The Italian government has expressed strong opposition to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)'s decision to allow a limited number of athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo under their national flags and with their national anthems played. A joint statement...
The European Commission launches a new investment platform to support the EU’s eastern flank
The European Commission announced the launch of a comprehensive strategy to support the EU regions bordering Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. A key element of the initiative is the new investment platform, EastInvest Facility, which will facilitate access to multi-billion-euro loans and advisory support for businesses and local authorities in these...
Deutsche Bahn suffered a massive DDoS attack
German state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) suffered a massive DDoS cyberattack, which caused serious disruptions to its bahn.de website and the popular DB Navigator mobile app. The company officially announced the attack on February 18. The attack began around midday on Tuesday, February 17, and occurred in waves. Users...
UK police arrest around 1,000 suspected pedophiles each month
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has stated that the threat of child sexual abuse in the UK has reached critical levels and continues to grow. According to the agency, police across the country arrest an average of around 1,000 suspects in child sexual abuse cases each month. An NCA representative...
Spain оpens criminal investigation against X, Meta, and TikTok
Spain has launched an investigation into the social media platforms X, Meta, and TikTok on suspicion of distributing child sexual abuse material generated by artificial intelligence. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced this on February 17, 2026. The government formally requested the country's Attorney General's Office to investigate possible crimes...
Poland has officially banned Chinese-made vehicles from entering military bases
Poland has banned vehicles manufactured in the People's Republic of China from entering military bases and protected military structures. This was announced by representatives of the General Staff of the Polish Army on Tuesday evening. The decision was made based on an analysis of the risks associated with the increasing...
Unemployment in the UK rose to its highest level in almost five years
The unemployment rate in the UK rose to 5.2% for the October-December period 2025, the highest level in almost five years. This is according to official data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published on February 17. Compared with the previous quarter (July–September 2025), unemployment increased by 0.2 percentage...
In Germany, a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany party was fined for a Nazi salute on an election poster
The Frankfurt (Oder) Regional Court sentenced Wilko Möller, a member of the Brandenburg State Parliament from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) to a fine of €11,600. The sentence was handed down for using the symbols of unconstitutional organizations. The court found that the politician's 2024 election poster depicted a gesture...
Minister Simons under question over Labour Together report
A major political scandal has erupted in the UK surrounding Labour Together, an influential Labour think tank closely associated with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. According to investigations by The Sunday Times, BBC, and The Guardian, the center paid the American consulting company APCO Worldwide at least £30,000–£36,000 in 2023 to...
Germany introduces age limits on social media
In Germany, there is active discussion about introducing strict restrictions on social media use by children and adolescents. The ruling coalition is promoting initiatives aimed at protecting minors from harmful content, cyberbullying, addiction, and psychological abuse. On February 16, 2026, the Social Democrats published a position paper proposing a differentiated...