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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Europe to counter what he termed an “invasion” of its coastline by migration, as he marked the 82nd anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in northern France. Hegseth also called on European countries to do more to contribute to their defence, in a speech at the American military cemetery in Colleville-sur-mer in Normandy. He was however conspicuously set to skip the main international ceremony marking the anniversary of the landings,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356224/d-day-speech-hegseth-urges-europe-counter-invasion-migrants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356224/d-day-speech-hegseth-urges-europe-counter-invasion-migrants?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 15:00:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo on Saturday urged global leaders to avoid dividing their electorates with “sterile simplifications” to gain popularity and called on them to listen to the world’s cries for peace, in a forceful speech opening a week-long tour of Spain. Leo, who has angered US President Donald Trump by criticising his anti-immigration policies and the Iran war, will meet homeless people in Madrid and migrants in the Canary Islands during a visit he has said he hopes will set an example to the world about... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356222/pope-leo-urges-end-polarising-narratives-spain-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356222/pope-leo-urges-end-polarising-narratives-spain-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:39:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Residents of St Petersburg were told not to leave their homes after a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack targeted Russia’s second-largest city Saturday morning, underscoring Kyiv’s growing ability to hit deep inside Russia. The attack came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin refused an offer to meet his Ukrainian counterpart. St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov advised the residents not to go outside and warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet service, while regional... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3356196/russia-downs-376-ukrainian-drones-overnight-final-day-st-petersburg-forum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3356196/russia-downs-376-ukrainian-drones-overnight-final-day-st-petersburg-forum?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 06:37:11 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo Listening to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, I thought of the iconic Sichuan opera act of face-changing, where performers switch masks in an instant. Last year, Hegseth’s speech at the event was filled with blatant attacks on China. This year, he put on a completely different face, declaring that: “Under President Trump’s leadership, relations between the United States and China are better than they’ve been in many years.” Why this... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355862/does-pete-hegseths-volte-face-china-reflect-america-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355862/does-pete-hegseths-volte-face-china-reflect-america-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A firestorm of recrimination raged in France on Friday over failures in the justice system that kept a man now suspected in the disappearance and death of an 11-year-old girl out of custody despite allegations that he preyed on young adolescents. The disappearance of the girl identified by police as Lyhanna and days of searches that ended with the discovery of her body in a disused grain silo have gripped national and, increasingly, political attention since she went missing in the southwestern... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356177/death-girl-11-france-sparks-storm-over-cracks-judicial-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356177/death-girl-11-france-sparks-storm-over-cracks-judicial-system?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 19:01:20 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A vaccine targeting a broad range of viruses that was designed using artificial intelligence had a “modest” effect on immune systems in a small, early trial, according to a new study. The trial marks the first time a vaccine whose active ingredient was entirely designed by AI has been tested in humans, researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK said on Friday. The experimental jab is intended to be a “universal vaccine” which protects people against a range of viruses that have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356176/first-ai-designed-universal-vaccine-tested-humans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356176/first-ai-designed-universal-vaccine-tested-humans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 18:12:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia could attack a Nato country within four years according to western intelligence assessments, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned on Friday. He made the comments as he pledged his government would publish a long-delayed defence investment plan before next month’s Nato summit. “It is our intelligence assessment and the assessment of other countries in Nato that there could be an attack by Russia on Nato as soon as 2030,” Starmer said. “So you can see the urgency and the priority that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356170/uks-keir-starmer-says-russia-could-attack-nato-within-4-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356170/uks-keir-starmer-says-russia-could-attack-nato-within-4-years?