Author: staff

The counterassault was the most sophisticated Ukraine has launched so far. Dubbed “Spiderweb,” the operation saw dozens of Russian bombers parked at separate air bases, thousands of miles away from the front lines, struck at all once. The drones hit targets spread across Russia, including one base closer to Japan and another inside the Arctic Circle, Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed, quickly posting dramatic video footage of the assault on social media. To pull off the operation — which was 18 months in the planning — the drones were smuggled into Russia hidden in wooden mobile houses atop trucks, and…

“They’re looking at the overall numbers and they’re saying, oh, it’s a big directorate general, so it needs to be trimmed,” said one of the officials, referring to the communications department. Another official, however, cautioned the restructuring will likely not be a “major reform” but rather a “readjustment” of resources. What’s on the chopping block The Parliament’s leadership intends to gradually reassign existing staff members to jobs in other departments or to reallocate posts after employees retire. Less clear is what happens with subcontracted temporary positions — so-called externals — who often work in areas such as audiovisual services, website…

Published on 04/06/2025 – 8:59 GMT+2•Updated 9:05Elon Musk has slammed US President Donald Trump’s plan to cut taxes and spending, marking a sharp break from the president he helped re-elect in 2024 as one of his key allies.The bill allows the US government to borrow more money and extends tax breaks approved during Trump’s first term at the White House, along with new ones he campaigned on.The budget — which includes a massive buildup of $350 billion (€307bn) for border security, deportations and national security — was narrowly passed by the House of Representatives last month. “Shame on those who…

Washington is leading a deregulation charge, with President Donald Trump ripping up the safety rules laid down by his predecessor Joe Biden and unveiling a half-trillion-dollar AI hardware plan with leading company OpenAI. The Vatican could use its network across the Global South to “spark more democratic access” to AI as power becomes concentrated in the hands of tech giants and wealthier countries. | Alessandro Di Meo/EPA Even the EU, historically at the forefront of AI regulation, is modifying its stance to focus on competitiveness — opening the door to “targeted tweaks” of its AI Act and doubling down on boosting…

Frederiksen argued the EU needs the funds to bolster its defenses amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine. “For me, the most important thing is to rearm Europe,” Frederiksen said. “That’s my starting point and that’s my conclusion in all discussions, because if Europe is not able to protect ourselves and to defend ourselves, then it’s game over at some point.” Europe, she added, is “running out of time because of Russia’s behavior” and needs “a new profile on the budget.” Frederiksen argued the EU needs the funds to bolster its defenses amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine. | Sergey Kozlov/EFE via EPA…

Die EU treibt ihr 18. Sanktionspaket voran. Wenn sich die USA zu Grahams Sanktionen entschließen, würden diese im „Paket mit drin sein”, sagte von der Leyen zu Gordon Repinski. Das Interview erscheint heute in voller Länge im Berlin Playbook Podcast (hier). Mehr auch hier.  Ein 500-Prozent-Zoll der USA gegen Länder, die weiterhin Öl oder Gas-Produkte aus Russland kaufen, würde aber auch die EU und somit Deutschland betreffen. Zum einen liefert Russland immer noch Energie an EU-Länder. Sie könnten aber von dem Mega-Zoll ausgenommen werden, deutete Graham an – etwa durch Ausnahmen für alle Länder, die die Ukraine unterstützen.  Zum Zweiten…

Am heutigen Abend bricht Friedrich Merz in die USA auf. Es ist sein Antrittsbesuch im Weißen Haus. Gordon Repinski analysiert, wie der Kanzler die drei wichtigsten Themen – NATO, Ukraine und Handel – adressieren muss und wo die Fallen lauern, wenn er auf Donald Trump trifft. Im 200-Sekunden Interview: Die EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen zur Frage von europäischen und amerikanischen Sanktionen gegen Russland.  Dazu: Rasmus Buchsteiner über die wichtigsten Punkte heute im Kabinett und im anschließenden Gespräch von Friedrich Merz mit den Ländern. Und: wie sich die Spargelfahrt des konservativen SPD-Seeheimer Kreis für den neuen Generalsekretär Tim Klüssendorf anfühlt,…

But while Bulgaria strains to join the club, one entrant that everyone would welcome — Poland — seems to have no interest in joining. And after the narrow victory of right-wing nationalist Karol Nawrocki in the country’s presidential election on Sunday, the prospect of Poland’s joining the club anytime soon seems remote. Poland has had three decades of consistent economic growth. Its stock market is booming. Its gross domestic product growth, at 3.2 percent this year according to an International Monetary Fund forecast, outstrips the eurozone’s 0.8 percent. But still, its stated intention to join the eurozone is going nowhere…

By Euronews Published on 31/05/2025 – 16:38 GMT+2•Updated 20:45Thousands of people took to the streets in Bulgaria on Saturday, calling on the government to preserve the country’s currency, the Bulgarian lev, and not enter the euro area.In the capital, Sofia, and various other cities, demonstrations against the introduction of the euro currency began at around noon. The protests were organised by the ultranationalist Revival Party and several NGOs.They believe that if Bulgaria enters the eurozone, prices will rise and the country’s economic sovereignty will be limited, and want a referendum to be held on the issue.”Revival Bulgaria has a will of…

By Euronews with AP Published on 31/05/2025 – 22:21 GMT+2•Updated 22:34The world should be “extremely worried” about Russia and China’s relationship as North Korean troops fight alongside Russian soldiers in Ukraine, the European Union’s foreign policy said on Saturday.“When China and Russia speak of leading together, the change is not seen in 100 years and of revisions of the global security order. We should all be extremely worried,” Kallas said during the Shangri-La Dialogue, a global security conference in Singapore. European and Asian security remain interconnected, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs stated while speaking on a panel about ensuring global stability. “Our…