian President Vladimir Putin said there was a chance of reaching an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said U.S. negotiators trying to broker…

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Finland probes possible territorial violation after drone discovery

Finland's Border Guard said Friday it is investigating whether a surveillance drone found on the country's southern coast had violated Finnish territory. The investigation will seek to establish where, when…

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Warsaw Urges EU to Tighten Schengen Visa Rules for Russians

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the recent wave of Kremlin-backed hybrid attacks across Europe calls for tighter restrictions on Russian diplomats and citizens traveling within the bloc. “Russia is,…

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Meloni marks record tenure as Italy’s longest-serving government

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will mark a political milestone Friday, Sept. 4, when she joins senior members of the governing majority at Bari's new cruise terminal. Her government has…

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Netherlands moves gold reserves to UK amid rising geopolitical uncertainty

The Dutch central bank (DNB) said on Wednesday it had moved 86 tonnes of its gold stock out of the United States and Canada to London, citing "increasing geopolitical unrest."…

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Estonia elects human rights ombudsman Madise as its next president

Estonia's parliament elected constitutional lawyer Ulle Madise as the Baltic country's next president on ‌Wednesday, making her the second woman to hold the largely ceremonial post. Madise, 51, has been…

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UN says global warming likely to exceed 1.5C within a few years

Global temperatures are likely to exceed the key 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold within a few years, the United Nations Environment Programme said Wednesday, warning of more…

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Berlin Links Drone Strike to Russian Hybrid Ops, Closes Consulate and Cultural Centre

The German government said on Tuesday that it had concluded that Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month and ordered a series of measures…

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Putin says Russia is winning on battlefield, will not negotiate with ‘terrorists’

President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was winning the war in Ukraine and portrayed the Ukrainian leadership as "terrorists" with ‌whom Moscow could not negotiate. Putin, in his most detailed…

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Sweden calls for EU action on frozen Russian assets as tensions with Moscow rise

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said Russia has become “more desperate” in recent weeks and is stepping up hostile activity toward NATO, warning that European unity will be critical…

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Iceland to seek new security partnerships after voters reject EU accession talks

Iceland needs to find new ways to strengthen its security after voters rejected restarting accession talks with the EU, the country's foreign minister told Reuters, including by seeking bilateral ‌cooperation…

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Italy extends border curbs with Spain a month after migrant rush

Italy said on Monday it would suspend its open-border arrangements with Spain for another 15 days, extending restrictions it imposed ‌after a mass rush of migrants into the Spanish enclave…

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Iceland rejects EU-accession talks in close-fought referendum

Icelanders voted to stay out of the European Union, referendum results showed on Sunday, as they rejected a government push to reopen membership talks and sided with those who said…

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Iceland weighs its European future

Gylfi Geirsson and Sigurbjorn Svavarsson cut British fishing trawl wires and dodged Royal Navy frigates on board small Icelandic coastguard vessels 50 years ago, using guerrilla-like tactics to keep foreign…

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Serbian war criminal Ratko Mladic to be buried with ‘state honours’

Serbia's Justice Minister Nenad Vujic said Friday that former Bosnian Serb military leader and convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic "will receive all the military and state honours to which he…

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Switzerland intends to build military drone battalion by 2028

Switzerland announced its intention to build a military drone battalion on Thursday, amid a rearmament trend across Europe. "From 2028, the army will deploy its own drone battalion for reconnaissance,…

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King Harald V of Norway dies aged 89 after 35 years on the throne

Norway’s King Harald has died at the age of 89 after more than 35 years on the throne, the Royal Palace has said. The monarch, who had been on sick…

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Russia says it could strike UK military targets

Russia warned on Thursday that it could strike British military targets inside and outside Ukraine in response to Ukrainian attacks on targets inside Russia using long-range British cruise missiles. The…

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Poland rules out hosting nuclear weapons

Poland "does not want" allied nuclear weapons stationed on its territory, the country's Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski said, despite growing worries of a Russian incursion into NATO territory. "I…

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Three Akeron anti-tank missiles seized at Italian port

