Europe

Elena Rybakina’s former coach Stefano Vukov remains banned by the WTA after an investigation into his behaviour towards the 2022 Wimbledon champion.

Italian police arrest 181 in bid to stop Mafia rebuilding in Sicily1 day agoPaul KirbyEurope digital editorItalian police have launched a series of raids targeting Mafia clans operating in and around the Sicilian capital Palermo.
More than 1,200 officers were involved in the operation, which the military Carabinieri force said was aimed at “dismantling” the area’s Mafia.
The raids, the biggest for several years, were seen as a bid by Italian authorities to stop the Mafia rebuilding its governing body known as a Cupola.
A number of Mafia bosses have been released from jail in recent months on appeal. But investigators say those still behind bars have used encrypted mobile phones to continue their activities.
They also found that Sicily’s Cosa Nostra mafia have updated the practices of their “founding fathers” and no longer need to meet in person.
One local leader had managed to stay in hiding and still hold sway over organised crime in his local district, police explained.
For more tha..

Rubiales tells court Hermoso consented to World Cup kiss3 days agoGabriela Pomeroy & Ruth ComerfordBBC NewsLuis Rubiales has told a court he is “absolutely sure” Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso gave her consent before he kissed her at the Women’s World Cup final in 2023.
The former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is on trial accused of sexual assault and attempting to coerce Ms Hermoso into publicly saying the kiss had been consensual.
Giving evidence, Mr Rubiales, 47, said the kiss was an “act of affection”, adding that in the moment it was “something completely spontaneous”.
The incident occurred during the medal-giving ceremony after Spain’s World Cup win in Australia, triggering protests and calls for Mr Rubiales’s resignation. He denies any criminal wrongdoing.
Mr Rubiales told Spain’s National Court in Madrid on Tuesday that Hermoso had “embraced” him during the ceremony.
“I’ve known her for many years and I kissed her because she was a champion. This..

Kremlin says Russian citizen released in US after Trump greets freed teacher1 day agoAlys DaviesBBC News, Washington DCGeorge WrightBBC NewsReporting fromLondonA Russian national imprisoned in a US jail on money laundering charges will be freed in exchange for the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel from prison in Russia, authorities have confirmed.
Mr Fogel, a 63-year-old former diplomat, landed at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington, DC late on Tuesday evening, before he was welcomed home by President Donald Trump at the White House.
Trump, standing alongside Mr Fogel in the White House, said: “To me he looks damned good.”
The president said that another detainee would be freed on Wednesday without giving their name.
Mr Fogel, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had been working as a teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. He had previously worked as a diplomat at the US embassy there.
While in prison, he reportedly taught English to fellow inmates.
Mr Fogel flew..

Germany’s once-mighty car industry is in crisis. What will it take to fix it?7 days agoTheo LeggettInternational business correspondentListen to Theo read this storyFor decades, car-making has been the jewel in Germany’s industrial crown, a powerful symbol of the country’s famous post-war economic miracle. Its “Big Three” brands, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW, have long been praised for their performance, innovation and precision engineering. But today, the German motor industry is struggling. With the faltering economy a key factor in federal elections this month, how can it get back on the road to recovery?
When you arrive by train in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, the first thing you see is the Volkswagen factory. Its huge facade, emblazoned with a giant VW logo and flanked by four tall chimneys, dominates one bank of the canal that runs through the city. The 6.5 sq km (2.5 sq mile) complex sits adjacent to the Autostadt, a kind of theme park devoted to the automobile and to VW, Euro..

One killed in ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine says1 day agoJames WaterhouseUkraine CorrespondentJacqueline HowardBBC NewsOne person has been killed and four injured in a Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s capital overnight.
Kyiv’s mayor said a nine-year-old girl was among the injured in the strikes which took place early on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian military said it had shot down six of seven ballistic missiles and 71 drones launched by Russia, which sparked several fires throughout the city.
It comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Ukraine would be prepared to swap land with Russia in potential peace negotiations.
The strikes had caused damage in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi, Podilskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Obolonskyi districts, mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Meanwhile, officials in the city of Kryvyi Rih also reported damage to residential buildings and infrastructure after the city was also targeted in Russian strikes on Tuesday night, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor ..

Who’s who in German elections and why this vote is important1 day agoPaul KirbyEurope digital editorGerman voters decide on Sunday who will run their next government, with Friedrich Merz’s conservative Christian Democrats favourite to become the biggest party in power.
Reviving the European Union’s biggest economy as well as immigration and security are the main issues in this snap election, triggered by the collapse of centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition late last year.
We assess what and who you need to know ahead of the vote for Germany’s next parliament, the Bundestag.
After months of political deadlock and at a time of global uncertainty, Germans and their European allies are looking to this election to provide clear leadership and direction, as faith in their longstanding US alliance wanes.
At home, Germany’s faltering powerhouse economy is crying out for an overhaul after two years of recession – buffeted by high energy prices prompted by Russia’s war in Ukraine and s..

Baltic states begin historic switch away from Russian power grid6 days agoTom BennettBBC NewsReporting fromLondonMore than three decades after leaving the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have begun to unplug from Russia’s electricity grid and join the EU’s network.
The two-day process began on Saturday morning, with residents told to charge their devices, stock up on food and water, and prepare as if severe weather is forecast.
Many have been told not to use lifts – while in some areas traffic lights will be turned off.
A giant, specially-made clock, will count down the final seconds before the transition at a landmark ceremony in Lithuania’s capital on Sunday, attended by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
The three nations will then officially transition away from the grid that has connected them to Russia since the years after World War Two.
The so-called Brell power grid – which stands for Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania – is controlled almost entirely by Mos..