https://www.scmp.com/rss/322263/feed The latest breaking news, politics and current affairs from Europe. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press UK police said on Sunday they were investigating whether a string of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London were the work of Iranian proxies, as the country’s chief rabbi said British Jews were facing a campaign of violence and intimidation. The Metropolitan Police force said counterterror officers were investigating fires at synagogues and other sites linked to the Jewish community, as well as an attack on a Persian-language media company. No one has been injured in the blazes, the latest of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350657/uk-police-investigating-iran-link-arson-attacks-jewish-sites-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350657/uk-police-investigating-iran-link-arson-attacks-jewish-sites-london?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:39:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Senior Cabinet ministers on Sunday rallied around UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose leadership is teetering over his decision to give Britain’s most important diplomatic job to Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished politician and friend of Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer will face restive lawmakers in Parliament on Monday to fight for his job after the explosive revelation that Mandelson was appointed ambassador to the United States despite failing security checks. Starmer says he is “furious” that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350654/allies-back-starmer-mandelsons-epstein-links-leave-uk-leader-fighting-his-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350654/allies-back-starmer-mandelsons-epstein-links-leave-uk-leader-fighting-his-job?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 17:34:54 +0000 dpa dpa The head of Ukraine’s police patrol, Yevhen Zhukov, has handed in his resignation after two police officers were seen fleeing the scene when a gunman opened fire in Kyiv, killing at least six. “As an officer with combat experience, I have decided to tender my resignation from my current post. I believe this is the right thing to do,” said the police general at a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday. It comes after an unknown gunman killed at least six people and injured more than a dozen others in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350652/police-patrol-chief-quits-over-shameful-response-kyiv-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350652/police-patrol-chief-quits-over-shameful-response-kyiv-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:27:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev is set for a runaway victory in Bulgaria’s election and may even secure a parliamentary majority, exit polls showed, potentially ending years of weak coalition governments and altering the European Union member’s foreign policy. An updated exit poll conducted by Sofia-based Alpha Research showed Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria with 44 per cent, far ahead of the long-dominant GERB party, led ‌by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, at 12.5 per cent. If... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350625/corruption-fuels-mistrust-bulgarias-eighth-election-five-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350625/corruption-fuels-mistrust-bulgarias-eighth-election-five-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:41:00 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A gunman who killed at least six people in the streets of Kyiv on Saturday before taking hostages and barricading himself in a nearby supermarket has been shot dead by police, Ukrainian officials said. The head of Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, Ihor Klymenko, said in a statement on social media that special tactical police units stormed the store after attempts to contact the gunman with a negotiator failed. The attacker was killed while resisting arrest, he said. Speaking to reporters at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350599/kyiv-gunman-kills-5-and-takes-hostages-being-shot-dead-ukraine-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350599/kyiv-gunman-kills-5-and-takes-hostages-being-shot-dead-ukraine-police?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:30:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse UK counterterror officers are investigating an arson attack on a shop in an area of London with a large Jewish population, police said on Saturday, following similar incidents in recent weeks. No one was injured in the fire on late Friday in Hendon, in the northwest of Britain’s capital, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement, without specifying the business targeted. It comes after police arrested two people over a separate arson attack on a synagogue in nearby Finchley, on Wednesday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350585/uks-counterterror-police-probe-another-london-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350585/uks-counterterror-police-probe-another-london-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:47:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press When Alina Dotsenko returned to her museum after Ukrainian forces retook the southern city of Kherson from Russian forces in late 2022, she found thousands of artworks had vanished. “I walked in and saw empty storage rooms, empty shelves. My legs gave way, and I just sat down by the wall, like a child,” the Kherson Art Museum director said. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, the museum held more than 14,000 works in a collection “ranging from America to Japan”. As the Russians... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350568/ukraine-works-interpol-find-thousands-cultural-artefacts-looted-russians?