Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, German security agencies have repeatedly accused Russia of carrying out hybrid attacks in Germany. In recent months, they have issued a series of warnings that Russian intelligence services may be planning assassinations targeting defense industry executives and Russian dissidents in the country. According to German media reports, security authorities believe a weapons cache discovered in a forest belonged to Russian agents and was i

The share of young people in Germany’s population has declined significantly over the past 40 years, while families with an immigrant background are becoming increasingly prominent among the country’s younger generations. 📌 In Germany, the share of people aged 15–24 fell from 16.7% in 1983 to around 10% today, representing approximately 8.3 million people. As young people make up an increasingly smaller share of Germany’s population, children from immigrant families are play

Severe drought across Europe has developed into a crisis directly threatening Romania’s energy security. Water levels in the Danube River have fallen to historic lows, forcing the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, which supplies around 20% of Romania’s electricity, to suspend operations. State-owned nuclear energy company Nuclearelectrica announced that the plant’s only operational 706-megawatt reactor was deliberately disconnected from the national grid due to record-low water

Water levels in the Rhine, Danube and Po, among Europe’s busiest waterways, stretching across dozens of countries, have fallen to record lows in Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary and Italy. Cargo ships are being forced to navigate around sandbanks formed by climate change. To prevent vessels from running aground or being damaged, some ships are operating with their loads reduced to as little as 20% of their normal capacity. The major rivers that run across Europe play a cruci

Germany is preparing to put artificial intelligence at the center of its visa, residence permit and asylum procedures. If you cannot pass the AI-based screening process, you may not be able to obtain a German visa or residence permit. The same system will also apply to people seeking asylum in Germany from around the world. Berlin is introducing AI into asylum, visa, residence and immigration procedures that it has struggled to manage due to extremely high demand and staff sh

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

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

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

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

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

Could the discovery of 82 pit houses, identified as a 1,000-year-old textile production site, near the Danish city of Aarhus reshape our understanding of history? It appears that the Vikings were not solely a warrior society. In Søften, a small village in the Central Jutland region north of Aarhus, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an exceptionally large craft settlement. The complex dates from the 7th to the 10th centuries and covers an area of approximately 100,0

Germany's governing coalition parties, CDU/CSU and SPD, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have reached an agreement to abolish the practice of issuing sick leave certificates by telephone and to require employees to submit a medical certificate from the first day of illness. The decision follows a significant rise in sick leave across companies after the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting the government to tighten the existing system. Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Merz

As of 1 July 2026, Germany has introduced a new social assistance system for unemployed and financially vulnerable individuals. The Citizen’s Benefit (Bürgergeld) has been replaced by the Basic Security Allowance (Grundsicherungsgeld). Under the new system, unemployed recipients will face stricter obligations, while benefit reductions for rule violations will be imposed more quickly. Although the monthly basic allowance of €563 for a single recipient remains unchanged from th

A survey commissioned by career portal Indeed and conducted by the Appinio Institute was carried out in May among 1,000 employees living in Germany, aged 16 to 66, with an equal number of male and female participants. One-third of respondents have already taken concrete steps toward finding employment abroad. 📍According to the survey, higher-income earners are particularly likely to consider working abroad. Nearly half of respondents with a net household income exceeding €6,