Author: staff
Published on 06/06/2026 – 10:39 GMT+2•Updated 10:57 Under the motto ‘Lift up your eyes’, Leo XIV will travel nearly 2,500 kilometres between 6 and 12 June on his first apostolic journey to Spain since he was elected pope on 8 May 2025. The man who just over a year ago was still Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost arrived at Barajas from Rome’s Fiumicino airport, where he boarded at 8.00. Born on 14 September 1955 in Chicago, Leo XIV has deeply multicultural roots. His father was of French and Italian descent, while his mother came from a Creole family from Louisiana with…
Ein Tagestrip nach Montenegro an einen malerischen Yachthafen bildet für Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz den Abschluss einer außenpolitischen Woche, die er sich vermutlich anders vorgestellt hätte. Die historische Niederlage bei der Wahl um den Sitz im UN-Sicherheitsrat wirft Fragen auf: Wie konnte Deutschland das Rennen gegen Österreich und Portugal so deutlich verlieren und welche handwerklichen Fehler wurden im Vorfeld gemacht? Darüber sprechen Moderator Gordon Repinski und Marina Kormbaki, Redakteurin im Hauptstadtbüro des SPIEGEL und stellvertretende Ressortleiterin, direkt am Rande des EU-Westbalkan-Gipfels in Montenegro. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern…
Published on 06/06/2026 – 9:19 GMT+2 New military exchanges between the United States and Iran have tested the fragile ceasefire, threatening efforts to stabilise the Middle East and restore shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The latest escalation began on Friday when the US military said it intercepted four Iranian drones heading towards the Strait of Hormuz before carrying out strikes against Iranian coastal radar installations in Goruk and on Qeshm Island. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the drones posed an immediate threat to maritime traffic in the area and it “subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar…
Alyona Getmanchuk, Ukraine’s ambassador to NATO, told POLITICO that any new commitment should focus on Kyiv’s priorities such as air defense, investments in drone and missile production and extended-range ammunition. “Until effective security guarantees become available for Ukraine, we can rely only on the financial guarantees provided by our partners,” she said. After rejecting a suggestion by Rutte to devote 0.25 percent of their GDP to Ukraine last month, allies are now considering the German initiative. But the discussions remain in their early stages, three of the diplomats said. A meeting of NATO defense ministers later this month creates an…
Earlier this year the prime minister, who declined POLITICO’s requests for comment, refused to support her reelection bid in parliament, and instead backed nominees from his own party. But after none of the candidates secured the necessary votes, the country lurched into a crisis that ultimately led to this Sunday’s snap vote. The parliamentary election, which is the third to be held in just over a year, is unlikely to resolve Kosovo’s complex domestic political situation. Although no reliable polls are available, political analysts predict the ruling Vetëvendosje party will once again secure the most seats, allowing Kurti to remain…
“If it’s critical supplies, you have to have three different suppliers to make sure that you cannot be punished because of a political reason or there might be some kind of industrial problem or something,” said Šefčovič. “It’s a collective mindset.” EU leaders plan to discuss how to tackle China’s industrial overcapacity and subsidized exports during a June 18–19 summit — with the EU executive expected to take forward the leaders’ guidance. Šefčovič will also meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao at the end of the month in Brussels. “Recent industrial cases, in particular supplies of chips and rare…
„Wenn es um kritische Lieferungen geht, sollte man drei verschiedene Lieferanten haben, um sicherzustellen, dass man weder aus politischen Gründen unter Druck gesetzt werden kann noch durch industrielle Probleme oder Ähnliches in Schwierigkeiten gerät“, sagte Šefčovič. „Es geht um eine gemeinsame Denkweise. Wir müssen einfach etwas strategischer denken.“ Die Staats- und Regierungschefs der EU wollen auf dem Gipfel am 18. und 19. Juni darüber beraten, wie sie auf Chinas industrielle Überkapazitäten und staatlich subventionierte Exporte reagieren wollen. Der EU-Handelskommissar dürfte die Empfehlungen der Staats- und Regierungschefs anschließend weiterverfolgen. Ende des Monats trifft er in Brüssel seinen chinesischen Amtskollegen Wang Wentao.…
The last day of the harvest season begins in the orange groves of Masia El Carmen, in Bétera, north of Valencia. In the soft early morning light, Gonzalo and Gabriel Úrculo move between the rows of orange trees on the farm inherited from their grandfather. Pruning shears in hand, they help workers fill crates that will be shipped later that same day to customers across Europe. “Neither we nor our grandfather ever imagined we would become farmers,” Gonzalo says. But after their grandfather’s death, the family farm was left abandoned. With no formal agricultural training, the two brothers decided to…
“There is growing fatigue with Russia — even among those in the wider world who help you bypass sanctions and keep your economy afloat. After 26 years in power, age is beginning to take its toll. And with time, the fatigue with you will only grow,” wrote Zelenskyy. Putin said he has never rejected a meeting but that proper arrangements need to be made first, based on what he agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska last year, where the American leader reportedly agreed Ukraine should give up Donbas to stop the war. The Kremlin has since demanded Ukraine withdraw…
Published on 05/06/2026 – 19:30 GMT+2 US Vice President JD Vance condemned Britain’s handling of the murder of a white student by a Sikh man on Friday, linking it to what he said was civilisational decline caused by mass migration. “Henry Nowak died the same way a civilisation dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit,” Vance said on X. “His murder is as tragic as it is enraging.” The case of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed by police as he lay dying after being stabbed…