Author: Press Room

The fatal shootings of two Minneapolis residents, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, by agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have sparked outrage far beyond the United States amid criticism that the agents used disproportionate force. That anger intensified when Italian authorities confirmed that ICE personnel would be present in Italy during the Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina, set to begin on Friday — prompting many to ask: can ICE even operate on foreign soil? Experts point out that ICE’s main criminal investigative branch, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), has long operated overseas and can’t conduct any operation without the…

Published on 04/02/2026 – 11:00 GMT+1 They say you never forget your first love. And looking at recent headlines, it seems the EU and the UK are considering getting back together. Or at least, becoming friends with benefits. But what benefits are we actually talking about? First, the done deal: Erasmus is back. Starting in 2027, British students can once again study at EU universities, and vice versa. It is a massive U-turn. The UK government agreed to pay around €650 million a year to rejoin. Second, the stuck deal: defence. The plan was for the UK to join SAFE,…

New data shows that EU citizens are taking more precautions with their personal data online, as Europe tries to seize back its digital sovereignty from US Big Tech. In 2025, the majority of internet users in the European Union chose not to allow their personal data to be used for advertising, while 56.2% restricted or refused access to their geographical location, according to the latest Eurostat data. Limiting access to social media profiles or shared online storage also became more common, with 46% of internet users taking such a step. The figure represents a five percentage-point increase compared with 2023.…

Published on 04/02/2026 – 10:19 GMT+1 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will fly to Australia later this month in a bid to seal a long-delayed trade agreement, sources familiar with the matter told Euronews. Concluding the deal would mark another trade win for the Commission, following recent deals with Latin America’s Mercosur bloc and India, as geopolitical tensions intensify with the US and China. One source said von der Leyen could head to Canberra shortly after the Munich Security Conference concludes on 15 February. Whether the trip goes ahead will depend on progress in negotiations led by EU…

Good morning. I’m Mared Gwyn writing from Brussels. US President Donald Trump said overnight that talks with Iran to defuse tensions in the Gulf are ongoing, despite the US military shooting down an Iranian drone that approached its aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. Axios reports today that the talks are due to be held in Oman on Friday after Tehran asked that they be moved from Turkey. More. Talks on a peace settlement for Ukraine are also set to resume later today in Abu Dhabi, with President Zelenskyy indicating last night that his delegation’s mandate has been adjusted in…

The free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur countries should be implemented without delay, Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña told Euronews. He warned that stalling the agreement would be a “mistake” amid rising geopolitical tensions. The free trade pact was signed last month by the EU and Mercosur members Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. However, its full ratification by the EU has been frozen after MEPs referred the agreement to the Court of Justice in Luxembourg. “We already presented the agreement to the Congress of the Paraguayan Nation last week, and we understand that the European Union has the…

Published on 03/02/2026 – 18:21 GMT+1•Updated 18:49 Lawmakers at the European Parliament are struggling to find a compromise position on the design of the digital euro, putting the project’s legislative path in jeopardy, according to three sources familiar with the matter and documents seen by Euronews. In a meeting on Tuesday, the rapporteurs noted that there is a strong disagreement on the very essence of what the digital euro should look like, making it very challenging to move forward, according to an email exchange seen by Euronews. “We agreed to disagree,” a person familiar with the matter told Euronews, summarising…

Published on 03/02/2026 – 15:21 GMT+1 European leaders should “listen carefully” to the words of Mario Draghi as the continent looks for a new recipe to overcome the impact of tariffs on the bloc’s economy, the chief of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development told Euronews. Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Mathias Cormann said the European Union is a “uniquely successful story” but faces structural challenges in a changing world where multilateral trade and international rules are being put to the test. Cormann said EU leaders would be wise to listen to the recommendations of former…

With the 10th anniversary of the referendum that took the UK out of the EU approaching, and after years of acrimonious rhetoric, a rapprochement between London and Brussels now seems well and truly underway. Talks on deeper trade, customs and defence integration are accelerating, with a steady stream of positive signals issued on both sides of the Channel in recent days. Perhaps officials at both ends are taking a leaf from the 2016 nostalgia trend that has been taking social media by storm, where users embrace the “simpler time” of a decade ago. But more likely, it’s a response to…

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski recently accused Elon Musk’s satellite internet service of “making money on war crimes”, over allegations that the technology was being used by Russian forces to help target Ukraine. The accusation on 27 January followed fresh evidence from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which said that Russian forces were increasingly utilising Starlink satellite systems to significantly extend the range of strike drones. Following the allegations, Ukraine’s defence ministry and Musk’s company, SpaceX, announced they would work together to block Russian forces from using Starlink. But what is the technology, and is there…