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:25:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant after a significant deterioration in her health that likely gave her only a year left to live without the surgery, her doctors said on Friday. The 52-year-old wife of Crown Prince Haakon, the ‌heir to the Norwegian throne, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs and leads to a reduced oxygen uptake. Oslo’s University Hospital in December said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356161/norway-crown-princess-awaits-lung-transplant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356161/norway-crown-princess-awaits-lung-transplant?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:35:58 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg French billionaire Pierre-Edouard Sterin, who has stirred controversy over his right-wing politics, is pleading with lawmakers to modify rules so he can disinherit his five children, saying he prefers to give his fortune to charity. “I would like to give my entire estate to philanthropic causes,” the businessman told senators on Thursday during a public hearing, noting that under French law three quarters of his assets would have to be passed down to his offspring. “I’m in favour of being able... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356098/french-billionaire-pleads-law-change-disinherit-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356098/french-billionaire-pleads-law-change-disinherit-children?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:53:38 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell Europe’s political and business leaderships appear to have concluded that China’s economic dominance represents an existential threat – not from intrinsic competitiveness but from subsidies, technology theft, state-owned enterprises and a pervasive industrial policy. Cecilia Malmstrom, former European Commission member and a member of the European Parliament, wrote this week about “an ever more aggressive China”, which “seems to be entering a new phase of industrial policy with an increase of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3356037/europes-fears-about-china-trade-threat-miss-point?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3356037/europes-fears-about-china-trade-threat-miss-point?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters King Charles’ disgraced younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor held leases for 10 properties, three of which he sublet, while the monarch ⁠pays rent for the former prince’s daughters’ palace ⁠homes, a report by the UK’s spending watchdog said. In the most ⁠detailed review ever of royal property arrangements, the National Audit Office (NAO) report on Friday showed some leases were based on commercial valuations, while for others, senior figures paid no rent or negligible amounts for their... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356043/auditors-shine-light-uk-royal-housing-disgraced-andrews-peppercorn-rent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356043/auditors-shine-light-uk-royal-housing-disgraced-andrews-peppercorn-rent?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 04:47:34 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has confirmed for the first time his intention to challenge Keir Starmer to be Britain’s prime minister, drawing immediate criticism from the premier who vowed not to walk away from the job. “If I get your support, I would seek to represent you at the highest possible level and give this constituency maximum power and influence,” Burnham said in an episode of the BBC’s Question Time. He cited the ambitions of his top rival, former health secretary Wes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356033/rival-confirms-he-will-challenge-starmer-be-uk-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356033/rival-confirms-he-will-challenge-starmer-be-uk-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:49:43 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press German airline Lufthansa said it was investigating after the nose gear of a Boeing jet collapsed while the aircraft was parked at a gate at Frankfurt Airport, injuring several employees. Only crew members and ground staff were on board the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner when the front tip of the plane crashed to the ground ahead of passenger boarding for a scheduled flight to Los Angeles on Thursday. The flight was later cancelled. “Several employees were injured and are currently receiving medical... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356022/nose-down-lufthansa-investigating-boeing-787-landing-gear-collapse-frankfurt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3356022/nose-down-lufthansa-investigating-boeing-787-landing-gear-collapse-frankfurt?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 02:10:07 +0000 Richard Harris Richard Harris I just spent two weeks in a broken Britain, which is an unfortunately apt description for a country that has fallen from its former glory. Its people are funny, witty, creative, intelligent, sports-mad and educated, part of a society that has constantly evolved over the last millennium, its imperial heritage bringing in cultures from around the globe. It is a green and pleasant land, beautiful in spring and summer, and not too bad in the autumn. Yet the once great nation is now dealing with a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355911/uk-decline-needs-rediscover-supply-side-economics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355911/uk-decline-needs-rediscover-supply-side-economics?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Franco-Iranian author and film director Marjane Satrapi, renowned for her graphic novel and film Persepolis, has died aged 56, a year after the passing of “the love of her life”, a member of her close circle said on Thursday. “Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life,” they said in a statement. Born in 1969 in Rasht in northern Iran, Satrapi arrived in France in 1994 and gained French nationality in 2006. An... