Author: staff
Published on 04/05/2026 – 19:09 GMT+2 A delegation of US and European diplomats accredited in Azerbaijan visited the post-conflict reconstruction sites of Karabakh over the weekend as peace with Armenia is gathering more pace with new political and economic initiatives. Dutch Ambassador Marianne de Jong told Euronews that the diplomatic delegation wanted to see “the progress in the renovations” as “we fully support as the Netherlands, as part of the EU, the reconciliation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.” According to the diplomat, the Netherlands is seeking opportunities to provide support in connectivity and investment. Ukraine’s Ambassador Yuriy Husyev said the…
Wadephul is not alone in calling for further investment in the kind of cutting-edge drones developed by Ukraine. During a large military exercise in Champagne last week, French President Emmanuel Macron similarly underscored drone technology’s importance for national defense. Drones — which as Ukraine has demonstrated, can be manufactured quickly and perform well against more expensive technology — are especially relevant as Europe seeks to rapidly bolster its defenses against Russia, with the United States pulling away. The Pentagon last week announced that it would withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany over the next year. The news came amid an…
Published on 04/05/2026 – 18:20 GMT+2 Four migrants were found dead near the Slovenian border and two others were taken to hospital in a serious condition after being transported by truck in “inhumane conditions,” Croatian police said on Monday. There was no detail provided on the cause of death, but investigations were underway. Thirteen other people were also found by police near the Croatian village of Donje Prilišće, 70 kilometres southwest of the capital Zagreb, and taken to a detention centre. Police said the group were allegedly dropped at the border by an unknown smuggler who fled. Croatia, a member…
The German Navy minehunter Fulda departed from the Kiel-Wik naval base on Monday, heading toward the Mediterranean amid discussions over a possible deployment in the Strait of Hormuz. Images showed crew members preparing onboard before the vessel sailed out of port. The ship carries up to 45 personnel and is expected to remain at sea for around two weeks. German officials have said any future mission near Hormuz would require approval from the Bundestag and a secure legal basis, potentially including a UN mandate. The deployment discussions come amid continued tensions affecting maritime security in the region.
The EU created the European Innovation Council Fund in 2020 to take equity stakes in startups, with the Scaleup Europe Fund to follow before the summer, aiming to plug a funding gap that many European companies face. That €5 billion fund is expected to make much larger investments than the earlier one, from which investments were capped at €30 million. The Commission is still in the process of setting up the new program, with the selection of a fund manager still pending. Up until now, the U.K. has had no access to the funds, which are part of the EU’s…
The European Commission will gradually eliminate the use of Chinese-made inverters in EU-funded energy projects, a major step aimed at protecting critical energy infrastructure from possible cyber threats that could trigger power outages. The move follows warnings from analysts that Europe’s heavy reliance on Chinese-made solar inverters — produced by firms like Huawei and Sungrow — could pose risks to Europe’s power grid stability, especially as Europe relies more on renewable energy such as solar and wind. “We have identified serious economic and cybersecurity risks,” an EU official speaking on condition of anonymity told reporters on Monday, noting that the…
The Election Commission of India released partial results, showing Bharatiya Janata Party ahead in at least 190 seats in the 294-member West Bengal state legislature. Final results are expected Monday evening. The outcome marks a significant breakthrough for Modi’s party, which had tried for years to dislodge the All India Trinamool Congress government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The BJP has never governed West Bengal, a politically influential state, where Banerjee — one of Modi’s most prominent critics — has held power since 2011. Opposition parties have sharply criticized the polls in West Bengal after the election commission removed…
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed she is likely to meet with Rubio, too. When reporters at the EU-Armenia summit in Yerevan asked her about whether she would sit down with the secretary of state during his Rome trip, she said: “I think so.” Her office did not respond to POLITICO’s request for comment. Rubio previously met Leo alongside Vice President JD Vance in May 2025 following the pope’s inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square. His last visit to Italy dates back to February, when he and Vance met Meloni on the sidelines of the Olympic Winter Games. The Vatican announced…
Tensions flared on Monday between Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and European Parliament boss Roberta Metsola at a high-level political summit held in Armenia. Addressing the European Political Community, which brings leaders from the EU, neighbouring countries with shared interests and candidate countries together, Aliyev accused the European Parliament of “spreading slander and lies” about Azerbaijan. Metsola, who chairs the EU parliament, rejected the claims in a sharp rebuttal, as she asked to take the floor in an impromptu intervention. “We will never change the way we work,” she told the chamber, “even if it is uncomfortable”. Prior to her intervention,…
Inverters are a piece of technology that turns solar panels’ electricity into current that flows into the grid. Huawei is a market leader in the technology. The EU has long been concerned about the threat posed by Chinese tech giant Huawei and its smaller rival ZTE in 5G networks, and is seeking to push EU member countries to remove them from their telecom networks — a position it is now trying to make mandatory. Concerns over Huawei’s dominance in the solar technology market have flared more recently. Risks posed by foreign interference in clean energy networks include manipulation of “electricity…