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350568/ukraine-works-interpol-find-thousands-cultural-artefacts-looted-russians?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:01:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Spain and Brazil signed a flurry of agreements at Pedro Sanchez and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s first bilateral summit, as the Spanish leader seeks to build an alliance to counter US President Donald Trump. “The relationship between Spain and Brazil goes far beyond the strictly bilateral,” Sanchez told reporters after signing 15 deals covering areas including critical minerals, telecommunications and artificial intelligence. “Peace and the values that sustain it are being attacked by a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350545/spain-signs-deals-brazil-sanchez-builds-anti-trump-bloc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350545/spain-signs-deals-brazil-sanchez-builds-anti-trump-bloc?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:05:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Scores of Chinese women were brought to Germany without valid residency permits for sex work across the country, prosecutors in Frankfurt alleged on Friday. Five suspects are accused of organised smuggling of foreigners for their roles in operating the prostitution ring over the past three years, according to prosecutors. Prostitution is legal in Germany but is strictly regulated. A 43-year-old Chinese man and a 35-year-old Chinese woman allegedly ran the illegal business, using a network of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350540/scores-chinese-women-smuggled-germany-massive-prostitution-ring-prosecutors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350540/scores-chinese-women-smuggled-germany-massive-prostitution-ring-prosecutors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:46:01 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu China’s leading LED chipmaker and its Malaysian partner have abandoned their US$239 million cash offer to purchase Dutch technology company Lumileds Holding after opposition from US authorities, marking the latest setback for Chinese tech investment overseas following the high-profile Nexperia saga. Sanan Optoelectronics, listed in Shanghai, said in a disclosure announcement on Friday that despite multiple rounds of discussions, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3350520/chinese-led-chipmakers-purchase-dutch-firm-collapses-after-us-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3350520/chinese-led-chipmakers-purchase-dutch-firm-collapses-after-us-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:30:07 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Some exporters at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou report a modest return of orders to China from Southeast Asia, as energy-market volatility linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran prompts some Western buyers to prioritise supply chain stability. The shift is visible in buyer patterns on the exhibition floor, where the number from Europe and the United States appears to have recovered from last year’s levels, according to Chinese exporters, with more inquiries for home appliances, new energy products... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350446/iran-war-energy-shock-threatens-southeast-asias-supply-chains-win-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350446/iran-war-energy-shock-threatens-southeast-asias-supply-chains-win-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure to quit on Friday over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to Washington, after it emerged the veteran politician had failed security vetting. The affair has haunted Starmer for months amid growing anger over Mandelson’s 2024 nomination to the top diplomatic post despite his close ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, a long-time insider with Starmer’s ruling Labour Party, has held multiple ministerial posts since... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350451/uks-starmer-faces-calls-resign-mandelson-scandal-reignites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350451/uks-starmer-faces-calls-resign-mandelson-scandal-reignites?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:36:42 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s top foreign ministry official will leave his post after Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper lost confidence in him, a source said on Thursday, following a row over the security vetting of Peter Mandelson. The disclosure of the vetting failure has intensified pressure on Starmer over his appointment of Mandelson, Britain’s former US ‌ambassador, who is under police investigation for allegedly leaking government documents to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350376/epstein-row-uks-starmer-faces-calls-resign-over-report-mandelson-failed-vetting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350376/epstein-row-uks-starmer-faces-calls-resign-over-report-mandelson-failed-vetting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:33:45 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong Trade tensions between the US and China have made companies around the world less keen to invest in either country, with the United States almost twice as unpopular, according to a new report from Allianz Trade. The report, based on an annual survey by the Paris-based international insurance company, said US-China decoupling had not materialised, but investment intention towards China had dropped “significantly” to 24 per cent of survey respondents, down from 53 per cent a year ago. The survey... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350343/trade-tensions-make-rest-world-less-keen-invest-us-and-china-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350343/trade-tensions-make-rest-world-less-keen-invest-us-and-china-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Europe has “maybe 6 weeks or so [of] jet fuel left”, the head of the International Energy Agency said on Thursday in a wide-ranging interview, warning of possible flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war. IEA executive director Fatih Birol painted a sobering picture of the global repercussions of what he called “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced”, stemming from the pinch-off of oil, gas and other vital supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. “In the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350352/europe-running-low-jet-fuel-stoking-fears-flight-cancellations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350352/europe-running-low-jet-fuel-stoking-fears-flight-cancellations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:44:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia unleashed its deadliest attack so far this year on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities overnight, killing 17 people, including a 12-year-old child, and wounding scores, in drone and missile strikes, officials said on Thursday. In Russia, a major Ukrainian drone attack on the Black Sea port of Tuapse killed two people, including a 14-year-old girl, injured seven, and sparked a large fire, Russian ‌officials and media reported. The port is home to a major oil refinery as well as an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350297/russian-missiles-and-drones-kill-least-16-across-ukraine-worst-attack-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350297/russian-missiles-and-drones-kill-least-16-across-ukraine-worst-attack-year?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:55:47 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The BBC said on Wednesday that the British broadcasting corporation is set to cut up to 2,000 jobs amid a challenging media landscape. The BBC’s interim director general Rhodri Talfan Davies said in a statement to staff that “while we still have to work through the detail, we anticipate the overall number of jobs will fall by 1,800-2,000”. The BBC reported the cuts on Wednesday afternoon, saying they amount to “almost one in 10” jobs, since it has about 21,500 employees. The acting director... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350235/bbc-slash-2000-jobs-biggest-redundancy-drive-15-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350235/bbc-slash-2000-jobs-biggest-redundancy-drive-15-years?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:23:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Ukrainian unit said on Wednesday that it has carried out more than 100 attacks on the front using ground robots, after President Volodymyr Zelensky recently hailed the capture of a Russian position thanks to this new method. “In total, there have already been over 100 such operations,” said a source within the NC-13 company, which specialises in the use of these combat machines and is part of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade. “These operations include the elimination of enemy personnel, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3350228/ukraine-unit-says-it-has-launched-over-100-robot-attacks-russias-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3350228/ukraine-unit-says-it-has-launched-over-100-robot-attacks-russias-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:40:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said he would not “yield” to pressure to join the Iran war after US President Donald Trump threatened to scrap a UK trade deal. “We’re not going to get dragged into this war. It is not our war,” Starmer told parliament. “I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going to yield. It is not in our national interest to join this war,” the Labour leader added. In a phone interview with Sky News, Trump threatened to alter an agreement struck with Britain... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350216/uk-pm-starmer-says-not-going-yield-trumps-mideast-war-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350216/uk-pm-starmer-says-not-going-yield-trumps-mideast-war-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:35:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A 14-year-old armed with five guns opened fire at a Turkish school on Wednesday, killing nine people, wounding 13 and sparking scenes of mayhem as students jumped out of windows to escape. The attack in the southern province of Kahramanmaras was Turkey’s second such incident in as many days, shocking a country where school shootings are a rare occurrence. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci confirmed nine deaths, with 13 wounded – six in intensive care, three of them in a critical condition. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350209/least-4-dead-turkeys-second-school-shooting-2-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350209/least-4-dead-turkeys-second-school-shooting-2-days?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:06:53 +0000 James David Spellman James David Spellman The fraying of the ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran reflects grim patterns of history. Truces are often doomed because they focus on stopping battle-related violence and rarely begin to address the underlying struggles that ignited hostilities. A pause without a shared common endgame often resets the battlefield as reasons harden for prolonging warfare. Viable political solutions seldom follow and take hold for peace to endure. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the perils. The Minsk... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349904/given-history-ceasefires-its-no-surprise-us-iran-truce-fraying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349904/given-history-ceasefires-its-no-surprise-us-iran-truce-fraying?