A routine inspection by Italy's Guardia di Finanza at the port of Bari led to the seizure of three Akeron anti-tank missiles and the arrest of a 46-year-old French citizen,…

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Swiss to vote on whether to tighten neutrality, end peacetime cooperation with NATO

Swiss voters will decide in a referendum next month whether to approve a more restrictive form of neutrality that would block their country from imposing economic sanctions or cooperating with…

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Brussels mayor demands more police as gun violence grips Saint-Gilles

Brussels’ Saint-Gilles municipality is facing a renewed wave of gun violence linked to suspected drug trafficking, prompting Mayor Jean Spinette to demand 80 additional police officers and warn that residents…

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Ukraine wants peace but won’t give in, Zelenskiy says on Independence Day

Ukraine wants peace but will not just give in to Russia at any price, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday in a defiant speech ‌marking Independence Day celebrations. British Prime…

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Vatican plans solar and agriculture plant to cover its electricity needs

The Vatican will build a roughly €100 million ($117 million) renewable energy plant that could power the Holy See within two ‌years via a system combining solar power and agriculture,…

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Como Bans E-Bikes

The mayor of Como has banned riding bicycles in certain areas of the historic Italian city after he was hit by an electric one. Alessandro Rapinese said the ban was…

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Belgian physician enters race to lead WHO

Belgian doctor Hans Kluge, head of the World Health Organization's Europe region, is running for director-general of the agency. In an email to WHO staff, which was seen by POLITICO,…

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German authorities uncover gun stash and see link to Russian intelligence operations

German security authorities discovered handguns stashed in a forest near Berlin last year and believe the weapons were to ‌be used to carry out assassinations on behalf of Russian intelligence,…

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Warning of potentially the strongest El Niño in living memory

Britain’s Met Office said Friday that the developing El Niño weather pattern was likely to be the strongest in living memory and potentially the largest such event since the 19th…

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Swiss opposition to tighter neutrality grows ahead of vote

Swiss voters look likely to reject a more restrictive form of neutrality, which would block the country ‌from cooperating with NATO or imposing economic sanctions, a second poll on the…

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Russia is ready for new ideas on Ukraine peace, but with conditions, senior diplomat says

Russia is open to listening to new proposals on how to reach a settlement on the Ukraine conflict, a senior Russian diplomat said, but any proposals should reflect the "realities…

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West Nile virus outbreak kills four in North Macedonia

Four people have died from West Nile fever out of 38 testing positive for the disease so far this year in North Macedonia, with three of them dying ‌in the…

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German spy agency opens helpline for those exiled from Russia, China

People exiled in Germany under threat or attack from agents of their repressive home countries now have a support line to call, courtesy of the country's domestic intelligence service. Germany's…

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Serbia to hold snap elections on Oct 18 or 25

Serbia will hold snap parliamentary elections on October 18 or 25, President Aleksandar Vucic said, more than a month after he pledged at his party rally to schedule them. “The…

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Portugal Approves Ban on Face Coverings in Public Places

Portugal's President António Jose Seguro has enacted a law banning face coverings in public spaces, a measure widely seen as targeting Muslim women who wear full-face veils. "The face must…

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Bundeswehr troop numbers reach 13-year high

Germany's Bundeswehr military employed roughly 186,700 soldiers as of July 31 this year, the Defense Ministry said . The increase is a relatively rare positive headline as Germany and its…

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Cyprus emerges as potential Iranian target if U.S. escalates hostilities

Iran has considered targeting US and British military assets in Europe, including Cyprus, if Washington escalates its conflict with Tehran, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people close to…

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Climate change is driving record heat in Europe’s seas

Human-caused climate change was the main driver of recent record-breaking sea temperatures around Europe, scientists said on Wednesday, warning of severe consequences for marine ecosystems and coastal communities. Europe's seas…

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Lavrov says Russia, North Korea fighting for ‘new, righteous’ world order

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his North Korean counterpart that their countries were working to establish a "new and righteous world order", after Pyongyang helped Moscow to drive Ukrainian…

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