Author: Press Room
Good morning and welcome to Monday – I’m Mared Gwyn. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Criticism has poured in from all corners of the world after Israeli police stopped the heads of the Catholic Church in Jerusalem from entering the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday, preventing them from privately celebrating mass in what the Latin Patriarchate has said is a first in “centuries”. We have more in our top story below. But first, G7 crisis talks: G7 energy and finance ministers as well as central bank governors will hold urgent online talks later today amid fears that the economic fallout of the war…
Published on 29/03/2026 – 14:52 GMT+2 The Group of Seven is an exclusive, informal club made up of the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, alongside the EU. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT They have immense economic gravity. When the G7 unifies on freezing assets or setting global taxes, the rest of the world listens and usually adapts. As they meet today, they will discuss ceasefire plans in Gaza, securing maritime passage in the Strait of Hormuz, backing Ukraine and adding more sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet. And it feels like history is repeating itself. After all, The…
Three deals across three key regions : Mercosur, India and Australia. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT While the Commission hailed the Australia agreement as a new geostrategic win, EU farmers continue to express deep discontent stemming from the Mercosur deal. In practice, the backlash around the agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay has done little to shift the Commission’s dual approach in its negotiating line. On the one hand, the commission kept making concessions on entry-level or mid-range farm goods such as beef, while on the other hand, it pushed for market access for high value-added exports —like wine, Geographical Indications (GI)…
The G7 has agreed to protect passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for energy exports, but only after the war between the United States, Israel and Iran ends. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The joint commitment from foreign ministers comes as US President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on European nations to help secure the waterway, which Tehran has kept virtually shut since the start of hostilities nearly one month ago. “There is a very broad consensus within the international community to preserve the common good of freedom of navigation,” Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign affairs minister, said on Friday at…
Published on 27/03/2026 – 17:47 GMT+1 EU lawmakers have overcome a key political hurdle in the negotiations of digital euro, making the project closer to approval, according to a draft text seen by Euronews. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Parliamentary rapporteurs involved in the legislation have found an agreement on the design of the digital euro, which will be able to function both online and offline. The digital euro would be an electronic form of cash issued by the European Central Bank, designed to sit alongside banknotes and the payments services offered by commercial banks. It has taken on new political weight…
Published on 27/03/2026 – 16:29 GMT+1 Finland’s Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen told Euronews he expects all weapons destined for Ukraine, purchased from the US by European countries, to be delivered. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Häkkänen said Helsinki would check to ensure Washington honours contracts signed with European NATO countries that have brought weapons for Ukraine from US military contractors. The issue arises from a Washington Post report that the Pentagon is considering diverting crucial military equipment intended for the Ukrainian defence forces to the Iran war. “Every time we are assessing how the money is being spent, and we are trusting that…
After the Council of Ministers meeting he chaired, Luís Montenegro addressed the country to announce measures targeting sectors in crisis, such as fuel for professional use and housing. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Portuguese prime minister appeared proud, saying that Portugal is “an economic and financial benchmark in Europe” and that it is therefore “in the Champions League of Europe’s economic and financial stability”. As evidence of this, he began by stressing that “Portugal was the first European country to take measures in response to rising fuel prices”, he said. “In the very first week, we introduced a cut in the ISP…
Hello from Brussels. I’m Mared Gwyn with your Friday newsletter. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT US President Donald Trump has extended his deadline for Iran to re-open the Strait of Hormuz to international commercial vessels by ten days until April 6, as he claims talks with Tehran over a settlement are going “very well”. It comes after stocks slid on Thursday as Iran continued to insist there are no negotiations taking place. Meanwhile, concern is mounting over the situation in Lebanon as Israel expands its ground invasion into the country’s south. Speaking to Europe Today earlier this morning, Lebanon’s Minister of Culture Ghassan…
The name leaves little room for doubt: the Reaper, so named by the US and UK air forces, can be literally translated as “Reaper” (as in the Grim Reaper, the popular personification of death in Western culture), reflecting its attack role. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT It is a weapon of war, the largest and most powerful unmanned combat aircraft, one of the most advanced systems currently in operation. How do these drones operate? Reaper drones are designed to operate as reconnaissance aircraft while also being equipped with Hellfire missiles to strike targets, making them a key asset in offensive operations. This weapon…
Published on 27/03/2026 – 10:39 GMT+1•Updated 12:07 “Ukraine is not a bargaining chip, and Iran’s war is not our war,” Renew Europe’s President Valérie Hayer told Euronews from Helsinki on Friday, where she is leading a parliamentary mission on security. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The French liberal leader pushed back against US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s suggestion that, if Europe does not help the US in Iran, Washington will become less involved in securing a peace deal in Ukraine. Both European and Ukrainian officials agree a US-led backstop will be necessary to conclude security guarantees for Kyiv. Without the US participation,…