English

Gavin Blackburn

Europe News

Belarus continues crackdown on political dissent, rights group says

Mass arrests and convictions of government critics in Belarus have continued since 2020, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was handed a sixth term in office in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.

Europe News

EU and Greece to press Libya on migrant crossings as numbers surge

The UN refugee agency said that in 2021, 32,400 refugees and migrants had made the crossing from Libya to Europe, more than twice as many as in 2020.

Thailand

Thailand’s PM suspended over probe into leaked 'uncle' phone call

Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s suspension raises the possibility of renewed instability in Thailand, a still fragile democracy that has suffered several similar bouts of uncertainty.

Europe News

Denmark arrests man for spying on Berlin's Jewish community for Iran

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the Danish national, identified only as Ali S in line with German privacy rules, was arrested on Thursday in the city of Aarhus.

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Europe News

Spanish PM’s former aide detained without bail in corruption probe

The case involving Santos Cerdán is the latest and arguably the most serious in a series of scandals that forced Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to issue public apologies and deflect calls from his political opponents for a snap election.

Pakistan

Pakistan considers extending deadline for Afghan refugees to leave

Officials said the proposed extension was to allow the refugees more time to settle their personal affairs in Pakistan, such as selling property or wrapping up business activities, before returning to Afghanistan in an orderly and dignified way.

Europe News

US skips global UN meeting aimed at raising billions to combat poverty

Many countries face escalating debt burdens, declining investments, decreasing international aid and growing trade barriers.

Europe News

Lithuania and the Philippines sign security alliance agreement

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have been involved in prolonged territorial standoffs but confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces have spiked in recent years.

Europe News

Germany's FM Johann Wadephul makes unannounced visit to Ukraine

Germany has been Ukraine’s second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support under President Donald Trump is in doubt.

USA

Trump terminates trade talks with Canada over tax on tech firms

The digital services tax applies to Canadian and foreign businesses that engage with online users in Canada and applies to companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb with a 3% levy on revenue from Canadian users.

Europe News

Danish government seeks to make spread of deepfake images illegal

Deepfakes usually come in the form of pictures or video but can also be audio. They can make it appear that someone said or did something that they didn't actually say or do.

Greece

Greek government officials resign over EU farming subsidy fraud claims

Replacements for all five will be named "in the coming days," government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said in a statement.

Europe News

UK counter-terrorism police arrest four over RAF base jet vandalism

The arrests come in the same week as the British government said it would ban the pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws after the Brize Norton break-in.

Europe News

Iran's uranium stocks said to be intact, UK media says

The initial European intelligence assessment is unlikely to go down well with US President Donald Trump who is currently engaged with a fight with his own spy agencies about the impact of the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.

Indonesia

Indonesian police suspect three Australians of murder of man on Bali

Zivan Radmanovic, a 32-year-old from Melbourne, was killed just after midnight on 13 June at a villa near Munggu Beach in Bali’s Badung district.

Europe News

ISS welcomes first astronauts from Poland, Hungary and India

NASA plans to abandon the International Space Station in 2030 after more than three decades of operation and is encouraging private ventures to replace it.

USA

World Bank approves over $1bn for projects in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon

The biggest amount went to Iraq, where the World Bank approved $930 million to help improve the country’s railway infrastructure, boost domestic trade and create jobs.

Europe News

Arrest warrant issued for man who allegedly stabbed four in Germany

Among other things, the federal prosecutor's office will take over terrorism-related cases from local prosecutors in Germany.

Iran

Strikes on Iran's Fordow facility rendered it inoperable, Israel says

The Israeli assessment contradicts a leaked intelligence report from the US, which suggests that Iran’s nuclear programme has only been set back by a few months.

Europe News

Czech authorities detain five teens over radicalisation by IS group

During raids in Czech Republic and Austria, police seized weapons including knives, machetes and axes.

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