Author: staff
Germany has over €100 million budgeted this year and next for counter-drone technology, the minister said. The systems include sensors and jammers designed to disrupt hostile drone signals, with the capability to intercept or shoot them down if necessary. “It is an important signal that we are confronting hybrid threats,” Dobrindt said. “We are creating a clear mission to detect, intercept and, yes, also shoot down drones when necessary. We cannot accept that hybrid threats, including drones, become a danger to our security.” Dobrindt said Germany will procure systems from both German and Israeli manufacturers, with further purchases expected in…
European lawmakers were unable to agree on the scope of a contentious air passengers’ rights law during political talks on Monday evening, setting up the already decade-long process for mediation by the upcoming EU Cypriot Presidency. The EU’s law to increase protection for travellers has been in the making for 11 years, but lawmakers have come under intense pressure from the aviation industry that has stymied its progress. Among the draft law’s provisions are that passengers shouldn’t pay for cabin luggage and that they should receive financial compensation if their flights are delayed by more than three hours, a key…
Published on 02/12/2025 – 14:06 GMT+1 First you collect your nice pension, you boomer. But coming to town to set your body free might, in the words of Sabrina’s 1987 hit song, just got a little bit trickier. The French government plans to end free healthcare for foreign pensioners, closing a loophole that lets them join the system after just 90 days of residence. The law will affect all non-EU pensioners, including Brits and Americans. And the numbers are significant. Data shows that around 150,000 adult US citizens live in France today, and a roughly similar number of UK nationals.…
The Bulgarian center-right government on Tuesday withdrew a controversial 2026 budget proposal following a week of Gen Z-led mass protests. “The Council of Ministers has proposed that the National Assembly adopt a decision to withdraw the draft State Budget for 2026,” the government said in a press release. The biggest demonstration Monday drew around 50,000 to 100,000 people to the streets of Sofia, according to various media accounts, including the Bulgarian News Agency, but remained peaceful. After the rally dispersed, some masked rioters that were not previously at the protests hurled firecrackers and bottles at police officers, burned garbage containers…
By Euronews Published on 02/12/2025 – 14:18 GMT+1 Serbia failed to secure a United States operating license for its Russian-owned oil refinery, forcing the facility to halt operations and threatening the country’s fuel supply, President Aleksandar Vučić said Monday. The United States rejected Serbia’s request to continue crude oil supplies to the Pančevo refinery while Russian owners seek buyers for their majority stake in the Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS), Vučić said. “We expected to receive a license from the US government to continue supplying oil to our refinery in Pančevo. We did not receive a positive decision,” Vučić said. “I…
Published on 02/12/2025 – 14:13 GMT+1 A broad-based crypto sell-off accelerated this week, wiping billions off the total market capitalisation and stoking fresh concerns about financial contagion both within the digital asset ecosystem and across adjacent markets. Bitcoin slipped to about $84,000 (€72,328) during Monday trading before rebounding to near $87,000 later in the day. The cryptocurrency saw more dramatic lows earlier in November, despite a brief consolidation at the end of the month that pushed it over $90,000 — still well below the roughly $100,000 level it was trading at in early November and much lower than the October…
Subsequent talks attended by European, Ukrainian and American negotiators yielded an updated 19-point plan. In a post on social platform X, Dmitriev said it was an “important day for peace.” Witkoff traveled to Moscow after taking part in U.S.-Ukraine talks in Florida. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday that Kushner would also participate in the meeting with Putin, which will last “as long as needed.” The Russian leader, however, shows no signs of backing down. Speaking in Bishkek last week, Putin said that the fighting will end when “the Ukrainian forces leave the territories they hold.”
Doha is getting ready to welcome world leaders, policymakers and experts for the 2025 Doha Forum on 6–7 December. This year’s theme, “Justice in Action: Beyond Promises to Progress”, is about moving discussions into action. Mubarak Ajlan Al-Kuwari, Executive Director of Doha Forum, told Euronews the theme reflects what people want. “Inequalities are widening and crises are becoming more connected. Across regions, people want not just fairness, but progress,” he said. “‘Justice in Action’ is about turning commitments into policies that make a difference.” The Forum brings together people with different views who still want to work on common problems.…
Authorities detained three suspects and raided the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the College of Europe as part of a probe into suspected fraud related to EU-funded training for junior diplomats. The searches — conducted at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and approved by the investigating judge and Belgium’s Federal Police — were conducted at the EEAS in Brussels, in buildings of the College of Europe in Bruges and at private homes, according to a statement from the EPPO. Belgian authorities are investigating the European Union Diplomatic Academy, a training program for junior diplomats across…
Belgian authorities raided the offices of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the bloc’s diplomatic arm, on Tuesday morning as part of an anti-fraud investigation. The premises of the College of Europe in the city of Bruges, which receives funding from the EU institutions, were also searched as part of the operation. The private homes of individuals in Belgium were also searched, and three people have been detained. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) requested the raids as part of a probe into suspected fraud related to an EU-funded training project for junior diplomats. In a statement, the EPPO said…