In a World War II bunker east of Frankfurt, a steel door weighing over four tonnes protects Germany's largest reserve of rare earths, a treasure at the heart of rising geopolitical tensions. The exact location of the bunker is confidential and the site is under close video surveillance. This is where Tradium, a German company specialised in trading rare earths, keeps thousands of barrels of the precious materials - almost all from China, the world's biggest producer.
"As one of the first countries in the EU, Denmark is now taking a groundbreaking step towards introducing age limits on social media," said the country's digitalization ministry in a statement. "This is done to protect children and young people in the digital world." "As a starting point, children under the age of 15 should not have access to platforms that may expose them to harmful content or harmful features," the statement said.
A special late-night sitting of Drogheda District Court was convened at 9pm on Thursday, where two men appeared charged in connection with an alleged arson attack at an IPAS Centre at 47 George's Sreet, Drogheda last week were remanded in custody.
Spanish police have detained 13 suspected members of Venezuela's notorious Tren de Aragua crime gang, which has increasingly come under scrutiny as the United States actively targets and kills what it says are its cadres smuggling drugs on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The arrests were made across five Spanish cities, police said on Friday. The gang was designated as a global terrorist organisation by the US earlier this year.
"The European Union is tightening its visa rules for Russian nationals amid concern over what the bloc considers "sabotage and potential misuse of visas." Multiple-entry visas will no longer be issued, with applicants being required to apply for a new visa each time they sought to travel to the EU. In a statement released by the European Commission, they expressed the aim of the new rules were to protect public policy as well as security."
Oireachtas group that probed Ryan Tubridy payments scandal turns its attention to media conflicts of interest Media regulator to consider new rules in wake of controversy, which will 'deepen suspicion among public' Chairman Alan Kelly says declaration of interests, similar to politicians, is needed from those working in the media
The first doubles semi-final has just finished, with Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani defeating Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-6 (7-5). Babos and Stefani, the No 7 seeds, will face the winners of Friday's later second semi-final: Katerina Siniakova & Taylor Townsend v Elise Mertens & Veronika Kudermetova. Hungary's Timea Babos and Brazil's Luisa Stefani during their semi-final victory. Photograph: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters
The vital flow of chips from China to the car industry in Europe looks poised to resume as part of the deal struck last week between Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The Netherlands has signalled that its standoff with Beijing is close to a resolution amid signs China's ban on exports of the key car industry components is easing.
I have received an invitation for the inauguration events for the Irish president on Tuesday but it will not be possible for me to accept due to a number of other commitments in Belfast and Windsor. Tuesday marks Remembrance Day, an important day for so many. I am scheduled to attend a service and to participate in an Act of Remembrance in Parliament Buildings before travelling to Windsor Castle at the invitation of Their Majesties The King and Queen
It is 4 o'clock in the morning. There are sirens wailing, and gunfire can be heard everywhere. Teenagers aged 13 to 14, dressed in military uniforms and armed with rifles, run out of tents. Some return the fire, while others crouch down and run over to wounded schoolchildren. They bandage them, place them on stretchers and try to get them to safety.
'Liveline' slot has shed 20,000 of its loyal listeners after Duffy's departure It's an old adage in entertainment: the show is always bigger than its presenter. Yet the latest Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) figures would strongly suggest otherwise when it comes to one particular show. Since Joe Duffy stepped down last June after presenting the afternoon chat show for 27 years, the Liveline slot has shed a massive 20,000 listeners.
This year Santa will arrive to officially commence the festivities on Friday, November 21, at 5.30pm, with the switching on of more than 100,000 Christmas lights across the city streets. The first Winterval Illuminates, a spectacular light show, will then commence in a new ancient location, at the Irish Silver Museum on Cathedral Square, followed by a new, show-stopping, free drone show on Saturday, November 22.
One of the two boys convicted of the murder of 14-year-old schoolgirl Ana Kriegel in Dublin seven years ago has been given more time to bring an appeal against his life sentence following a landmark Supreme Court decision. The youth known as Boy A was sentenced to life with a review after 12 years for murdering the 14-year-old. He was also sentenced to 12 years for an aggravated sexual assault on Ana, which runs alongside the murder sentence.
On June 13, 2023, the rusty fishing trawler Adriana, overloaded with as many as 750 migrants nearly double its official capacity was en route from Libya to Italy when it came into distress. According to accounts by Greece's coast guard, the people on board "refused any help," leaving the coast guard to observe the situation and launch a search and rescue operation after the boat sank.
Germans may have a hard-won reputation for being Europe's most enthusiastic nudists, but a survey suggests Danes are not only more accepting of stripping off in public, but more likely to have actually done so. The YouGov survey of six western European countries the UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Spain found that Danes were the most likely to say it was perfectly OK to bare all in public places and to have followed through.
Members of the far-right terrorist group National Socialist Underground (NSU) murdered 10 people, carried out bombings and robbed banks in several German states between 2000 and 2007. In 2018, Beate Zschape, the sole surviving NSU member, was sentenced by the Higher Regional Court in Munich to life in prison, with the court determining a particularly severe degree of guilt. The trial was one of the biggest in Germany's postwar history.
Alphonse Rudakubana broke down in tears on the second day of his evidence to the Southport inquiry, saying he was desperately sorry to the parents of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. However, he was told the bereaved families had complete disdain for your excuses after testimony that sought to deflect some of the blame towards the agencies involved with the teenager.
The brother of a girl who died when she fell off a cruise ship "viciously" attacked one of his surviving sisters, pulling out her hair extensions and biting her nose.
"It is time to ask a very simple question: Why? Why me? How is it possible that such a sophisticated and complex tool was used to spy on a private citizen, as if he were a drug trafficker or a subversive threat to the country? I have nothing more to say. Others must speak. Others must explain what happened."
Mixing historic anecdotes and regret over his own scandals, Spain's exiled king Juan Carlos I seeks to reconcile himself with his family and nation in newly-published memoirs that offer dramatic reminiscences from one of the last surviving players of 20th-century history. From holding Franco's hand on the dictator's deathbed to helping defuse a coup, the 87-year-old reviews well-known moments from Spain's history in his 500-page book, published in French on Wednesday and in Spanish next month.
Bulgaria is preparing to seize control of Lukoil's Burgas oil refinery and sell it to a new owner after the Russian oil company came under US sanctions, according to Bulgarian media reports. Burgas is Bulgaria's only oil refinery and as part of Lukoil is at risk of having to shut down because of the sanctions. The US joined Britain last month in imposing sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, over Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.
In a closely split decision, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 5-4 to maintain the current rate, with Governor Andrew Bailey casting the deciding vote. Bailey said he would "prefer to wait" before supporting any further loosening of monetary policy, citing ongoing concerns about inflation expectations among households and elevated wage growth. The Bank expects inflation to remain above its 2% target until the second quarter of 2027, forecasting a gradual decline from its current 3.8% level.
