Law enforcement agencies from multiple countries have teamed up to take down what Europol is calling the “world’s largest” illegal marketplace on the dark web. DarkMarket had almost 500,000 users when it was taken offline. It had over 2,400 sellers and hosted 320,000 transactions wherein US$171 million worth of cryptocurrency had changed hands. According to Europol’s announcement, vendors mainly used the marketplace to sell drugs, counterfeit money and credit card details, malware and anonymous SIM cards. In addition to Europol, law enforcement agencies from Germany, Australia, Denmark, Moldova, Ukraine, the United Kingdom (the National Crime Agency) and the USA (DEA, FBI, and … Continue reading Europol confirms world’s largest dark web marketplace has been taken offline

Businesses and travellers should get ready for “substantial” change from New Year’s Eve, when the UK leaves the EU, the government has said. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said there would be “some disruption” and “practical and procedural changes”. He encouraged people travelling to the EU to take out comprehensive travel insurance and to check their mobile phone provider’s roaming charges, European ambassadors are due to discuss the post-Brexit trade deal later. The diplomats will meet to determine how they can provisionally approve the deal, which was agreed on Christmas Eve, covering £660bn of trade in time for the end of … Continue reading Britons warned to prepare for some disruption over Brexit

The European Union is set to unveil new rules it says will “overhaul” the digital market, including how tech giants operate, a pair of laws – the Digital Services and Digital Markets Acts – will be announced later on Tuesday. They are expected to be the biggest revision in 20 years, focusing on competition and making platforms responsible for hosted content, there are also likely to create heavy fines for violations of the rules. The rules are being spearheaded by commissioners Margrethe Vestager and Thierry Breton, both of whom have a history of strong rhetoric against the biggest tech giants … Continue reading EU Digital Services Act set to bring in new rules for tech giants

The head of Portugal’s immigration service has resigned after months of backlash, following the death of a Ukrainian man in Lisbon airport. The 40-year-old man, Ihor Homeniuk, had tried to enter Portugal without a valid visa last March and was detained by immigration authorities after refusing to board a flight out of the country, two days later he was found dead in his holding cell. Cristina Gatoes, chief of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), tendered her resignation with immediate effect on Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Opposition PSD lawmaker Ricardo Leite said on Twitter that her … Continue reading Portugal’s immigration chief resigns months after Ukrainian man dies at Lisbon airport

Europe’s latest jihadist attacks may have targeted France and Austria, but Spain, like the rest of the continent, remains within the sights of extremists and the threat level is still “severe”, experts say. The issue has returned to the headlines in Spain since last month, with three men currently on trial near Madrid for helping the jihadists behind the 2017 vehicle attacks in Barcelona and a nearby resort that killed 16 and was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, the trial is due to end on December 16. There have also been a string of arrests in recent weeks, … Continue reading Jihadism in Spain: A silent but real threat

Demetris Syllouris, the Cypriot parliament speaker, has announced he will resign after he was implicated in a scheme to sell passports to criminals through the country’s citizenship through investment programme. Syllouris was filmed as part of Al Jazeera’s The Cyprus Paper Undercover, an investigation which revealed how criminals were able to obtain Cypriot passports, granting them access to the EU and its internal markets. His resignation follows Christakis Giovanis, also known in Cyprus as Giovani, who quit on Tuesday, hours after Cyprus announced it would abolish it’s controversial citizenship-through-investment scheme. More soon…. Continue reading Update: Cypriot parliament speaker quits after passport scheme scandal

Cyprus has announced it will abolish a controversial passport scheme following an investigation by Al Jazeera that revealed how high-ranking politicians were willing to issue passports to convicted criminals. The interior and finance ministries said in a statement posted in Greek on … Continue reading Cyprus abolishes citizenship through investment programme

Swiss voters have rejected a proposal to end an accord with the EU allowing the free movement of people. With all referendum votes counted, nearly 62% said they wanted to keep free movement, while 38% were against. Switzerland is not a member of the EU but has a series of interdependent treaties with Brussels which allow it to access to Europe’s free trade area. The move to rein in immigration was proposed by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), but opposed by the government. A similar initiative to introduce quotas on immigrants from the EU to Switzerland narrowly passed in a … Continue reading Switzerland voters reject end to free movement with EU

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, wearing a protective face mask, arrives for a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Aug. 27. Ireland’s Mairead McGuinness has been appointed commissioner for financial services, stability and capital markets union as Ireland loses the key trade portfolio following the resignation of Phil Hogan. Meanwhile, Valdis Dombrovskis has been appointed trade commissioner as part of a reshuffle of the Commission announced by President Ursula von der Leyen. Dombrovskis is the former prime minister of Latvia and has been acting trade commissioner since Hogan’s resignation. McGuinness had “significant experience on … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS: European Commission shake-up sees Ireland lose key trade portfolio