List of All Articles with Tag 'europe'

Letters written by the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, in which he protests his innocence and tries to claim he had nothing to do with her disappearance, have been revealed for the first time. Christian Brueckner, who is in jail for rape, penned a series of letters from his prison cell, attempting to distance himself from the unsolved case of the then-three-year-old, who vanished while on a family holiday from Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. “You can never imagine how it is when the whole world believes you are a child murderer, and you are not,” he wrote in the string of neatly written letters unveiled by MailOnline. One of Brueckner’s letters was sent days before police carried out a search last week at the remote Barragem do Arade reservoir, around 35 miles from where she disappeared. The search was a major new development in investigations and the first hunt in nine years. According to MailOnline, he goes on to say there is no evidence linking him to the case. “I got told a long time ago that the prosecuter’s office was closing the Maddie case because there is not even the smallest evidence. There will never be a trial,” he wrote. “The prosecutors are not saying anything to the public because they must give the files to my lawyers - and they contain many (sic) material which confirms my innocence.” In one of his letters, written from jail in Germany, he reportedly sketched a long, dark corridor of a prison wing and claimed police and prosecuters are “attempting to create a monster”. Brueckner then writes about the psychological toll of the case. “The torture I'm going through is the best evidence I can have,” he reportedly wrote. In his latest letter, he signed off saying: "I'm writing this without self-pity and my self-confidence and self-control was never at a higher level. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Chin up! Better days are coming." Brueckner, 45, is currently halfway through a prison sentence for raping a 72-year-old American woman in the Algarve in 2005, a few miles away from where Ms McCann was last seen alive in 2007, days before her fourth birthday. He is also facing prosecution for allegedly raping another three adult women in Portugal as well as for indecently exposing himself to two girls, aged 10 and 11. Read More Madeleine McCann – latest news: ‘Shrine’ found at Algarve reservoir launched police search British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police Christian Brueckner: Madeleine McCann suspect injured while in custody Madeleine McCann ‘shrine’ found at Algarve reservoir launched new search – latest What happened to Madeleine McCann? How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist party suffered a massive defeat in Spain’s local elections, handing Conservatives a strong

By Toby Sterling AMSTERDAM Uber is seeing an influx of European taxi drivers joining its platform, an executive

Lending to Swedish households slowed for a twelfth consecutive month, as fewer homes trade hands at lower values,

European shares rose on Monday as investors drew comfort from a tentative deal reached by U.S. lawmakers to

Ukraine shot down more than 37 cruise Russian missiles and 30 drones overnight as Russia targeted military facilities

India reclaimed its spot as the world’s fifth largest stock market after losing that status to France in

Germany’s thousands of solar panels set a new production record on Saturday. Output reached as high as 40,919

The embattled landlord at the center of Sweden’s property crisis has initiated a strategic review that may lead

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv shook from several explosions in the early hours today after Russia fired more than 40 missiles and drones in its biggest such attack since the war began in February last year. “A missile shot down near Kyiv,” the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. “Air defence working!” The Monday morning attack included a combination of missiles and drones, exceeding the largest barrage of 36 aerial weapons launched on Kyiv the previous night, which killed one person and injured several. All targets were shot down, the Ukrainian air defences claimed. No major damage or casualties have been recorded so far, officials said. On Sunday, the Ukrainian military said it had downed 58 of 59 drones headed for several parts of Ukraine, described by the air force as a record assault with Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones. Elsewhere on war frontlines, Kyiv indicated that its forces were ready to launch a long-promised counteroffensive to recapture territory taken by Russia in its full-scale invasion. Read More Russia’s ambassador to the UK openly defends attacks on Ukraine by shifting blame Lindsey Graham calls ‘Russians dying’ the ‘best money US has spent’ in Zelensky meeting Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk booed for refusing to shake opponent’s hand after French Open match

Turkey’s lira weakened after Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a presidential runoff election on Sunday, extending his time as

A British couple claimed they found a makeshift shrine to missing Madeleine McCann at the Portuguese reservoir searched by police last week. The couple, named only as Ralf and Ann, told the Mail on Sunday they found the “strange” shrine seven months after the toddler vanished 16 years ago. The couple said they reported the shrine to Portuguese police but never heard back. The shrine consisted of a row of stones pointing to a picnic site which was dug up by police last week, a bouquet of white lilies and a photograph of the missing toddler. The retired couple, who regularly visit their holiday home near the Algarve reservoir, later reported the shrine to police after suspect Christian Brueckner was identified by German police in 2020, and gave a formal statement. Ralf, 66, described the shrine as “very strange”. Ann, 67, said: “Thinking about it now gives me goosebumps because when we saw where the police were searching the past few days you could see that’s where the row of stones was pointing to.” Officers concluded their search of the Algarve reservoir on Thursday. Read More British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost? Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him