Author: Press Room
The last time that Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Kyiv, in late February, she arrived in the midst of a gruelling winter. Ukraine was suffering widespread blackouts caused by Russian strikes. The population endured sub-zero temperatures without heating. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT This week, on her second trip this year, she declared upon arriving at the train station: “The tide is turning.” It was a bold statement that captured a remarkable transformation in less than five months. With the battle lines stuck in a war of attrition, Ukraine has moved the fighting to the skies, launching long-range drone strikes against Russia’s…
Published on 17/07/2026 – 8:01 GMT+2•Updated 8:53 On today’s show: ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Euronews’ Aadel Haleem brings us the latest from the Middle East after six consecutive days of US strikes and Iranian retaliation, as both sides abandon their June ceasefire understanding and regional tensions continue to rise. Toby Gregory reports from the Horn of Africa, where EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited Ethiopia and Djibouti to strengthen the bloc’s security partnerships and support EU naval operations in the Red Sea. Angela Skujins previews the European Commission’s annual Rule of Law Report, assessing democracy, judicial independence and media freedom across…
Andy Burnham has been named as the Labour Party’s new leader and is set to take over as the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Burnham was announced as the new head of the party by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood at a special press conference on Friday. In a speech following his unveiling, Burnham said it was a “proud” and “emotional” moment for him and his family and paid tribute to outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He went on to vow sweeping changes to British politics and criticised his generation of politicians for not…
Latvia has become the latest focus of what EU governments describe as Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s campaign to use migration as a tool of political pressure against the bloc’s eastern frontier. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT After years in which Latvia, Lithuania and Poland shared the bulk of irregular crossings from Belarus, Latvian authorities say the pressure has now shifted towards their border. The increase comes just months before Latvia’s parliamentary elections on 3 October, raising concerns that Minsk is once again seeking to exploit migration to destabilise the region. The scale of the shift is reflected in recent border data. On Thursday,…
By Greta Ruffino with AP Published on 17/07/2026 – 21:51 GMT+2•Updated 22:11 Protesters greeted the American ambassador’s luxury yacht in Venice on Friday with inflatable water toys, beach balls and a sign reading “Venezia non si USA,” a play on words meaning “Venice is not to be used.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Several hundred protesters marched against Tilman Fertitta’s arrival, briefly clashing with riot police as they neared the vessel. Activists described his visit as an unwelcome display of American wealth and influence at a time when many Italians see the Trump administration as upending the post-World War II international order. During the protest, people…
The European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, pledged to curb social media access to protect children earlier this week. Her comments came after an EU-appointed expert group called for restrictions for under-13s. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT She warned that “the status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech unrestricted access to our children, will only consign another generation to more mental harm, addiction and misery.” While the bloc’s executive branch has not specified a minimum age, von der Leyen did note that she was convinced by the “staged approach” to internet use, a recommendation by the panel that…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that Germany will take part in a French nuclear exercise later this year, following a joint meeting of the French and German governments near Cologne. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Alongside this work on a shared doctrine, German conventional forces will this year take part in a nuclear exercise of the French military,” Merz said. Speaking at a press conference alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, the Chancellor said a “strategic steering group” created by the two countries would examine how to strengthen deterrence in the future. “This is complementary to our nuclear participation and deterrence within…
The European Commission on Friday proposed extending its carbon market to international flights arriving in Europe from destinations within 5,000 km from 2029, as part of its long-awaited overhaul of the bloc’s Emissions Trading System (ETS). ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Routes such as Frankfurt–Dubai and Frankfurt–Istanbul will be brought into the carbon market while longer sectors such as Frankfurt–Tokyo will be excluded, according to the Commission proposal. Landing flights from the United States and China will be exempt. Exemptions for domestic services to the EU’s outermost regions, including routes linking mainland Spain with the Canary Islands, will remain in place until the…
Poland’s conservative President Karol Nawrocki on Friday vetoed a bill to legalise civil partnerships, he announced in a statement. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The legislation had been proposed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist government ahead of last year’s parliamentary elections in Poland. “I have always emphasised that nothing that is a quasi-marriage can count on my support,” Nawrocki said on X. “As the guardian of the Constitution, I cannot accept a solution that would lead to the loss of the special status of marriage defined… as a union of a woman and a man.” The bill, first submitted to parliament last…
Published on 17/07/2026 – 16:41 GMT+2•Updated 16:42 Hungary has taken significant steps to restore the rule of law in the two months since Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office, the European Commission said in a report presented on Friday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The new government has launched “intense reform efforts”, with several legislative changes already advanced, according to the report, which describes the progress made as “impressive” given the short time since the change of government. “You have a very radical change compared with last year’s report. Things have moved very, very quickly in the right direction,” a senior EU official…