Author: staff
The EU’s diplomatic service is losing power, people and influence to Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission. Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur look at how the EEAS is fighting for its future — and whether the bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, can turn it around. Plus, Europe tries to reset trade ties with China without backing away from tougher defenses, and Greece puts a bounty on poisonous pufferfish. And hear Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Trump, Ukraine and the future of NATO in his full interview with Dasha Burns on POLITICO’s The Conversation: Questions? Comments? Send us a voice note or…
Weltweit stehen 100.000 Jobs bei VW auf der Kippe, vier deutsche Werke könnten langfristig schließen. Aber ist nur der unfaire Wettbewerb aus China schuld? Gordon Repinski analysiert mit Romanus Otte von Industrie & Handel die toxische Mischung aus hohen Energiepreisen, Bürokratie und der schleppenden E-Mobilitäts-Wende in Deutschland. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview fordert der baden-württembergische CDU-Fraktionschef Tobias Vogt ein sofortiges Eingreifen aus Brüssel bei den strengen Flottengrenzwerten. Laut Vogt dürfe die Politik der Industrie nicht länger vorschreiben, welcher Antrieb sich durchsetzt, sondern müsse Technologieoffenheit zulassen, um die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu retten. Friedrich Merz beruft das Kabinett in den abhörsicheren Konferenzraum des Verteidigungsministeriums. Mit Rixa…
A decade and a half on, that messy EU compromise is unraveling. Facing budget cuts, a battle for talent and a lack of policy tools to back up its diplomatic role, the EEAS, now headed by former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, has been losing out in a protracted turf war with the Commission headed by Ursula von der Leyen ― while national governments, which have largely kept their foreign policy independence, are also weighing reform. In more than a dozen conversations with POLITICO over the past three months, 10 current and former EU officials and diplomats described an EEAS…
Thousands of guests, including diplomats, politicians and military personnel, attended an event organised by the US Embassy to Belgium in Brussels on Sunday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of US independence. “The US Embassy in Belgium will host an invitation-only celebration to celebrate this historic milestone: 250 Years of Independence: Building Our Future Together. The lavish celebration took place at Parc du Cinquantenaire, an iconic park in the Belgian capital near the European Union institutions. Guests tried their hand at baseball, rode a mechanical bull and participated in a linedance. The festivities also featured music, performances, a ceremonial flyover and…
Updated: 28/06/2026 – 23:00 GMT+2 Spanish and international rescue teams pulled a survivor from the rubble four days after deadly earthquakes struck Venezuela. Search operations continue as crews race to find more survivors, with the death toll rising to more than 1,400. … More
An informal meeting of the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Romania was held at the presidential residence in Jurata, hosted by Polish President Karol Nawrocki. The meeting comes ahead of the upcoming Ankara NATO summit in Turkey. “Joint positions ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara were discussed. During the talks, priorities were set for regional cooperation and for the security of the Baltic and Black Sea basins, and key issues in transatlantic relations were also discussed,” the Presidential Chancellery wrote on X. The participants also focused on strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, developing Europe’s defence capabilities, and activity…
US-Iran negotiations to end the war came under severe additional pressure on Sunday after the IRGC announced that Washington’s strikes over the previous two days had “violated Clause 1 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” and “will result in a total halt of all processes.” “From now on, violating vessels will be dealt with more strongly than in the past and will face a crushing response,” the IRGC added in a statement shared by Iranian state-run media. The immediate trigger for the weekend’s escalation was the drone attack that the US attributed to Iran on Saturday on the M/T Kiku,…
By Euronews with IJF Published on 28/06/2026 – 17:33 GMT+2 China was ready for a powerful finish to a thrilling event as Judo’s heavyweights took to the tatami. At -90kg, Guilherme SCHIMIDT faced Yahor VARAPAYEU. After an impressive performance in the preliminaries, building momentum towards the gold medal contest, a yuko in the final delivered VARAPAYEU the gold medal. International Judo Federation Executive Committee Member Mrs Louisa AGIUS GALEA awarded the medals. Anna Monta OLEK was up against Mizuki SUGIMURA in the -78kg category. The World rank number 1 OLEK took home her fourth Grand Prix gold medal after a beautiful…
The FIFA 2026 World Cup is down to the last 32 teams after the group stage concluded on Saturday night. The knockout phase will kick off on Sunday when South Africa face cohosts Canada in Los Angeles, before Brazil meet Japan on Monday. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the knockouts. Fixtures Sunday 28 June: South Africa vs. Canada – Los Angeles Monday 29 June: Brazil vs. Japan – Houston Germany vs. Paraguay – Boston Tuesday 30 June 2026 Netherlands vs. Morocco – Monterrey Ivory Coast vs. Norway – Dallas France vs. Sweden – New Jersey Wednesday 1…
By Emma de Ruiter Published on 28/06/2026 – 15:59 GMT+2•Updated 16:05 Several Iraqi political officials were arrested early Sunday on corruption charges, Iraq’s state-run Iraqi News Agency reported. It said the arrests were based on statement made by former Deputy Minister of Oil Adnan al-Jumaili, who was arrested last month, and “included members of Parliament whose immunity had been lifted.” Iraqi security forces sealed off all entrances to the capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone early Sunday and carried out raids inside the compound that houses key government institutions and foreign embassies. A security agency report obtained by The Associated Press said…