Europe
Ukraine / Russia: war of words over downed aircraft
Russia has accused Ukraine of shooting down a military transport plane carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, on a flight to Belgorod in southern Russia, where a prisoner exchange was…
EU: alliance with ports to combat drug smuggling
The EU, along with European port authorities, has launched a new public-private alliance aimed at combating drug smuggling and organised crime. This initiative comes as the EU faces record levels of cocaine seizures,…
Poland: struggle to control state media
Poland's main evening news studio is under heavy police protection amid a fierce battle for control of the country's media landscape. This struggle emerged following elections that ended eight years of populist rule,…
France: Macron shifts to the right
On 16 January Emmanuel Macron made a notable shift to the political right during a televised press conference, signalling a change in his political stance. One week earlier, he had appointed Gabriel Attal…
Sweden: alarm after warning to ‘prepare for war’
Civil defence minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin and commander-in-chief Gen Micael Byden have issued warnings to prepare for the possibility of war in Sweden, raising concerns and accusations of alarmism. Byden urged all Swedes to…
Serbia: rescue efforts to save livestock trapped on island
An operation is under way to evacuate livestock trapped for days on an island in the River Danube. Last week up to 200 cattle, calves and horses were stranded on Krcedin island, northwest…
Ukraine / Russia: prisoner exchange
On 3 January Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, in the biggest such swap since Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 230 Ukrainian prisoners of…
Denmark: the first Australian to become a Queen
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's surprise abdication in favour of her son Crown Prince Frederik has marked a historic moment globally, but it has also made Princess Mary the first-ever Australian to become…
Prague: shock after gunman kills 14
A gunman has killed at least 14 people and injured another 25 at a university in the historic city centre of Prague. It was the deadliest attack in modern Czech history. Staff and…
Iceland: volcano finally erupts
On 18 December a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland finally erupted, spewing glowing orange jets of lava surrounded by billowing clouds of red smoke. The population of Grindavík, a small…
