Author: staff

Fünf Tage vor der Wahl in Ungarn wackelt die Macht von Viktor Orbán wie seit 15 Jahren nicht mehr. Während der US-Vizepräsident Vance zur moralischen (und strategischen) Wahlkampfhilfe in Budapest landet, sorgt ein vereitelter Anschlag auf die Balkan-Stream-Pipeline für Unruhe. Gemeinsam mit Hans von der Burchard analysiert Rixa Fürsen Orbáns riskantes Spiel mit der Panik und die Frage, ob Péter Magyar den „starken Mann“ tatsächlich ablösen kann. In der FDP ist das Personalkarussell über Ostern weiter gelaufen. Christian Dürr zieht seine Wiederkandidatur zurück, nachdem Wolfgang Kubicki seinen Hut für den Parteivorsitz in den Ring geworfen hat. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview erklärt Kubicki,…

EU foreign policy runs on unanimity — and it’s starting to break down. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart unpack growing frustration with how the EU makes foreign policy, as divisions over Ukraine funding, Russia sanctions and the war in Iran expose the pitfalls of the veto. With calls — led by Germany and Sweden — mounting to scrap unanimity in foreign and security policy, the question is becoming harder to avoid: Can the EU still act together when it matters most? They also discuss the fallout from the war in Iran, which is already landing in Europe. Energy prices are…

Published on 07/04/2026 – 6:03 GMT+2 US Vice President JD Vance flew to Hungary Monday night to deliver President Donald Trump’s support to his ally, nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, ahead of tightly contested parliamentary elections. Vance will meet with Orbán on Tuesday morning, followed by a speech at the “Hungarian-American Friendship Day” rally at the MTK Sports Park. “We’ll talk about any number of things related to the US-Hungary relationship,” Vance told the press as he departed from Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington. “Obviously, I’m sure Europe and Ukraine and all the other stuff will figure in…

NASA’s four Artemis II astronauts are homeward bound after successfully completing a lunar flyby that saw them travel deeper into space than any other humans. Known as a free-return lunar trajectory, this no-stopping-to-land route takes advantage of Earth and the moon’s gravity, reducing the need for fuel. It’s a celestial figure-eight that put the astronauts on course for home once they emerged from behind the moon Monday evening. NASA’s mission control in Houston regained contact with the crew after they temporarily lost signal for some 40 minutes, as their spacecraft passed behind Earth’s natural satellite. The temporary loss of communication…

For the Hungarian prime minister it’s a singular opportunity to portray himself as the Trump administration’s pre-eminent European ally. Trump has previously praised him as “one of the strongest” world leaders, and Orbán anticipated MAGA’s obsessions over a decade ago with his assertive nationalism, his contempt for the EU, and his success in asserting influence over Hungary’s media and public institutions. For the White House, the visit is a sign of appreciation that Orbán stuck with Trump through the tougher times — especially his four years out of power and his 2024 election campaign — when other world leaders shunned…

Frustration at the deadlock is spilling into the open, with a growing group of countries led by Germany and Sweden pushing to severely limit — or totally scrap — national vetoes that allow a single capital to block action. “We should abolish the unanimity principle in the EU in foreign and security policy before the end of the current legislative period so as to be better capable of acting internationally and to be truly grown-up,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Saturday, according to the German Funke Group. “All the experience that we have gained over recent weeks with aid…

The three men and CIA Director John Ratcliffe recounted the large-scale operation that rescued two service members, including how the military was able to locate them while using deception to divert the Iranians to other areas. The president’s focus on the Hollywood-style optics of the daring mission comes against the backdrop of a public that’s increasingly skeptical about the overall mission in Iran.“In a breathtaking show of skill and precision, lethality and force, America’s military descended on the area— the real area— engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer, destroyed all threats and exited Iranian territory while taking no casualties…

“I expect a swift clarification from the ministry,” Green defense policy spokesperson Sara Nanni told German broadsheet Welt over the weekend. “Citizens have a right to know … what reporting obligations they have.” The provision isn’t new and dates back to Germany’s 1956 Cold War-era conscription framework. In practice it has been largely dormant since conscription was suspended in 2011. But the recent military service reform extended the applicability of the rule to peacetime, reviving the forgotten clause and sparking concern about its implications for the freedom of movement of young men. The country’s conservatives, part of Merz’s governing coalition,…

Two crew members of the F-15E Strike Eagle had self-ejected from the cockpit on Friday after Iranian military forces struck their plane. Though the pilot was quickly rescued, the weapons systems officer was not immediately found, and a large-scale rescue mission began.When the officer was finally found, Trump said, he was “injured quite badly” and was “bleeding rather profusely” and had treated his own wounds before contacting American forces to transmit his location. His rescue involved 155 aircraft — including four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers and 13 rescue aircraft, Trump added.Trump called both rescues “extraordinary” but added that…

US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran could be “taken out in one night” if ongoing negotiations collapse, as tensions escalate ahead of a key deadline. Speaking at a press conference late Monday, Trump issued a stark threat, saying that “the entire country could be taken out in one night and that night might be tomorrow night”. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signalled further escalation, saying the scale of military action was increasing. “Today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one,” he said. “Tomorrow, even more than today.” The warning comes as Washington’s deadline for Tehran…