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3356010/persepolis-author-marjane-satrapi-dies-aged-56?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3356010/persepolis-author-marjane-satrapi-dies-aged-56?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:20:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Four people were killed on Thursday in a plane crash on Croatia’s northern Adriatic coast, police said. “According to currently available information four people have died” in the crash of the plane in Medulin, on Croatia’s northwestern Istria peninsula, a police statement said. The accident occurred in the Campanoz area, outside the town, and “all emergency services are on the scene”, it added. The national firefighting association said it had received a report of the crash near the Medulin... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355992/croatia-plane-crash-kills-4?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355992/croatia-plane-crash-kills-4?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:33:17 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China has rejected a recent OECD report that said its firms receive far higher government subsidies than international peers, calling the findings “one-sided and arbitrary” at a time when EU concerns over Beijing’s industrial policy are intensifying. “The report’s definition of ‘subsidies’ lacks a unified standard and statistical framework, and deviates from consensus under multilateral frameworks such as the World Trade Organization,” the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3355941/china-rejects-oecd-report-industrial-subsidies-one-sided-amid-eu-trade-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3355941/china-rejects-oecd-report-industrial-subsidies-one-sided-amid-eu-trade-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:00:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, is facing growing resistance from protesters in Albania. The government says the development on the Adriatic coast would be transformational for the former communist nation as it seeks to enter the high-end tourism market and pushes for European Union membership. But the venture, spanning an abandoned island and a nearby stretch of seafront on Albania’s southern coast, has drawn opposition... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355912/protests-grow-over-trump-family-linked-resort-project-albania?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355912/protests-grow-over-trump-family-linked-resort-project-albania?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 04:55:38 +0000 Christine Loh Christine Loh Since the Ukraine war began in 2022, Asia has been watching conflict as if enrolled in a study course. We have heard every argument: Nato enlargement, Russian insecurity, Ukrainian sovereignty, European fear, American power, energy politics, sanctions, nationalism and resistance. We have watched Gaza burn. We have watched the United States capture Venezuela’s president and defend the act as lawful. We have watched Iran absorb attacks and retaliate. For Asians, these are no longer distant events.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said ⁠on Wednesday that Hungary ⁠and Ukraine reached an agreement on the ⁠rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, which could allow approval of the first cluster, or a group of negotiating chapters, in Ukraine’s EU accession talks. The agreement marks a potential breakthrough in a long-running dispute over minority rights that had strained ‌ties between Budapest and Kyiv and complicated Hungary’s support for Ukraine’s EU ambitions. Every step of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355883/ukraine-and-hungary-agree-minority-rights-paving-way-eu-accession-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355883/ukraine-and-hungary-agree-minority-rights-paving-way-eu-accession-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 20:33:33 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Portugal and Austria defeated Germany for seats on the powerful but deeply divided UN Security Council on Wednesday in a hotly contested race after intense campaigning. The 10 rotating seats on the 15-member Security Council are earmarked for different regions of the world. The assembly elects five countries by secret ballot every year to serve two-year terms alongside the council’s five permanent veto-wielding members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France. In the other... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355881/portugal-and-austria-defeat-germany-seats-un-security-council?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355881/portugal-and-austria-defeat-germany-seats-un-security-council?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:49:33 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press German filmmaker Wim Wenders on Wednesday said he has pulled his 1975 movie The Wrong Move over a nude scene featuring a then-13-year-old Nastassja Kinski. Kinski, now 65, has urged Wenders to re-edit the film. Last month, she told the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung: “That was my first film, he was my first director and he didn’t protect me”. Wenders, the acclaimed director behind Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire, issued a statement apologising to Kinski. “I recognise that Nastassja... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355878/wim-wenders-pulls-1975-film-over-nude-scene-then-13-year-old-nastassja-kinski?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355878/wim-wenders-pulls-1975-film-over-nude-scene-then-13-year-old-nastassja-kinski?