Author: staff

Ribera, who as executive vice president ranks second to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, enforces antitrust policy across the 27-nation bloc. Her comments contrast with her boss’ calls to nurture European business “champions” that can hold their own against China’s world-beating exporters and U.S. tech titans. The Spanish commissioner said that the industrial restructuring of sectors like telecoms was impeded by the fragmentation of national markets, and not the bloc’s merger rules. “It needs to be proven that there are benefits we will be enjoying in the time to come. And not just: I want to be big,” she…

European leaders announced on Friday that they were accelerating plans for a neutral, defensive multinational mission to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, even after Iran said earlier that the waterway had been fully reopened to maritime traffic for the remainder of the ceasefire due to expire on 22 April. Co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Paris meeting brought together 49 countries, mostly by video conference, to discuss a future defensive operation aimed at securing freedom of navigation once conditions allow. The United States was not part of the initiative, which France…

When US Vice President JD Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, he chose Saint Augustine as his patron. On Tuesday, speaking at a Turning Point USA event, Vance invoked the tradition of the fifth-century theologian and one of the most important Church fathers to push back against Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of the war in Iran. The White House number two warned the pontiff to “be careful when he talks about matters of theology” and citing “more than a 1,000-year tradition of just war theory” in his defence. Meanwhile, the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church was in the Algerian…

The clause states that if a member of the EU is faced by “armed aggression,” other members have an obligation to come to its “aid and assistance by all the means in their power.” The clause does not specify whether such aid includes a military response, and contains language relevant to neutral states such as Austria and Ireland. The gaming out will be conducted in the EU’s Political and Security Committee, which is composed of senior EU diplomats. Most EU members also belong to NATO and so are covered by its Article 5 mutual defense clause, which does refer explicitly…

Hungary’s incoming Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Friday that oil flows from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline could resume next week. Magyar said the Hungarian oil and gas concern MOL MOLB.BU told him that “based on information from their partners they expect the Druzhba oil pipeline to restart next week.” The pipeline, which delivers Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via Ukraine’s territory, has been a source of contention between Budapest and Kyiv after flows were stopped when it sustained damage in a Russian drone strike in late January. Landlocked Hungary is heavily dependent on Russia for energy and…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called fully reopening the strait “an urgent, shared priority,” adding the EU could contribute by “reinforcing Operation Aspides,” the EU’s naval mission in the Middle East. The mission’s mandate covers the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman but stops short of the Strait of Hormuz. EU leaders rejected expanding it at a summit in March and Kallas and von der Leyen did not say Friday whether doing so now was in the cards. Tehran said Friday it was “completely” opening the strait in response to a ceasefire between Israel…

Published on 17/04/2026 – 17:02 GMT+2 Venezuela and the European Union have taken a new step toward re-establishing their political relations by holding a high-level meeting in Caracas, during which both parties agreed on a working agenda for mutual cooperation. The meeting took place at the Federal Legislative Palace and was chaired by the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, alongside representatives of the European External Action Service. According to Rodríguez, the meeting made it possible to establish a roadmap focused on “productive development”. “We have established a working agenda for productive development,” he said, without offering more…

When you’re a visitor in a tourist hotspot, it’s common to find yourself assailed with offers and propositions from restaurant waiters, tour operators and ticket touters in the street. It can be uncomfortable and frustrating – even to the point of feeling like harassment. Now, the Italian island of Capri has decided to crack down on this behaviour in a bid to make the traveller experience more pleasant. The chic destination has already capped tour group numbers and banned guides from using loudspeakers and umbrellas to reduce disruption for other visitors and residents. Capri receives up to 50,000 daily visitors…

„Auf US-Seite besteht eine klare Präferenz, sich an die Vereinbarung zu halten, so wie wir sie getroffen haben. Und das gilt ebenso für uns“, sagte Šefčovič. In Washington ist die Geduld über das langsame Vorgehen der EU bei der Umsetzung des Abkommens inzwischen spürbar erschöpft. Erst in dieser Woche nahm der Kommissar Gespräche mit den EU-Hauptstädten und dem Europäischen Parlament auf, um einen Kompromiss für die Umsetzung des EU-Teils der Vereinbarung zu finden. Dieser sieht vor, dass die EU sämtliche Zölle auf US-Industriegüter abschafft. Das Europäische Parlament hat mehrere Änderungen an den beiden Rechtstexten vorgeschlagen, die eine Senkung der US-Zölle…

A looming jet fuel shortage in Europe and Asia, driven by the Iran war and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, could upend global travel within weeks if oil doesn’t start flowing again soon – pushing up airfares and triggering flight cancellations ahead of the peak summer season. In an interview on Thursday, International Energy Agency (IEA) Director Fatih Birol told AP that Europe has “maybe six weeks” of remaining jet fuel supplies and that the global economy faces its “largest energy crisis”. In general, some European countries hold several months’ worth of jet fuel inventory at a time, according…