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that an EU-developed age-verification app was ready to go, as the bloc pushes to better protect children from online harm. Brussels has been under pressure to come up with more stringent measures to safeguard children online as several EU capitals move ahead with plans to ban social media under a certain age. To that end, five EU countries including France and Italy last year started testing an age-check app that von der Leyen said on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350202/eu-unveils-age-check-app-amid-efforts-better-protect-children-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350202/eu-unveils-age-check-app-amid-efforts-better-protect-children-online?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:15:08 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng China’s leading steelmakers are stepping up coordinated efforts to adjust export strategies, compliance systems and pricing models in response to this year’s full implementation of the EU’s tariff-like Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes direct carbon-linked costs on imports. “China’s indirect steel exports to the EU are substantial, and a significant portion consists of high value-added products,” said Jiang Wei, vice-chairman and secretary general of the China Iron and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350177/chinese-steelmakers-coordinate-response-eus-carbon-linked-import-imposts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350177/chinese-steelmakers-coordinate-response-eus-carbon-linked-import-imposts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Hungary’s election winner Peter Magyar said on Wednesday he will suspend state media news broadcasts, which critics at home and abroad say became a government mouthpiece under Viktor Orban, ‌and restore media freedoms after his cabinet takes power. Magyar’s TISZA (Respect and Freedom) party won a landslide victory in Sunday’s election, ending Orban’s 16-year rule that became a prototype for “illiberal” conservative rulers across the Western world. “Every Hungarian deserves a public service media... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350170/incoming-hungarian-leader-magyar-vows-suspend-state-news-broadcasts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350170/incoming-hungarian-leader-magyar-vows-suspend-state-news-broadcasts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:05:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s King Charles will have tea and a private meeting with ⁠President Donald Trump during his US state visit later this month, as the UK government hopes his “soft power” can heal a damaging rift between the allies caused by the Iran war. The monarch and his wife Queen Camilla head across the Atlantic on April 27, a four-day trip ostensibly to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence from Britain but one that now has far greater significance amid a growing spat between Trump and ‌Prime... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350114/britains-king-charles-charm-trump-state-visit-overshadowed-us-uk-rift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350114/britains-king-charles-charm-trump-state-visit-overshadowed-us-uk-rift?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 03:27:55 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat As the US imposes its own blockade on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following the collapse of talks with Iran at the weekend, we take a look at how major economies in Asia and Europe could be affected by further restrictions on passage through one of the world’s most critical choke points for energy supplies. Who is most vulnerable in this energy crisis? According to a recent report by Japanese investment bank Nomura, the regions most exposed to the tensions in the Persian Gulf are Asian... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350051/which-countries-are-most-vulnerable-us-imposes-its-own-blockade-persian-gulf?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350051/which-countries-are-most-vulnerable-us-imposes-its-own-blockade-persian-gulf?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Parisian man could not believe his luck on Tuesday when he found out he had won a Pablo Picasso painting worth US$1 million with a US$117 raffle ticket. “How do I check that it’s not a hoax?” said Ari Hodara, 58, after organisers called him following the draw at Christie’s auction house in the French capital. Hodara described himself as an art amateur fond of Picasso and said he bought his ticket over the weekend after finding out about the charity raffle by chance during a meal in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350098/stunned-frenchman-wins-us1-million-picasso-us117-raffle-ticket?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350098/stunned-frenchman-wins-us1-million-picasso-us117-raffle-ticket?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:44:51 +0000 dpa dpa New research suggests that gifted men are less conservative in their political views than men of average cognitive ability. A study conducted in Germany found that men with higher IQs are less inclined to traditional values, but the lead author, psychologist and intelligence researcher Maximilian Krolo of Saarland University said the researchers did not find these differences among women. The study was based on the Marburg Giftedness Project, for which more than 7,000 children in primary school... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350097/men-higher-iqs-are-less-conservative-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350097/men-higher-iqs-are-less-conservative-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:47:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A German court on Tuesday sentenced a 28-year-old Chinese student to 11 years and three months in jail for repeatedly drugging and raping his girlfriend and filming the abuse. In a case reminiscent of that of France’s Gisele Pelicot, the Munich court said the defendant, named only as Zhongyi J., had assaulted his girlfriend while she was unconscious at least seven times. Zhongyi J. filmed the abuse each time and stored the videos on a hard drive, the court said. In one case, the assault lasted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350093/germany-jails-chinese-student-pelicot-rape-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350093/germany-jails-chinese-student-pelicot-rape-case?