Author: staff
Former European Council President Charles Michel has urged caution over any move to scrap unanimity in EU decision-making, warning the bloc should “think carefully” before watering down national veto powers. Michel, who led the European Council from 2019 to 2024, said the “European dream” depends on collective agreement among all 27 member states. “What is a bit frustrating for all those like me who are absolutely convinced that this project is more needed than ever, the European project, the European dream, the Europeans principles, the European values, the European coexistence… We know what we have to do, we know exactly…
Updated: 24/04/2026 – 12:00 GMT+2 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this April 24th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
Published on 24/04/2026 – 16:15 GMT+2 Four tickets for the World Cup final have gone on sale on FIFA’s resale site, priced at just under $2.3 million (€1.9 million) each. The seats for the 19 July match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford — some 15 kilometres from New York City — are located behind a goal on the lower deck, in block 124. FIFA does not control prices on its Resale/Exchange Marketplace but charges a 15% purchase fee to each ticket buyer and a 15% resale fee to each ticket seller. The lowest-priced tickets for the final listed on…
While trending destinations come and go, Spain continues to be a perennial favourite for the European summer holidays thanks to its laidback culture, sunny weather and delicious food. The country’s tourism offering is incredibly diverse, from hiking trails on the Canary Islands to cultural breaks in historic cities like Córdoba or Granada, so it’s no wonder many tourists return again and again. Count yourself among them? Here’s all the new things to see and do, and the new rules you need to be aware of. A new museum dedicated to Manolo Valdés in Valencia The Espai Manole Valdés in Valencia…
Poland announced Friday it will file a legal challenge against the EU-Mercosur trade deal at the EU’s top court, in a largely symbolic gesture. The reversal comes just weeks before the May 26 deadline for annulment actions under EU law, and barely a month after Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the government had no such plans. The move follows weeks of domestic pressure. The Polish parliament passed a resolution in mid-March urging the government to act, and President Karol Nawrocki, aligned with the opposition, sent Tusk a letter in early April demanding he file immediately. His spokesperson wasted no time…
Published on 24/04/2026 – 13:44 GMT+2 A letter is circulating in the European Parliament warning of the concentration that might result from the system of quotas allocation contained in the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement and the potential for major South American agricultural firms to abuse it. The document, sent to EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen and Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, comes as the agreement is set to enter provisional force in a week (1 May), despite warnings from European farmers over unfair competition from Latin American imports. “In markets that are already highly concentrated, particularly in Brazil, there is a high…
Published on 24/04/2026 – 15:32 GMT+2•Updated 15:37 US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth warned Iran to “make a good, wise deal” ahead of a second round of peace talks between Washington and Iran which could resume in Pakistan on Friday night. Echoing US President Donald Trump’s comments on Thursday, Hegseth said Washington was not “anxious” to reach a peace deal, adding, “We have all the time in the world.” Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the US blockade of Iranian shipping will continue “as long as it takes” to accomplish Washington’s “bold and dangerous” mission to end Tehran’s…
As the European Central Bank (ECB) enters its pre-meeting quiet period before the interest rate decision next Thursday, policymakers are grappling with a deteriorating economic landscape defined by stagflation and geopolitical instability. With major European economies, including Germany and Italy, slashing their growth forecasts and energy costs climbing, Frankfurt must support a slowing economy while keeping inflation under control. ECB President Christine Lagarde gave no clear direction as she talked about the difficulty of assessing the current situation and weighing a rate decision, in a speech at the Association of German Banks’ 75th Anniversary in Berlin on Monday. “The stop-start…
With oil and gas tankers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz and energy prices skyrocketing, European leaders have so far failed to find an agreement on how to help secure the strategic waterway. While Germany has indicated it could be ready to accept U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for a maritime operation to reopen the strait, France insists that would only be acceptable in the context of a peace deal. “There are efforts to have the negotiations between the Iranian side, the Americans and so on — there are various efforts of mediation taking place in various conflicts. We want…
Published on 24/04/2026 – 14:44 GMT+2•Updated 15:10 A senior Swedish diplomat serving as special envoy to Syria was charged on Friday with unauthorised possession of classified documents which could have jeopardised Sweden’s national security in the hands of a foreign power, prosecutors said. “This concerns highly-classified information that the defendant has unlawfully handled by taking home and then keeping the documents containing classified information in his residence and holiday home,” prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement. The diplomat gained access to the classified information “through his previous duties, but which he then took with him without authorisation and subsequently…