More than 300 security staff at Westminster Palace who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will hold a 24-hour strike on the night of January 1, 2026. This will be the fourth day of protest action in the current dispute. The strike is linked to a...
Trump is unpopular in Europe even among supporters of right-wing populists
US President Donald Trump remains extremely unpopular in Europe, with negative attitudes toward him persisting even among supporters of right-wing populist parties, whom he considers his natural allies. This is the conclusion of a new POLITICO Poll conducted in partnership with Public First in December 2025. The survey covered more...
Sex scandal in Spain: lessons for Europe
In December 2025, Spain was rocked by an unprecedented political scandal involving not only corruption, but also sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour by high-ranking members of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which traditionally considers itself one of the main defenders of gender equality in the country. In the summer,...
Оne of the biggest robberies in German history: a Hollywood-style heist reminiscent of Ocean’s Eleven
In the western German city of Gelsenkirchen, a daring robbery took place at the Sparkasse bank, which the police are already comparing to the plot of the famous film Ocean's Eleven. Unknown criminals broke into the underground vault through a neighboring parking lot, drilling a huge hole in the concrete...
China creates ‘shadow fleet’ to import Russian LNG in circumvention of sanctions
China is actively developing its own ‘shadow fleet’ of gas carriers to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia, despite US sanctions against key Russian projects such as Arctic LNG-2 and Gazprom's Portovaya plant. This allows Beijing to diversify its energy supplies, obtain gas at discounts and strengthen its strategic...
More than 3,000 migrants died in 2025 trying to reach Spain
According to the Spanish non-governmental organisation Caminando Fronteras, at least 3,090 people died or went missing in 2025 while trying to reach the Spanish coast by sea. Among the victims were 192 women and 437 children. This is significantly less than in the record year of 2024, when, according to...
Lithuania called Russia’s statements about an attack on Putin’s residence a false flag operation
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry sharply criticized Moscow's statements about an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin's state residence in the Novgorod region. In an official statement, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry called these accusations “another Kremlin false flag operation” aimed at justifying possible new strikes against Ukraine and...
Abramovich refuses to transfer funds from Chelsea sale to Ukraine
Former owner of English football club Chelsea Roman Abramovich has refused to comply with the British authorities' demand to transfer the proceeds from the sale of the club in 2022 exclusively to Ukraine. This was reported by The Times, citing sources close to the businessman. The amount is approximately £2.5...
A crisis of confidence and growing instability: the UK on the brink of 2026
The year 2025 will go down in British history as another period of deepening socio-political division and slowing economic growth. The results of the outgoing year show that Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government has faced extremely low levels of trust, while economic indicators have faced difficult challenges that create a...
The UK Armed Forces are introducing a new voluntary military service program
The UK government has announced the launch of a new voluntary military service program called the Armed Forces Foundation Scheme, also known as a “gap year” in the armed forces. This initiative aims to attract young people to experience military life without long-term commitments and is designed to address recruitment...