Author: staff
With drone alerts, emergency shelters and fighter jets over the Baltics, Europe’s security fears suddenly feel much less theoretical at the GLOBSEC forum in Prague. On the ground in Czechia for the Brussels Playbook Podcast, Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur unpack the growing wave of drone incursions linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine. They also discuss why Baltic leaders are sounding the alarm and how the crisis in Latvia became serious enough to bring down the government. Then: Germany is growing impatient with the EU’s enlargement drift. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is pushing a new concept called “associate membership” that would…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 5:34 GMT+2 The German state is seeking a 40% stake in the tank and weapons maker KNDS, government sources familiar with the matter revealed to AFP on Wednesday. According to an “agreement reached regarding the state’s participation in KNDS”, this stake is to start at 40% and then be reduced to 30% within “two to three years”, a source said. KNDS is currently effectively controlled by the French state, as it is part-owned by French public holding company GIAT Industries, with Germany’s Wegmann family owning the other part. The company had been planning an initial public…
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A fourth person who has worked with Burnham said that might be a plus when it comes to winning the next general election against the insurgent Reform Party. “I know it’s a banal thing, but we’ve not had a northern prime minister for a really long time, unless you count Rishi Sunak,” this person said. (Sunak represented a leafy Yorkshire constituency but is from the south of England.) “It does matter, because every weekend conversation … will be migration, housing, cost of living, dirty high streets, antisocial behaviour. Great — we win on those, we win the country.” The first…
EU governments and the European Parliament struck a provisional deal on May 7th to amend the AI Act, the landmark legislation that entered into force in August 2024. The deal delays tough rules on high-risk AI systems covering biometrics, critical infrastructure, law enforcement, and employment decisions by 16 months. Enforcement is now pushed to December 2027. Supporters call it pragmatic relief for businesses struggling to compete with the US and China. Critics say it hands a victory to Big Tech at the expense of workers and fundamental rights. But the deal also adds something: a total ban on nudification apps,…
Published on 20/05/2026 – 18:05 GMT+2 Hamas is “the principal obstacle” to moving to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, the Board of Peace initiative created by US President Donald Trump said in its first report to the UN Security Council. In its findings, the group, established by Trump in January to oversee the end of fighting in Gaza and its reconstruction following the deadly Israel-Hamas war, criticised repeated ceasefire violations. “At this stage, the principal obstacle to full implementation remains Hamas’ refusal to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza,” a…
Tensions have been rising between Italy and Israel in the past few months. Meloni recently suspended a defense cooperation agreement between the two countries after the Israeli Defense Forces fired warning shots at an Italian peacekeeping convoy outside Beirut, Lebanon. She had previously condemned Israel for preventing Catholic leaders from celebrating a private Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday and criticized its conduct in Lebanon in a speech to parliament in early April. On Wednesday, France’s foreign affairs minister Jean-Noël Barrot also said he would summon Israel’s envoy “to express our…
Published on 20/05/2026 – 7:53 GMT+2•Updated 13:43 Also on today’s show: Explainer by Jakub Janas: Putin visits Xi Jinping — what does it mean for Europe? Interviews with Sir Chris Bryant, UK Minister of State for Trade, Colonel Martin L. O’Donnell, Chief of Public Affairs at NATO SHAPE, and Bernd Lange, Member of the European Parliament and chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee. When and where to watch Europe Today? You can join Euronews’ chief anchor Méabh Mc Mahon and our EU editor Maria Tadeo live on TV and Euronews’ website and digital platforms every weekday. Our new format…
By Esmira Aliyeva & Toby Gregory Published on 20/05/2026 – 20:18 GMT+2 “No country has ever fully developed without urbanising,” World Bank Senior Economist Mark Roberts told Euronews at the World Urban Forum in Baku, in direct response to governments that treat urban growth as an issue to be managed rather than progress to be guided. Roberts said the scale of investment required, particularly in Africa, was beyond any single actor. “When it comes to urban infrastructure, the financing needs are tremendous for Africa in particular, as well as all the very fast-urbanising regions,” he said. “No one agency, donor organisation or the…
LONDON — A by-election in which Keir Starmer’s rival Andy Burnham could win a parliamentary seat will be held on June 18. Greater Manchester Mayor Burnham needs to become an MP if he is to challenge Starmer for the leadership of Britain’s ruling Labour Party. He said in a weekend interview he wants to “campaign to change Labour” in Makerfield. The by-election was triggered after former minister Josh Simons stood down as a Labour MP to create a path for Burnham to return to Westminster. Wigan Council published the notice of election confirming the date on Wednesday. Burnham has already been…