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:42:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday presented her new cabinet, which for the first time in Danish history included more women than men. Following months of talks after inconclusive elections in March, incumbent Frederiksen said on Monday she had managed to form a minority government between her Social Democrats, the Socialist People’s Party, the centre-left Radikale Venstre and the centrist Moderates. On Wednesday, Frederiksen announced the names of the new ministers. “It is... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355836/denmark-pm-presents-new-government-majority-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355836/denmark-pm-presents-new-government-majority-women?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:42:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in St Petersburg early Wednesday morning as officials gathered for a flagship economic forum in the city, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said. Some 20,000 guests from 130 countries are set to attend the three-day annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) – an event once dubbed “Russia’s Davos” – which starts on Wednesday. The Kremlin vowed to respond to the strikes, which came a day after a barrage of Russian missiles and drones... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3355799/ukraine-drones-target-st-petersburg-russias-flagship-economic-forum-opens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3355799/ukraine-drones-target-st-petersburg-russias-flagship-economic-forum-opens?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:21:19 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Britain’s Sikh community has rejected calls to strip them of the rights to carry a ceremonial knife – known as the kirpan – as outrage snowballs over the murder of an 18-year-old student by a Sikh man. Vickrum Singh Digwa, 23, was handed a life sentence by a judge on Tuesday for stabbing to death Henry Nowak, an accountancy student, in Southampton in December 2025. The murder case has reopened a debate over race, religion and identity in the UK. Far-right figureheads, populist political leaders... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355798/uk-sikhs-defend-right-carry-sacred-dagger-after-student-murder-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355798/uk-sikhs-defend-right-carry-sacred-dagger-after-student-murder-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:17:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Video of a dying student who was handcuffed by British police after being stabbed by a Sikh man and falsely accused of racially abusing his murderer sparked outrage on Tuesday, with protesters throwing bricks at police. Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak was heard repeatedly telling officers: “I can’t breathe” in police bodycam footage captured as he lay mortally wounded in December after a night out with his football team members. Far-right figures have seized on the case, including firebrand Tommy... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355761/clashes-erupt-uk-city-over-racially-charged-case-police-handcuffing-dying-student?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355761/clashes-erupt-uk-city-over-racially-charged-case-police-handcuffing-dying-student?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 02:17:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters A surge in gang-related shootings and bombings over the last decade, dozens of which were carried out by minors, has set Sweden apart from its European peers and left authorities an urgent problem: what to do with children who kill. The government, in power since 2022 and heading into a tight election in September where crime is a key issue, says the softly-softly approach of the past has failed and it is time to get ‌tough by sending children aged under 15 to prison rather than into social... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355733/sweden-prepares-prisons-13-year-old-gang-killers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355733/sweden-prepares-prisons-13-year-old-gang-killers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:45:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia pounded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles early on Tuesday, killing 23 people and wounding 130, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow could launch a new assault for the second night in a row. The strikes on cities including Kyiv and Dnipro followed Russian warnings of “systematic” attacks on the capital after a drone attack on a dormitory in Ukraine’s Russian-held region of Luhansk last month. Kyiv denies targeting the dormitory. It was the third heavy assault... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355645/major-russian-attack-kyiv-other-ukraine-cities-kills-least-9-wounds-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355645/major-russian-attack-kyiv-other-ukraine-cities-kills-least-9-wounds-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:09:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters Denmark’s Social Democratic leader ⁠Mette Frederiksen said on Monday ⁠she has agreed to form a centre-left coalition government, maintaining her grip on power amid a crisis in ties with US President Donald Trump over the future of Greenland. The deal to form a minority cabinet gives Frederiksen a third ‌consecutive term as prime minister, ending months of uncertainty after a March election in which 12 parties won seats in the Danish parliament. “I have been to see His Majesty the King and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355638/denmarks-prime-minister-secures-third-term-after-marathon-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355638/denmarks-prime-minister-secures-third-term-after-marathon-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 04:41:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters China’s SAIC Motor plans to set ⁠up a car ⁠factory in Spain’s ⁠northwestern region of Galicia that would be its first production facility in the European Union, the regional government said on Monday. Galicia’s leader Alfonso Rueda said his administration ‌had given strategic priority to the project, with an initial investment envisaged at around €200 million (US$232 million). The project, which includes a logistics hub, still requires the central government’s approval for foreign direct... