The UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury, has imposed a monetary penalty of £4,732,830.58 on the London branch of the US bank Citibank N.A. (CBNA London). The penalty was imposed for breaches of the financial sanctions regime in respect of Russia, established under the Russia...
Head of Germany’s largest drug cartel arrested in Spain
Spanish police in Malaga have arrested a man German authorities regard as the likely leader of an international criminal organisation and had been hunting for about five years. The operation was carried out jointly by Spain’s National Police and Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). Investigators say the suspect ran...
Eleven EU countries call for limits on the foreign-policy veto
Eleven European Union member states have called for a review of how the bloc takes foreign-policy decisions and for consideration of limits on individual countries’ veto power. The proposal would mean moving, in some cases, from unanimity to qualified majority voting. A joint letter to EU High Representative for Foreign...
Burnham vows to rewrite the rules of British politics
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his first statement in the House of Commons to promise a package of reforms, from a review of the electoral system and the rules on political donations to stronger public control of the water sector and an overhaul of social care. The statement was...
Germany accuses Russia of attempted sabotage at Leipzig airport
Berlin has officially held Moscow responsible for an attempted sabotage at the strategically important Leipzig/Halle Airport. The statement was made by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. On August 4, a drone carrying explosives and a detonator was discovered in a restricted cargo area of the airport,...
Keir Starmer announced his resignation from the House of Commons
Former British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said he is leaving his seat in the House of Commons and will not stand at the next election in his constituency. He made the announcement on 1 September 2026 to the local newspaper the Camden New Journal. Starmer has represented the London...
Latvia ban on industrial goods from Russia and Belarus takes effect from September 1
A new package of national restrictions on the import of industrial goods of Russian and Belarusian origin entered into force in Latvia on September 1, 2026. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the decision on August 25 after the Saeima earlier adopted amendments to the law on support for the civilian...
EU tightens oversight of ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox
On 30 August 2026, the European Commission officially designated ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE) and Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The services reported that they reach at least 45 million average monthly users in the EU,...
Spanish PM says Russia was involved in disinformation that triggered migrant surge into Ceuta
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with Cadena SER radio that networks linked to Russia were involved in spreading disinformation that contributed to the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta on July 30–31. He also mentioned Israeli accounts and an “ultra-right international” that, he said, systematically uses...
Czech MEP found guilty of EU subsidy fraud
Prague’s High Court on Monday upheld the conviction of European Parliament member Jana Nagyová in an EU grant fraud case. The case, known as Stork’s Nest, involves about €2 million and is linked to Agrofert, the agribusiness conglomerate associated with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. The court confirmed the first-instance...