Author: staff
“Albania should refrain from actions that could undermine the fulfillment of the closing benchmarks and [we] expect the Albanian authorities to act without delay,” a European Commission spokesperson told POLITICO in response to a question about the controversial proposed development. “In the EU accession process, as part of the closing benchmarks for negotiating Chapter 27 on environment and climate change, Albania is expected to align fully with EU legislation in this area, including the Birds and the Habitats Directives,” said the spokesperson, urging that Albania repeal the changes to the Law on Protected Areas and “terminate” the law on strategic…
France is set to begin trialling its own artificial intelligence-powered battlefield command during a NATO exercise on Monday, Defense News reports. AI battlefield systems help optimise decision-making and target identification. Developed with French firms, Arcadia is being positioned as a European alternative to Maven, an AI platform used by NATO that was developed by US defence tech contractor Palantir. Push for European defence tech sovereignty The system, known as Arcadia, will be deployed during NATO’s Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise in Poland from 8 to 26 June, according to General Patrick Justel, deputy chief of staff of the French Army. The…
The agreement will define the terms under which French forces can be stationed, train and operate in Cyprus while respecting national sovereignty. It will cover military coordination and interoperability, defense technology and industry links, joint military exercises and educational activities, personnel exchanges and administrative arrangements for forces operating on each other’s territory. The agreement has stirred controversy since plans for it were announced in April by Christodoulides during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the island. Cyprus has been divided into a Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south since Turkish forces invaded in 1974 in response…
Updated: 07/06/2026 – 10:02 GMT+2 US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a D-Day anniversary speech in Normandy to warn European leaders about migration, saying that “boats and men” arriving on southern European shores posed a challenge that governments could no longer ignore. … More
The nuclear reactor of the former Soviet Union power plant was fully destroyed in an accident in 1986 and a sarcophagus had to be built over the debris. It is not the first time that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces have targeted the facility. Zelenskyy said Russia had also attacked 13 civilian facilities across Ukraine overnight. According to the Ukrainian leader, Moscow over the past week has launched 88 missiles, 3,250 drones and 1,800 guided aerial bombs against his country. Ukrainian media reported that at least seven people were killed and 61 injured in the latest Russian attacks. The Ukrainian…
Published on 07/06/2026 – 11:57 GMT+2 European leaders will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street in London in a few hours to discuss increasing pressure on Russia as it faces military setbacks in Ukraine. The meeting, set to start at 6:30 p.m. CEST, will bring together Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It comes days after Zelenskyy publicly appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the more than four-year war, proposing direct talks in an open letter published ahead of the St. Petersburg International Economic…
At first sight, it could look like a scene from a Western: a man on horseback crossing the pastures to guard the livestock. Only this is not Texas, but Canale Monterano, where the figure of the buttero embodies the history and identity of the Lazio Maremma. Here, however, the horse is not a symbol of the past but a working tool and a direct link with a centuries-old tradition that continues to shape the area, with practices handed down from generation to generation and safeguarded above all by the Butteri di Canale Monterano association. Unlike US cowboys, who are historically…
Both the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Lebanese Armed Forces confirmed the strike on Saturday. The Lebanese military published photos showing the vehicle completely destroyed. Beirut described the strike as “an Israeli aggressive and barbaric raid,” while the IDF said the vehicle had been moving “suspiciously towards IDF soldiers” in an “active combat zone.” “The IDF is reviewing the incident, and lessons will be learned accordingly. The IDF operates against the Hezbollah terrorist organization, not against the Lebanese Army,” the Israeli military said in a statement. Clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group continued over the weekend after…
A series of earthquakes struck the northern Gulf of Evia at around 13:00 on Sunday, with the shaking lasting about 20 seconds and several more quakes following within minutes. According to preliminary data, the strongest quake reached a magnitude of approximately 5.2. Scientists are closely monitoring developments over the next 48 hours to assess the evolution of the seismic activity and determine whether further significant shocks may occur. According to the mayor of Mantoudi, landslides have been reported at several points along the local road network. The earthquakes were also felt in Athens, where residents reported noticeable shaking across several…
Published on 07/06/2026 – 13:06 GMT+2 “Europe needs to open a new chapter regarding its relationship with China,” warned Manfred Weber, head of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament, in remarks to Bild am Sonntag. “The era of naivety is over,” he said, urging the bloc to defend its economic interests more clearly and consistently and to reset its relationship with China. Ahead of the EU summit on 18 June, several member states, led by France, are pressing for a firmer line on Beijing, warning that Chinese overproduction and low-priced exports are undercutting an already fragile European economy.…