Europe's Shifting Alliances and Fundingactive

Europe is experiencing "severe" impacts from climate change, ranging from heatwaves and wildfires to shrinking ice cover, according to a UN body.

Hungary’s incoming government is entering talks with European Union leaders aimed at releasing €17 billion in frozen funding, while advancing reforms to address long-standing rule of law concerns.

The recent electoral defeat of Viktor Orbán has drawn widespread attention, with most commentary focused on its implications for Europe and the Russia-Ukraine war. Yet this emphasis overlooks a broader strategic consequence: the potential disruption of China’s approach to Europe. For more than a decade, Hungary under Orbán has functioned as a pivotal node in […] The post Orban’s departure shuts China’s back door into the EU appeared first on Asia Times.

Russia will mark victory over Nazi Germany next month with a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square, but with no military equipment displayed in view of the operational situation in the war in Ukraine, the ‌Defence Ministry said late on Tuesday. The parade, traditionally held on May 9, the day the Soviet Union signed Germany’s surrender, would this year mark the 81st anniversary of victory in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War. One of the top holidays on the Russian calendar, it allows...

The Riga City Court in Latvia fined a businessman EUR 10,140 for attempting to violate sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia.

Hungary’s incoming Prime Minister Peter Magyar will push for a deal to restore access to billion of euros in frozen European Union aid during the first trip to Brussels since his landslide election victory two weeks ago.

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music The power shift in Budapest hasn’t happened yet — but Brussels is already engaging with what comes next. Péter Magyar arrives in Brussels as Hungary’s incoming prime minister, skipping the usual waiting period and heading straight into talks with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. His aim: unlocking billions in EU funds frozen over rule-of-law concerns. Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton walk through the early reset between Budapest and Brussels — and the risks that come with moving this fast. In the European Parliament, MEPs debate how Russia is quietly edging back into global sports and cultural life. From the Olympics to the Venice Biennale, restrictions are softening — raising questions about what “neutral” participation really means during a war. Finally, a new snapshot of climate change’s effect on Europe. A major scientific assessment finds almost the entire continent saw above-average temperatures last year, alongside heatwaves, drought and wildfires. Scientists warn a new El Niño could push extremes even further — and sooner than expected. If you have questions or comments — contact us on WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

