Author: staff
Over decades, Finland built its preparedness around the concept of “total defense” — a mobilizable population, civil resilience, shelters and a military designed to keep fighting with or without allies. The country can mobilize nearly 870,000 reservists out of a population of 5.6 million, a figure set to reach one million by 2031.“It’s fair to say Finland is more ready to fight alone than other frontline countries. The U.S. wind-down doesn’t impact its readiness,” said Eoin Micheál McNamara, a postdoctoral fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.Finland spends nearly 3 percent of its GDP on defense and, in line…
Under the rules, which were developed for eight years before taking effect, non-EU citizens are fingerprinted and photographed in lieu of traditional passport stamping. However, the rollout — which is the responsibility of national governments — has been plagued by technical problems and saw wait times spike for foreign visitors. Brussels has previously denied widespread shortcomings with the system, but Commission President Ursula von der Leyen admitted on Friday that “technical problems” would require significant work to resolve. While Brunner said the EES “works well” in most member states and at most EU airports, he acknowledged passengers were being forced…
“The suspicion that there is money coming from Russia is also present,” said the minister from the Social Democratic Party, SPD. It is “obvious that this must not happen,” Pistorius added. AfD came in second place in the February 2025 national election with 20.8 percent of the vote, the best showing by a far-right party since World War II. And two eastern states, Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, will go the polls in September. According to German media, the AfD believes its best chance of power in the short term is in Saxony-Anhalt where it could win an outright majority that would…
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tirana on Saturday, protesting for the 35th consecutive day against plans to build a tourist resort linked to the Trump family. It is thought to have been the largest demonstration since the protests began in late May against the construction of a luxury hotel connected to Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner, who advises and negotiates on behalf of the president, in the protected area of Zvërnec, in southwestern Albania. What started as an environmental protest has now turned into a major anti‑government revolution. Protesters accuse…
Published on 05/07/2026 – 16:21 GMT+2 On Tuesday, a Paris appeals court will rule on whether Marine Le Pen is eligible to run in the 2027 presidential election. Ahead of the verdict, the National Rally (RN) figurehead and the party’s young president, Jordan Bardella, pledged to work as a duo, whatever happens. “Here’s a little message for those who think that putting obstacles in our way is enough to discourage us. We will never be discouraged,” Le Pen said. If the courts were to prevent her from standing in the presidential election, Le promised to support her protégé Bardella “every…
Published on 05/07/2026 – 14:16 GMT+2 US Vice President JD Vance said Britain has been “failed by its leadership for a long time” following the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Vance, who has been a strong critic of the UK and Europe more widely since he took office in January 2025, made the comments in an interview with The Sunday Times published this weekend. While he called Britain “amazing,” Vance said there appeared to him to be something “very broken about British politics”. “People are really crying out for significant structural change,” he said. “I hope that Andy…
VIENNA — The top brass of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe huddled in the Austrian capital this weekend to celebrate ALDE’s 50th anniversary — and debate how to face the far-right surge. The gathering in Vienna served as an opportunity for national parties — including Austria’s NEOS, the Netherlands’ D66, Belgium’s Reformist Movement, Romania’s USR and Germany’s FDP — to schmooze and scheme in the grand ballrooms of the Habsburg’s Hofburg Imperial Palace while debating current topics like social media restrictions, EU institutional reform, and the single market’s competitiveness. So who’s up in the liberals’ world, and…
The breathtaking landscapes of England’s Lake District have inspired some of the world’s most famous poets and writers, from William Wordsworth to Beatrix Potter. Want to discover it for yourself? Then you might just want to buy this new travel pass unlocking the region. Offering unlimited travel on buses, trains and boats, the Cumbria Travel Pass is priced at £40 (€47) for one day, or £99 (€116) for three. Valid at any time on any day of the week, the pass covers Northern, TransPennine and Avanti trains, Stagecoach buses, and Lakes Day Cruises on Windermere. You’ll also get discounts on…
With a week of major articles looking at the EU’s foreign policy branch, POLITICO asks whether budget constraints, a lack of tools and a turf war with the European Commission is threatening its survival. Jun 29 13 mins read
Published on 05/07/2026 – 10:32 GMT+2 The Vikings were apparently not only a warlike people: In Søften, a small village in the Mid Jutland region north of Aarhus, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an exceptionally large craft settlement. The complex dates from the 7th to 10th centuries and covers 100,000 square metres. In total, the archaeologists excavated 82 pit houses. The area seems to have served as a specialised craft zone, with numerous workplaces operating in parallel. The large number of identical workshops suggests that division of labour, and possibly centralised control, played a role. The excavations brought to…