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:46:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lacks courage and has let Washington down, US President Donald Trump told an Italian newspaper on Tuesday, delivering a blunt public rebuke to one of his closest European allies. Meloni had been a vociferous supporter of Trump, but she distanced herself from him after he went to war with Iran ‌in February, and on Monday she openly criticised him for lashing out at Pope Leo, saying his verbal assault was “unacceptable”. Trump responded in an interview with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350090/trump-turns-italys-meloni-says-he-shocked-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350090/trump-turns-italys-meloni-says-he-shocked-her?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:10:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse France’s interior minister is seeking to block US rapper Kanye West from performing in the southern city of Marseille in June due to his antisemitic remarks, a source close to the minister said on Tuesday. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is “highly determined” to ban the June 11 concert at Marseille’s Velodrome stadium and is exploring “all possibilities”, the source said. West, 48, has been heavily criticised for making antisemitic remarks and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler. Britain has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350075/french-minister-seeks-ban-kanye-west-concert-marseille?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350075/french-minister-seeks-ban-kanye-west-concert-marseille?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:14:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A former student opened fire at a high school in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday, wounding at least 16 people, before killing himself, an official said. The 18-year-old attacker, armed with a shotgun, fired randomly inside a vocational high school in Siverek, Sanliurfa province. He later killed himself with the same shotgun after being “cornered by police”, Governor Hasan Sildak said. The attack left 10 students, four teachers, a canteen employee and a police officer hurt, Sildak said. While most... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350044/turkey-school-shooting-wounds-16-attacker-dead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350044/turkey-school-shooting-wounds-16-attacker-dead?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:21:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, has been formally charged with corruption after a years-long criminal investigation, according to a court ruling published on Monday. The investigation is one of several corruption cases that have embroiled the Socialist leader’s family and former allies, putting pressure on his minority coalition government. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado opened the investigation in April 2024 to determine whether Gomez had exploited her position as... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349960/wife-spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-charged-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349960/wife-spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-charged-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:12:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters The European Union on Monday launched ⁠the critical minerals ⁠section of its energy and materials ⁠procurement platform, which aims to give more power to regional buyers and cut dependence on dominant producer China by aggregating their purchases. The platform is part of the bloc’s RESourceEU strategy, announced in December ‌to develop its supply chains for rare earths and other strategic minerals needed for the energy transition and defence applications. China controls up to 90 per cent of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349956/eu-launches-operations-critical-minerals-procurement-platform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349956/eu-launches-operations-critical-minerals-procurement-platform?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:45:07 +0000 dpa dpa Former British prime minister Boris Johnson has hit out at the “delay” and “timidity” in helping Ukraine after travelling through the country unprotected during a 72-hour trip for a documentary. The former prime minister travelled beyond the capital Kyiv to the so-called kill zone near the city of Zaporizhzhia where he witnessed first-hand the war between Russia and Ukraine. The 61-year-old said Ukraine can and will win the war, but that “we are risibly failing to live up to our pledges” to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349952/ex-uk-pm-boris-johnson-criticises-timidity-over-ukraine-after-visit-film?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349952/ex-uk-pm-boris-johnson-criticises-timidity-over-ukraine-after-visit-film?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:34:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters The murders of three young girls ⁠at a Taylor ⁠Swift-themed dance event in Britain in ⁠2024 should have been prevented, but there was a “fundamental failure” by state bodies to recognise the risk the killer posed, a public inquiry concluded on Monday. Teenager Axel Rudakubana launched the ‌frenzied knife attack at the summer holiday event in Southport, northern England, on July 29, 2024, in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer called “a devastating moment” in British history. Rudakubana, then 17,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349940/uk-murder-3-young-girls-should-have-been-prevented-says-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349940/uk-murder-3-young-girls-should-have-been-prevented-says-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:08:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ghana said France was open to having ⁠discussions with a coalition ⁠of countries that are calling ⁠for reparations for transatlantic slavery, following a meeting last week with President Emmanuel Macron. Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, accompanied by Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and other officials, held talks with Macron in Paris on Wednesday. Ablakwa said on X after the meeting that Macron had indicated France was open to discussions on reparations, including the return of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349925/france-open-engaging-slavery-reparations-says-ghana?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349925/france-open-engaging-slavery-reparations-says-ghana?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:50:32 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan and Nato are drawing closer together, with 30 representatives from the transatlantic security alliance’s member states set to visit Tokyo this month amid mounting concern over Washington’s reliability as a security partner. The Nato envoys will reportedly hold talks on China’s expanding regional influence, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the implications of a more volatile global security order, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. “A delegation of this size underlines just... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349766/japan-welcome-30-nato-envoys-trump-rattles-us-allies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349766/japan-welcome-30-nato-envoys-trump-rattles-us-allies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A truce between Russia and Ukraine to mark the Orthodox Easter formally expired on Monday, both sides having accused each other of thousands of violations, despite a lull in Russian air raids. The truce lasted 32 hours, from 4pm on Saturday until the end of the day on Sunday. Both sides had agreed to observe the ceasefire, which Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Thursday and which Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky proposed more than a week earlier. But as with a similar... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349820/russia-and-ukraine-accuse-each-other-violating-putins-easter-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349820/russia-and-ukraine-accuse-each-other-violating-putins-easter-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:44:53 +0000 Xiaofei Xu,Finbarr Bermingham Xiaofei Xu,Finbarr Bermingham Viktor Orban’s 16-year grip on Hungary is over, with the prime minister conceding Sunday’s election in a phone call with Peter Magyar, leader of the main opposition Tisza Party. “The election result is painful but clear. I congratulated the winning party,” Orban said from his election headquarters in Budapest. The result is a resounding rebuke to a government marked by authoritarianism and corruption, and by closer ties with Beijing, Moscow and Donald Trump’s Washington over Brussels. Hungarians... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349821/orban-concedes-defeat-hungarian-voters-deliver-sweeping-rebuke-16-year-rule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349821/orban-concedes-defeat-hungarian-voters-deliver-sweeping-rebuke-16-year-rule?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:44:52 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Police broke up a blockade in the centre of Dublin by fuel protesters who have brought much of Ireland to a standstill during the past week, as the government on Sunday prepared to approve cost-cutting measures they hope will end the six days of disruption over soaring costs at the pump. As tractors and trucks that had blocked O’Connell Street were rolling out of the capital, protests continued elsewhere, with police on the other side of the country clashing with demonstrators at the Galway... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349810/ireland-police-remove-farmers-blockades-protesting-fuel-price-rises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349810/ireland-police-remove-farmers-blockades-protesting-fuel-price-rises?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:13:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In his strongest words yet, Pope Leo on Saturday denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fuelling the US-Israel war on Iran and demanded political leaders stop and negotiate peace. Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St Peter’s Basilica on the same day the US and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan and as a fragile ceasefire held. History’s first US-born pope did not mention the United States or President Donald Trump in his prayer, which was planned before the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349769/pope-leo-slams-delusion-omnipotence-stoking-us-israeli-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349769/pope-leo-slams-delusion-omnipotence-stoking-us-israeli-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 03:25:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A nine-year-old boy has been rescued after living locked in his father’s utility van in eastern France since 2024, according to the local prosecutor. The child has been hospitalised, and his father detained. Police were alerted by a neighbour to the “sounds of a child” coming from a van on Monday in the village of Hagenbach, near the borders with Switzerland and Germany, according to a statement on Saturday from prosecutor Nicolas Heitz. After forcing the van open, officers found the child... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349763/french-police-find-naked-boy-9-locked-fathers-van-2024?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349763/french-police-find-naked-boy-9-locked-fathers-van-2024?