BRUSSELS — Péter Magyar is coming to Brussels to hash out with Ursula von der Leyen how Budapest can unblock Hungary’s frozen EU funds. The incoming Hungarian prime minister will meet the Commission president on Wednesday as his team tries to identify the fastest route to releasing billions in EU cash, including €10 billion that Budapest risks losing permanently at the end of August if it fails to make the necessary reforms. The money is part of Hungary’s EU Covid recovery allocation, which the Commission froze over concerns about corruption, judicial independence and democratic standards. Under the bloc’s pandemic recovery fund rules, national capitals must meet the required milestones to qualify for the cash by the end of August or lose it permanently. Magyar’s approach has some political backing in Brussels. The EU will “have to give a credit of trust to this new government,” Manfred Weber, leader of von der Leyen’s European People’s Party, said Tuesday. Magyar “will deliver, not because Europe is asking for this, but because the Hungarian citizens were asking for these changes. And he has a clear mandate.” Magyar, who will be inaugurated in early May, defeated Viktor Orbán in Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary election, ending the populist leader’s 16-year grip on power and opening a new chapter in Budapest’s relations with the EU. The meeting with von der Leyen on Wednesday will “send a signal” of goodwill toward Magyar as he moves to unwind Orbán-era policies, said an EU official familiar with the discussions, who, like several others in this article, was granted anonymity to discuss confidential plans. Magyar is also set to meet European Council President António Costa. Race for the cash Magyar’s conservative Tisza party intends to submit a new national recovery plan to the Commission by the end of May, according to a person familiar with the party’s preparations, replacing an Orbán-era proposal from 2021 that failed to secure the money. The purpose of Wednesday’s meeting with von der Leyen is to brief Brussels on the work already underway, identify the most urgent targets once Magyar takes office, and determine the quickest way to get the funds disbursed, the person said. Magyar wants to prioritize reforms and targets that can be completed before the deadline, while parking slower constitutional changes on which Tisza has promised stakeholder and public consultation. Magyar’s team has also been working with some of his predecessor’s ministers and civil servants to advance the technical work required to make the reforms, three other officials with knowledge of the proceedings said. András Kármán, Magyar’s nominee for finance minister, István Kapitány, tapped for economy minister, and Anita Orbán, the incoming foreign minister, met a high-level Commission delegation, including von der Leyen’s Cabinet chief Bjoern Seibert, on Saturday and prepared the ground for the Magyar-von der Leyen meeting. Before that, the teams met in Budapest on April 18 and 19. The first step to unlocking Hungary’s recovery money is complying with 27 EU-mandated “super milestones,” covering procurement, judicial independence and academic freedom. Because Tisza has won more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament, Magyar is expected to be able to get those changes approved quickly. European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber with Ursula Von der Leyen in Brussels in January 2025. Weber said the European Parliament should halt Article 7 proceedings against Hungary. | Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images The harder part is carrying out the more detailed reforms and projects needed to claim the funds before they expire. If Hungary fails to recover the full amount, it could try to extend the deadline by transferring the money to its national promotional bank. A separate workaround under discussion would involve using post-Covid funds to finish projects already financed through regional funds, two of the officials quoted above said. Magyar is also seeking a broader reset with Brussels, including relief from daily fines imposed in a migration dispute, Commission approval for Hungary’s request for billions in loans from the EU’s SAFE program, and a path for Hungarian universities to rejoin Erasmus after they were sidelined over academic freedom concerns. No ‘carte blanche’ The Commission decision to grant Magyar an audience with von der Leyen before he is sworn in is unusual, though not unprecedented. Von der Leyen hosted Donald Tusk in Brussels in October 2023, 10 days after he won Poland’s election but before he had formally become prime minister. The circumstances are similar: Both Tusk and Magyar came to Brussels promising breakthroughs in long-running disputes over democratic backsliding. But the EU is warier this time. The Commission released funds for Poland in 2024 after Tusk pledged reforms, only for many of those changes to stall. And in February, an EU court lawyer warned that funds cannot be disbursed until all required reforms have entered into force, though judges have yet to confirm that opinion. Weber said the European Parliament should halt Article 7 proceedings against Hungary, launched in 2018 over democratic backsliding and capable — in theory — of stripping Budapest of its voting rights in the European Council. The EPP chief said it was time for Parliament to “reconsider this decision,” adding that Europe should “help” Hungarians instead of criticizing. But other groups oppose easing pressure for now. “It is not in their interest at all now to just give a carte blanche,” said Terry Reintke, co-chair of the Greens group. “The super milestones have still not been implemented — it’s not just something that magically happens once Viktor Orbán is not in power anymore.” Zoya Sheftalovich and Gregorio Sorgi reported from Brussels; Max Griera reported from Strasbourg. Gerardo Fortuna and Gabriel Gavin contributed reporting from Brussels.

