Author: staff
Kallas framed the move as a wake-up call for European defense, stressing that reliance on American forces can no longer be taken for granted. “I think it shows that we have to really strengthen the European pillar in NATO and we really have to do more,” she said. “American troops are not in Europe only for protecting European interests, but also American interests.” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has also publicly downplayed the immediate operational impact of the U.S. decision. The move by the U.S. administration comes amid tensions between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, particularly after Merz said…
Armenia hosted on Monday the eighth meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), an all-inclusive format conceived in the early days of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The EPC is famously known for producing no formal written outcomes or binding agreements. Instead, leaders use the occasion for cosy bilaterals and photo-ops, which are then meticulously documented on their social media accounts. Admittedly, there was plenty of that in Yerevan, but there was also substantive discussion that laid bare the turmoil and anxiety that the continent is going through. Here are the six takeaways from the EPC in Armenia. Merz’s glaring absence…
“Everything was wrong with that fake ‘Galician-style octopus.’ Octopus mixed with squid and broccoli — that’s never been eaten in Galicia. That octopus was as Galician as the Parliament building is Renaissance: not at all,” Vázquez said. His dinner’s guest list includes Galician President Alfonso Rueda and Suso Pereira, head of the association of traditional octopus cooks. In an April email to MEPs and assistants seen by POLITICO, Vázquez made clear this is more than a culinary gripe, pointing to Galicia’s fishing sector. “Following the notorious fake polbo á feira that we discovered in the canteen, the time has come to put…
Published on 04/05/2026 – 18:52 GMT+2 Austria expelled three Russian Embassy employees who were suspected of espionage by using antennas on Russian diplomatic buildings, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The ministry confirmed a report aired on Sunday by the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, which said authorities suspected the three diplomats of engaging in spying activities using antennas on the roofs of the Russian Embassy in Vienna and a diplomatic compound in the Donaustadt district. The installations allowed Russia to intercept data transmitted by international organisations based in Vienna via satellite internet, ORF reported. Austria hosts several UN agencies, including…
By Jane Witherspoon & Euronews Published on 04/05/2026 – 15:42 GMT+2•Updated 19:25 Booms from intercepts were heard above Dubai on Monday after an air raid alert was sounded and residents took shelter for the first time since the ceasefire in the Iran war, Euronews journalists on the ground reported. The UAE confirmed the strikes originated from Iran later on Monday, issuing a “condemnation of the renewed treacherous Iranian terrorist attacks targeting civilian sites and facilities in the country using missiles and drones.” Three Indian nationals were injured in the strikes, according to authorities. “The UAE stressed that it will not compromise on protecting…
British news outlets have identified one of the ill patients as a 69-year-old U.K. national, citing South Africa’s Department of Health, while two of the three deaths have been identified as a Dutch couple, the country’s foreign affairs ministry confirmed. The cruise ship, which left Argentina three weeks ago, was headed to the Canary Islands, but is currently sitting off the coast of Cabo Verde in West Africa, according to the WHO. WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri P. Kluge said Monday that the agency was “acting with urgency” and “working with the countries involved to support medical care,…
Published on 04/05/2026 – 19:07 GMT+2 Twenty-three innocent bystanders have been killed and 30 wounded in gangland shootings in Sweden in the past three years, according to statistics released on Monday that highlighted its battle to rein in violent crime. The country has struggled for more than a decade to contain gang violence linked primarily to score-settling and battles to control the drug market. The innocent victims include people hit by stray bullets, cases of a mistaken identity by the shooter and relatives of targeted gang members, according to police statistics. Alexander Wallenius, operations coordinator at the Swedish police’s department…
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…