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 20:41:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters A private spy firm founded by former members ⁠of Israeli intelligence ⁠has confirmed its involvement in ⁠a sting operation targeting state officials and private interests in Cyprus, saying it wanted to expose corruption. A senior aide to President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides resigned in January after a video posted online showed ‌him discussing investment projects in Cyprus. It also featured a businessman who suggested he had direct access to Christodoulides, and a former minister speaking... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349756/israeli-spy-firm-black-cube-involved-cyprus-corruption-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349756/israeli-spy-firm-black-cube-involved-cyprus-corruption-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:03:22 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A charity co-founded by Prince Harry in Africa to honour his late mother, Princess Diana, has sued him for defamation after he stepped down as a patron last year. Sentebale, which supports young people living with HIV in Botswana and Lesotho, filed suit last month in London’s High Court, according to court records reviewed Friday. Online filings show Harry and his friend, Mark Dyer, a trustee at the charity, are being sued for either libel or slander. No documents were available. Disagreements... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349711/prince-harry-sued-african-charity-he-set-honour-princess-diana?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349711/prince-harry-sued-african-charity-he-set-honour-princess-diana?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:44:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Kimberley Milne jumped to her death in Scotland in July 2023, but prosecutors in a landmark case said on Friday that she was driven to do it by her husband’s physical abuse. Lee Milne, 40, was sentenced to eight years in prison following his conviction in Glasgow’s High Court for culpable homicide and engaging in abusive behaviour. It was the first case in which Scottish prosecutors asked jurors to find an abusive spouse responsible for the death of a victim who takes their own life. “Lee Milne... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349704/ruthlessly-abusive-man-jailed-after-wife-died-jumping-scotland-bridge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349704/ruthlessly-abusive-man-jailed-after-wife-died-jumping-scotland-bridge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:03:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters French President Emmanuel Macron has invited US President ⁠Donald Trump to a ⁠sumptuous dinner at the ornate Palace of ⁠Versailles the day after a G7 summit in mid-June, although it remains unclear if Trump will attend either event, sources said. France is the host of this year’s G7, with a leaders’ summit in the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains at the foot ‌of the French Alps scheduled for June 15-17 – dates that Macron has already moved to accommodate a mixed martial arts event Trump is... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349688/macron-woos-trump-g7-summit-versailles-palace-dinner-will-he-bite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349688/macron-woos-trump-g7-summit-versailles-palace-dinner-will-he-bite?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:35:07 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Travellers stepping out of the railway station at Hungary’s second-biggest city, Debrecen, are immediately greeted by a banner hanging over the street that reads “No battery, no deal”, “Debrecen belongs to Hungarians” and “Chinese, go home”. Targeting a mega-factory set up by Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), it also calls for a protest on Saturday, on the eve of Sunday’s general election in the central European nation. The banner was put up by the local candidate... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349649/chinese-firms-hungary-face-post-election-reckoning-no-matter-who-wins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349649/chinese-firms-hungary-face-post-election-reckoning-no-matter-who-wins?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:00:08 +0000 dpa dpa Russia has formally designated Nazi crimes against the Soviet population during World War II as genocide and criminalised their denial, after President Vladimir Putin signed amendments to the country’s criminal code, the Kremlin said on Thursday. The term “genocide of the Soviet people” has increasingly been used in Russia in recent years. Authorities have also proposed repurposing a closed museum dedicated to the Soviet-era Gulag system into one focused on victims of Nazi crimes. Moscow has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349569/russia-criminalises-denial-soviet-genocide-nazis-during-world-war-ii?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349569/russia-criminalises-denial-soviet-genocide-nazis-during-world-war-ii?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:21:17 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump said he plans to impose a 20 per cent tariff on all cars imported from the European Union unless the trade bloc “soon” removes import duties and other barriers to US goods, escalating global trade tensions. “Based on the Tariffs and Trade Barriers long placed on the US and it great companies and workers by the European Union, if these Tariffs and Barriers are not soon broken down and removed, we will be placing a 20% Tariff on all of their cars coming into the US. Build... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349566/trumps-tariff-threat-european-cars-escalates-global-trade-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349566/trumps-tariff-threat-european-cars-escalates-global-trade-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:44:44 +0000