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355613/chinas-saic-plans-build-first-eu-car-plant-spains-galicia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355613/chinas-saic-plans-build-first-eu-car-plant-spains-galicia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:28:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US rapper Travis Scott angered fans in Istanbul after a performance that barely lasted 20 minutes, with the audience booing as he left the stage early on Monday, footage on social media showed. On his first tour of Turkey, the 35-year-old hip-hop star made his Istanbul debut late on Sunday and was to hold another event in the western Izmir resort on Monday. The Istanbul event was billed as “a performance that goes beyond a classic concert” with a limited audience of just 2,500 fans, according to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355607/fans-furious-travis-scotts-20-minute-istanbul-debut-set?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355607/fans-furious-travis-scotts-20-minute-istanbul-debut-set?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:16:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A UK court on Monday jailed a British Sikh man for life for killing a university student in a case that sparked anger after police handcuffed the dying victim following a false claim of racial abuse. A judge at Southampton Crown Court sentenced Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old local resident, to life in prison with an obligation to spend at least 21 years in jail for the killing of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak on December 3. A jury on Friday found Digwa guilty of murdering the accountancy and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355606/british-sikh-man-jailed-life-student-killing-southampton?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355606/british-sikh-man-jailed-life-student-killing-southampton?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:41:14 +0000 dpa dpa Six people were stabbed in the hours after the Arsenal victory parade, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed, with a total of 24 arrests during the event. Thousands of Arsenal fans lined the streets around the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday as the team embarked on their Premier League trophy parade. The Met deployed more than 500 officers to police the event, which saw 10 suspects arrested on suspicion of assaulting the police, one of whom allegedly threw racist abuse. One officer... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355599/6-stabbed-hours-after-arsenal-premier-league-victory-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355599/6-stabbed-hours-after-arsenal-premier-league-victory-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:59:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Peter Mandelson assured the British government it would “never regret” appointing him as ambassador to the United States, according to documents released on Monday, a pledge that was dramatically proven wrong within months. More than 1,500 pages of files relating to the appointment of Mandelson, a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as envoy to Washington at the start of US President Donald Trump’s second term, were released by the government to comply with a demand by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355598/uk-publishes-new-mandelson-files-raising-heat-pm-starmer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355598/uk-publishes-new-mandelson-files-raising-heat-pm-starmer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:52:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A museum in eastern France on Sunday reported to police the theft of a banana that forms a core part of a multimillion-dollar artwork by Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan. The missing fruit – which was taped to a wall to form the provocative work by Cattelan called Comedian – was noticed by a guard on Saturday to have gone missing. An iteration of the artwork was bought by Chinese-born cryptocurrency founder Justin Sun in 2024. He forked out US$6.2 million for the work, then days later ate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355488/french-museum-reports-theft-banana-italian-artists-multimillion-dollar-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355488/french-museum-reports-theft-banana-italian-artists-multimillion-dollar-work?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 18:36:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A concert by the US rapper Kanye West, who was supposed to perform on July 18 in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, has been banned on public safety grounds, the authorities said. The prefect of the province, Salvatore Angieri, said the decision was made following requests from bodies including the local Jewish community. They had “expressed reservations” about the appearance of the rapper as part of the Pulse of Gaia Festival, the statement released on Friday evening said. Another concert by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355487/italy-bans-kanye-west-concert-over-security-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355487/italy-bans-kanye-west-concert-over-security-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 17:36:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French police detained 780 people involved in violent clashes in Paris and other French cities that erupted on Saturday night after Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League title. