Intimidation of journalists working for independent media in Albania is getting worse, as state-level and local officials attempt to silence critical voices, both online and face-to-face. When journalist Armando Rabi was covering the voting in the May general election in the southern Albanian city of Gjirokaster, he saw civil servants...
Germany arrests 18 in international crackdown on online fraud
An internationally coordinated action against alleged online fraud and money laundering networks that included German payment service providers resulted in 18 arrests, German authorities said on Wednesday. Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office and prosecutors said that between 2016 and 2021, alleged criminals used credit card details for 4.3 million individuals...
Croatian leaders condemn far-right disruption of Serbian cultural event
President and prime minister voice indignation over far-right attack on Serbian folk dance and choir in the city of Split – as opposition insists the government bears responsibility for growing nationalist intolerance. Croatian President Zoran Milanovic condemned the violent disruption on Monday night of a folk performance held as part...
Lukoil’s global arm falters under Western sanctions
Russian oil major Lukoil is struggling to keep operations running at its sprawling foreign businesses as Western sanctions disrupt oil loadings in Iraq, pump stations in Finland and trading in Switzerland, sources said. The United States and the United Kingdom last month imposed sanctions on Russia’s second-largest oil company, complicating...
Trump rules out Hungary exemption from Russia oil sanctions
Orbán has said he will discuss U.S. sanctions on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil with Trump at a meeting scheduled for 7 November. Speaking to reporters in Air Force One, Trump confirmed that Orbán had appealed for an exception, citing Hungary’s reliance on Russian crude delivered through pipelines. “He...
EU urges North Macedonia to deliver on constitutional changes
The European Commission’s 2025 Enlargement Report urges North Macedonia to “adopt the necessary constitutional changes with a view to including in the Constitution citizens who live within the borders of the state and who are part of other people, such as Bulgarians.” The measure, agreed in the Council Conclusions of...
Dutch election
One of the tightest elections in Dutch history produced an outcome so close that first steps in negotiating a new coalition government have yet to begin. But at a time when the forward march of the far right across Europe is dominating headlines, sapping the confidence of mainstream parties, one...
Cyprus’ 2026 EU presidency priorities
Cyprus will assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January 2026, with a plan to prioritise migration, relations with southern neighbours, and water-resilience during its six-month term. Cypriot deputy minister for migration and international protection, Nicholas A. Ioannides, emphasised his country would advance current EU...
Wagner and Narva
Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries are not the kind of people you want to see on your doorstep. So it was unwelcome news in Estonia this Sunday when border guards spotted the group’s distinctive flag (skull and lightning bolts on black) on a Russian patrol boat on the Narva river. All...
The “Serbian World” doctrine
The Western Balkans remain a "critical security hotspot" requiring the EU's "full attention", Rumen Radev warned. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev urged the European Union to take Belgrade’s activity under the so-called “Serbian World” doctrine very seriously, warning that it could pose a serious threat to the stability of the Western...