Author: staff
“I played tennis from 1 to 2 p.m. because I wanted to clear my head. I was reachable the whole time … my phone was on loud. I went straight back afterward and continued working,” he told Welt. On Sunday, however, Wegner had offered journalists a different story when confronted as to his whereabouts the previous day. “I was at home. I literally locked myself in my home office and coordinated things from there,” he maintained. Wegner, whose conservative CDU party governs Berlin in coalition with the Social Democrats, is facing criticism from opposition parties across the political spectrum. Tobias…
Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said after the ministers’ meeting that the concessions were part of a broader effort to secure backing for the Mercosur deal, which he described as “the biggest free-trade agreement we have negotiated.” Brussels, he added, had gone “further than ever before” with safeguards to address agriculture fears. “We listened to the concerns of farmers and rural communities, and we acted,” Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen said, arguing that the proposed €45 billion could be mobilized as soon as the next EU budget begins in 2028. While this will significantly increase the EU’s agricultural funding in the short…
On Wednesday, Democrat Ted Lieu warned: “There is no legal justification, whatsoever, to use military force against a NATO ally like Greenland. If any military member participates in this without congressional authorization, they are following illegal orders.” Sikorski was in Paris for the visit of Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, but the meeting with his European counterparts was also an opportunity to discuss Greenland. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the three European ministers discussed a joint European response to Trump’s threats, something that “was destined to be widened to all European partners.” “What is at stake is the question…
Published on 07/01/2026 – 20:36 GMT+1 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced plans on Wednesday to meet with Danish officials next week to discuss the Trump administration’s intention to “acquire” Greenland. US President Donald Trump doubled down on the idea this week, and the White House has refused to rule out using military force to seize the Arctic island, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark. Rubio told reporters that “acquiring” Greenland has “always been the president’s intent from the very beginning,” adding that “he’s not the first US president that has examined or looked at how we could…
The PM added he would put the question of legal deployment “to this house for a debate beforehand and for a vote on that deployment. That is consistent with recent practice, and I’ll adhere to that.” Committing troops to war rests in the hands of the prime minister, but there is a precedent to seek approval from MPs. Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair won support from MPs to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. “There would only be deployment after a ceasefire,” Starmer insisted. “It would be to support Ukraine’s capabilities, it would be conduct deterrence operations…
The funerals of five of the six Italian victims of the New Year’s Eve tragedy in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, were held on Wednesday across Bologna, Milan and Rome The funerals of Riccardo Minghetti and Giovanni Tamburi were held in Rome and Bologna, while the funerals of Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo were held in Milan in the afternoon. Italian media reported that the funeral of Sofia Prosperi, the youngest victim of the fire, will be held in Lugano, and that of Emanuele Galeppini will take place in Genoa on Thursday. Italian schools observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims,…
Trump’s remarks came a day after the White House said it was not ruling out military action to acquire Greenland from Denmark, a NATO ally. Trump has repeatedly criticized the alliance and has long pressured members to boost defense spending, calling for increases from 2 percent of GDP to as much as 5 percent. His new comments follow days of escalating rhetoric over Greenland, a self-ruling Danish territory. The White House said late Tuesday that Trump was “discussing a range of options” to acquire the massive, mineral-rich Arctic island, stressing that the use of U.S. military force was not off…
Updated: 07/01/2026 – 12:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this January 7th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
Figures including former head of the army Richard Dannatt and Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at RUSI, have warned that a new deployment in Ukraine would mean pulling away from existing operations. There is also a hefty question mark over how long troops might be deployed for, and whether they might be taking on an open-ended commitment of the kind that snarled Britain for years in Afghanistan. RUSI’s Arnold said positioning troops in Ukraine could be “bigger” than deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Libya, “not necessarily in numbers, but in terms of the consequences… This mission absolutely can’t…
Members of the Bright Star of Bethlehem group paraded through Morro da Formiga, a favela in the Muda sub-district of Grande Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro’s north zone. Dressed in colourful costumes, they moved to the steady beat of drums as residents watched from doorways and balconies. The parade is part of the Folia de Reis tradition linked to Epiphany, which recalls the biblical visit of the three magi. From Christmas through to 20 January, revellers go from house to house, particularly in poorer neighbourhoods, bringing music and prayers while collecting donations to support communal meals. Catholic imagery featured alongside…