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 57 officers were wounded, with most suffering minor injuries, as football fans set off fires and vandalised shops. One small group even tried to storm a Paris police station. Nuñez said at a news conference on Sunday that “the situation has been largely brought under... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355479/french-police-arrest-780-after-violent-paris-saint-germain-celebrations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355479/french-police-arrest-780-after-violent-paris-saint-germain-celebrations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 13:56:31 +0000 Bryan Luk,Leonard Luk Bryan Luk,Leonard Luk The excitement around SpaceX, fuelled by the targeted US$1.8 trillion valuation for its initial public offering and its promising Starship rocket development, has revived a familiar claim: that SpaceX is on course to dominate the space market. Commercially, that view is understandable. SpaceX conducts more space launches than anyone and at very competitive costs, its Starlink satellite internet company provides strong in-house demand, and it has a scale advantage unmatched by any other private... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355072/spacex-global-dominance-may-not-be-written-stars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355072/spacex-global-dominance-may-not-be-written-stars?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 08:30:05 +0000 dpa dpa The body of a dead humpback whale known as “Timmy” has been brought ashore on the Danish island of Anholt, where experts hope a postmortem examination will shed light on how it died. A live streaming by the News5 broadcaster showed a vehicle slowly dragging the bloated carcass out of the shallow water by a rope onto the beach on Saturday morning, leaving behind a deep furrow in the sand. The Danish environmental protection agency urged people not to approach the whale as there is a risk of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355412/dead-humpback-whale-timmy-brought-ashore-danish-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355412/dead-humpback-whale-timmy-brought-ashore-danish-island?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2026 09:57:01 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley There is a good deal more to the rapid rise in bond yields around the world, not least in Asia, than meets the eye. It suggests a recognition by financial markets that governments are spending beyond their means, tax revenues and borrowing power. The implication is that either taxes need to rise or public spending needs to fall, or alternatively that financial markets, stock markets in particular, must shift their priorities away from glamour stocks in the tech and artificial intelligence (AI)... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355192/writings-wall-bond-market-those-who-can-read-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355192/writings-wall-bond-market-those-who-can-read-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Commission agreed on a tough new approach to trade relations with China, at a rare Beijing-focused debate among Brussels’ leadership on Friday. In a presentation, trade chief Maros Sefcovic laid out why the bloc needed to take stronger steps to defend itself from what is described as a new “China shock” to its industries, according to people briefed on the event. This may require developing a new instrument to compel companies in critical sectors to expand both the number and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3355380/brussels-fires-starting-gun-tougher-china-trade-policy-beijing-vows-retaliation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3355380/brussels-fires-starting-gun-tougher-china-trade-policy-beijing-vows-retaliation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 16:17:23 +0000 Reuters Reuters Finance ministers ⁠from the EU’s six ⁠biggest economies (E6) have agreed a ⁠common position on a European Commission proposal for joint capital markets supervision, Germany’s finance ministry said on Friday. The push for financial market players to be supervised at a European Union rather than national level is part ‌of a bid to boost the bloc’s competitiveness as it struggles with weak growth and fierce competition from the United States and China. Supervision of significant market... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355370/eus-6-biggest-economies-agree-capital-markets-supervision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355370/eus-6-biggest-economies-agree-capital-markets-supervision?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 14:18:08 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li The European Union and China are entering a new, more turbulent era in trade relations, as China has evolved from Europe’s favoured customer into a sophisticated competitor, a Brussels lobbyist has said. Chinese businesses are likely to face tougher scrutiny in the EU market as a result, with Brussels already taking steps to diversify its trade and mulling more robust measures to shield local industry from Chinese competition, according to Michael Koplovsky, a senior adviser at the strategic... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3355317/era-when-europe-viewed-china-partner-over-brussels-insider-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3355317/era-when-europe-viewed-china-partner-over-brussels-insider-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 11:30:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nato member Romania said on Friday that a drone injured two people in a southeastern city during an overnight Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine, the first time in the war that a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries. The incident in Romania, also a member of the European Union, ‌was likely to increase tensions on Nato’s eastern flank at a time when Ukraine’s allies were worried about Russia’s war on its neighbour spilling over its borders. Nato accused Moscow... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355301/nato-and-romania-accuse-russia-after-drone-hits-block-flats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355301/nato-and-romania-accuse-russia-after-drone-hits-block-flats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 07:53:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An Austrian court on Thursday convicted a man of planning to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna nearly two years ago. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The state court in Wiener Neustadt, south of the capital, found the 21-year-old defendant, an Austrian citizen known only as Beran A in line with Austrian privacy rules, guilty on multiple charges including those related to the concert. The concert plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still cancelled Swift’s three performances... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355230/taylor-swift-concert-attack-plot-suspect-found-guilty-austrian-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355230/taylor-swift-concert-attack-plot-suspect-found-guilty-austrian-court?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 21:24:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Worn down by thousands of passers-by honouring an unusual tradition, a floor mosaic of an anatomically detailed bull in one of Milan’s grand arcades is getting a sensitive makeover. Legend has it that grinding one’s heel on the mosaic bull’s testicles at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II guarantees a return one day to the city. “Because of constant pirouettes on the heel made by tourists visiting Milan, the pink tesserae that make up its testicles have been worn down, forming a small crater,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355226/milan-restores-19th-century-bull-mosaics-testicles-former-glory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355226/milan-restores-19th-century-bull-mosaics-testicles-former-glory?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 19:19:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A knife attack by a man reportedly shouting “Allahu akbar” that wounded three people at a Swiss railway station on Thursday was a “terrorist act”, a regional security official said. “I am exceptionally calling this a terrorist attack,” Mario Fehr, in charge of security in the Swiss canton of Zurich, told reporters, adding that it was clear that the motive for this “evil act of terror” must be sought “in the realm of radicalisation and extremism”. Witnesses described scenes of panic and confusion... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355197/3-wounded-blade-attack-swiss-railway-station?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355197/3-wounded-blade-attack-swiss-railway-station?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 11:44:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Germany and the Netherlands will set up a joint tactical headquarters in the Baltics this year to command forces on Nato’s eastern flank and help deter Russia, Berlin said on Thursday. The joint German-Dutch command centre known as 1GNC will “assume a command role on Nato’s eastern flank, specifically in the region of Estonia and Latvia” in coming months, the German defence ministry said in a statement. “The deployment of an additional tactical headquarters to the region strengthens the cohesion... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355193/germany-netherlands-set-nato-command-centre-baltics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355193/germany-netherlands-set-nato-command-centre-baltics?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 11:36:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters France ⁠will reimburse the cost of weight-loss drugs prescribed to severely obese patients from mid-June in a first for a European Union country, Health Minister Stephanie Rist said on Thursday. Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro medications have led a boom ‌in anti-obesity treatment, attracting interest from governments keen to address rising overweight levels worldwide. Rist estimated the annual cost to the state at around €100 million (US$116 million) at full roll-out. Patients in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355179/france-becomes-first-eu-country-reimburse-anti-obesity-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355179/france-becomes-first-eu-country-reimburse-anti-obesity-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 10:34:03 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma The European Union’s executive arm is set to back a tougher line against Chinese imports at a key meeting on Friday as a flood of low-cost competition undermines local industries. Potential measures include requiring companies in key sectors to have at least three suppliers from two or more countries in a bid to pare reliance on China, the South China Morning Post reported. Industry commissioner Stephane Sejourne will back broader use of regulations designed to prevent foreign companies... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3355161/europe-plans-tougher-response-china-shock-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3355161/europe-plans-tougher-response-china-shock-20?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 09:00:59 +0000