Recorded footage showed migrants arriving from Morocco swimming toward Ceuta using inflatable rings and other swimming aids, while some were seen running through a gate in the border fence. Over the past two weeks, the number of people who reached the Spanish territory by swimming together in groups using inner tubes and inflatable rings has reached 1,500. Located on Morocco’s northern coast, Ceuta is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar and has long been

German automotive giant BMW, which employs 154,000 people, will offer a “voluntary separation package” to 40,000 employees — nearly half of its 85,000 office-based staff in Germany — by the end of October. BMW plans to reduce its workforce by 8,000 employees by the end of 2027. Workers on production lines will not be affected by the cuts. Source: DW

The European Union’s daily trade deficit with China has reached €1 billion. Javi López, Vice-President of the European Parliament, said the EU’s trade imbalance with China “cannot continue” and that a €1 billion daily trade deficit is unsustainable. Following his visit to China this week, aimed at helping resolve an eight-year deadlock, López called for the EU to “reset” its relations with Beijing. The European Parliament Vice-President believes that dialogue, rather than a d

The Expat Insider 2026 survey evaluated 31 countries. According to the survey, around 8,000 expatriates from 162 different nationalities were asked how happy they are in their new homes based on five key indexes: working abroad, personal finances, quality of life, expat essentials, and ease of settling in. Three European countries managed to enter the global top 10 rankings. 🎈 Spain ranked 6th worldwide, making it the best destination in Europe for expats. It ranked first in

Twenty years ago, an Italian man created a story so convincing that when the truth finally emerged two decades later, everyone was left stunned — including local residents, tourists, the municipality, government officials, police, prosecutors, and judges. The 49-year-old Franco Malosso Von Rosenfranz claimed that he had discovered the Berico Maritime Amphitheatre in Vicenza, in northeastern Italy, following a landslide in 2005. Telling tourists that the site was one of the “o

Varta, the 139-year-old German company that produces batteries for products ranging from wireless earbuds to home energy storage systems, has filed for bankruptcy amid financial difficulties. The bankruptcy process reportedly accelerated after the company lost one of its largest customers, Apple, which plans to source rechargeable CoinPower button-cell batteries used in AirPods from suppliers in China instead of Varta. The company's shareholders also declined to provide addit

Until now, major textile brands routinely destroyed unsold clothing and footwear that remained on store shelves or in warehouses by burning or using other disposal methods. Companies argued that storing these products for extended periods or putting them back on the market was more expensive than destroying them. Under the new rules, products may only be destroyed if they have first been offered as donations to multiple charitable organizations and remain unaccepted after a s

Five years after the disaster, Germany has still not fully recovered from the devastating impact of the Ahrweiler floods. The floods that struck on the night of 14–15 July 2021, killing 184 people and injuring around 800, were recorded as one of the most destructive natural disasters in Germany’s recent history. The damage caused by the catastrophic flooding was estimated at €18 billion. At a memorial ceremony attended by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Rhineland-Palatinate State

Owning a home in Europe often means paying taxes at almost every stage: when purchasing, holding, renting out, and selling the property. The Global Property Guide analyzed rental income taxes and purchase-sale taxes for property owners who are not residents of the country where the property is located. 📍With a 42.11 percent tax rate, Denmark is the most challenging country for property owners. Rental income taxes are 36 percent in the Netherlands, 30 percent in Finland, 28 p

The Hungarian parliament has approved a legal amendment that would allow the president to be removed from office. Prime Minister Péter Magyar has repeatedly called on President Tamás Sulyok to resign since his party came to power in April, but Sulyok has refused to step down. President Sulyok was seen as a loyal supporter of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose government lost power after 16 years in office in April. In the 12 April elections, the Tisza Party, led by Mag

A forest fire described as “severe and of extraordinary scale” broke out in Noisy-sur-École, south of Paris, partially closing France’s main north-south highway and disrupting traffic over the weekend. Early Monday morning, the wildfire rapidly spread across 800 hectares of land. The blaze continues to expand in a forest located about 60 kilometers southeast of Paris, as the French capital remains under the effects of extreme heat and experiences its third heatwave of the sum

Germany recorded a record number of drowning fatalities in June, with at least 99 people losing their lives in lakes, rivers, swimming pools, seas, and canals. This marks the highest figure recorded in the past 23 years. According to the German Life Saving Association (DLRG), the majority of drowning victims were under the age of 30. More than 90 percent of those who died were men. DLRG President Ute Vogt said: “It is mostly men who take excessive risks and underestimate dang

Blue Zones are geographically isolated regions characterized by exceptionally long lifespans and high levels of well-being among their residents. To be classified as a “Blue Zone,” an area must have an unusually high concentration of people who have lived to at least 90 years of age over the past 150 years, along with verified records confirming their birth and death dates. While the global average life expectancy is estimated at 73.5 years, people living in these regions not

The global telecommunications giant Vodafone has been sold. French billionaire Xavier Niel has become the company’s largest shareholder after purchasing the 16 percent stake held by the United Arab Emirates-based e& Group for £4.4 billion. Niel, whose net worth is estimated at $15.5 billion, already has significant telecommunications investments outside Vodafone, including operations in France, Italy, Poland, and Ireland. Source: The Times

At the age of 86, Dieter Schwarz, who became Germany’s richest person by building a fortune through supermarkets, established a retail empire with Lidl and Kaufland. Today, more than 600,000 people worldwide work across companies operating under the Schwarz Group umbrella. The group initially grew primarily through its Lidl and Kaufland supermarket chains. However, because Schwarz Group prefers to keep operations within its own structure, it has expanded into numerous sectors

Volkswagen Group, one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers, has decided to tackle its severe crisis by reducing the number of models offered by its key brands by up to half, rather than closing factories and laying off tens of thousands of employees. Volkswagen, which had been targeting the dismissal of 100,000 workers and the closure of four factories, was forced to abandon these drastic measures involving large-scale layoffs and plant shutdowns after opposition f

Medicana has acquired the historic Jewish Hospital Berlin (Jüdisches Krankenhaus Berlin), one of the city’s long-established healthcare institutions, which had entered insolvency proceedings due to financial difficulties. The sales agreement for the hospital was signed between the parties on Thursday. The completion of the transfer is now awaiting approval from the Berlin Senate’s Health Administration. The new management announced that employees’ jobs would be protected and

As U.S. President Donald Trump walked toward her, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni turned her head in the opposite direction. After Trump passed in front of her and took a few steps, she returned her gaze to the front. The entire moment during the routine photo session at the NATO Summit in Ankara was reportedly an effort to avoid making eye contact with Trump. During their previous meeting, Trump had claimed that “Meloni begged to have a photo taken with me,” while the

Germany has been successful in attracting young, highly qualified international workers to the country, but it has struggled to retain them. Individuals aged 18 to 65 who had migrated to Germany up to April 2025 were asked why they decided to leave the country and which factors influenced their decision. 🎈A wide range of challenges are driving skilled young migrants away from Germany, including slow-moving bureaucracy, the lack of digitalization resulting in official corresp

Portugal has increased the minimum residency requirement for non-EU nationals seeking citizenship through the Golden Visa program from five years to ten years. Since 2012, foreign investors who met the minimum investment requirement of €250,000 were eligible to obtain a residence permit and, after fulfilling the residency conditions, could apply for Portuguese citizenship. Following the legislative change, tens of thousands of prospective applicants say they feel misled and a