TALLINN — Estonia is preparing to fend off Russian soldiers, even after the fighting in Ukraine is over. The small Baltic nation has blocked some 1,300 Russian ex-combatants from entering the country this year, according to its foreign ministry. Now it’s pushing Brussels to ban former Russian soldiers from entering the EU, and to keep them out long after the guns have fallen silent. “You cannot allow these people who are committing the crimes, who are raping the women, who are killing the children and civilians on the battlefield, that we allow these people to come to Europe,” Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told POLITICO. “It’s not the question of Estonia, it’s the question of the European security,” he added. Estonia first raised the idea at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in January. Though critics warn a blanket ban could also hit coerced conscripts and deserters, the proposal drew the support of Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief and a former Estonian prime minister. The idea enjoys the support of “many member states,” Kallas said in January. In late March, the EU’s national leaders asked the European Commission to explore “possible ways to address” the issue. Kallas has promised concrete proposals in time for an EU summit in June. Lithuania has also pledged to maintain a blacklist, alongside strict entry restrictions that already amount to a near-total ban on Russian citizens. ‘From Bucha to Brussels’ Estonia frames the proposal as both a security and a moral imperative. “People committing the war crimes … should not walk on the European countries’ soil,” Pevkur said. Estonian officials warn that former soldiers could be recruited by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s security services for sabotage or espionage in Europe. “I’m sure Putin will push these people to Europe,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told journalists in January. “We know already hybrid attacks today, but can you imagine these hundreds of thousands of ex-combatants, criminals coming here?” Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna talks to journalists upon arrival for an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Jan. 29, 2026. | Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP via Getty Images “I’m sure they’re not just going to just work and pay our taxes,” he added. “No, they’re going to do many bad things.” Officials also argue that those who fought in a military accused of atrocities — including killings and torture in places like Bucha, near Kyiv — should not be rewarded with entry into the EU. “There cannot be a path from Bucha to Brussels,” Tsahkna said. Blanket ban Estonia defines ex-combatants broadly to cover everyone involved in Russia’s war effort, from regular troops to proxy forces such as the Wagner mercenary group. That includes hundreds of thousands mobilized since 2022, as well as tens of thousands who later deserted at risk of a prison sentence. Pevkur rejected concerns that a blanket ban would also punish those who’d been recruited under pressure. “Before joining the Russian Army, they have the chance to flee,” he said. However, during Russia’s mobilization drive, Estonia was among those countries that decreed that fleeing conscription would not qualify as grounds for asylum or other forms of protection, suggesting that dissenters should resist the war at home. Independent journalists and experts have reported that some 300,000 Russian men have been mobilized, many under pressure. Mediazona, an independent Russian media outlet, estimates that some 18,000 mobilized soldiers have been killed. The remainder have yet to be discharged. Returning veterans Joris van Bladel, a military sociologist at the Brussels-based Egmont Institute, said returning veterans “constitute a risk group — both for Russia and for us.” Using court records, the Russian investigative outlet Novaya Gazeta estimates that at least 6 percent of demobilized soldiers have been convicted of crimes in Russia, including more than 900 serious offences such as murder. Van Bladel warned that the return of roughly 1 million soldiers after the war could strain Russian society, given the country’s limited attention to psychological and social reintegration. “These individuals often return deeply destabilized, in some cases psychologically fragile, in others inclined toward risk-taking or violence,” he said. A woman enters a building housing the editorial office of the Novaya Gazeta independent media outlet in Moscow on April 9, 2026. | Igor Ivanko/AFP via Getty Images Still, he stressed, the primary impact would be domestic. “It’s also a problem for us, but honestly, I don’t think it’s to the extent that Tallinn is now suggesting,” he said. The bigger risk, he said, is that Europe overreacts. “The danger is that it fosters paranoia, leading us to view every Russian and every veteran as a potential security threat.” Russian rights activists warn that punishing deserters, rather than supporting them, discourages them from laying down arms. They also highlight the risks faced by those who refuse conscription, from fines to prison sentences of up to 15 years for fleeing the front. On the issue of soldiers leaving Russia, Putin and his critics seem to be aligned. On Monday, the Movement of Conscientious Objectors said in a post on Telegram that a Russian man who’d been served with draft papers had been thwarted in his attempt to escape. After being first stopped at the Russian border, he managed to make it to Belarus, only to be denied boarding when he tried to fly onward from Minsk.

BRUSSELS — European lawmakers have criticized a commissioner's planned trip to Serbia, warning that the timing is poor and could provide a propaganda victory for the government in Belgrade. Magnus Brunner, the European commissioner for migration, is scheduled to visit Belgrade on Wednesday and meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. His trip comes just weeks after POLITICO reported that the Commission was considering freezing €1.5 billion in funds and grants for Serbia due to controversial judicial reforms and a general decline in democratic standards. Tonino Picula, a Croatian MEP from the center-left Socialists and Democrats and the European Parliament's lead negotiator on Serbia, told POLITICO that "there is a risk that the visit may be used by the regime to project an image of business as usual, which does not reflect the current situation." Brunner is expected to discuss collaboration between Brussels and Belgrade on migration and border management. Serbia, which signed an agreement with the EU in 2024 to deepen cooperation on combating irregular migration, is a hub for people-smugglers and migrants attempting to enter the EU via the Western Balkans route. Irena Joveva, a Slovenian MEP and vice president of the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament, said Brunner's trip would likely be "instrumentalized by the Serbian authorities as a PR tool." "While Magnus Brunner might see this as diplomacy and normal relations with a candidate country, Vučić uses these photo-ops to sell..."

There is a time and a place. Just because you have a right to do something doesn’t mean you should exercise it. The United States and its allies keep claiming they have the right of navigation in international waters by sending their navies through the Taiwan Strait. Their intention to provoke is clear despite their justification under international law. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s row with Beijing over her remarks about militarily intervening in a Taiwan crisis has yet to die down....

The setback for the former Hungarian prime minister, who fueled the Kremlin's narrative that Europe is reluctant to support Ukraine, weakens Vladimir Putin's plans, even though the battle against illiberalism is far from won, explains the historian and political scientist in an interview with Le Monde.

The acting US ambassador ⁠to Kyiv Julie Davis will step down from her post and retire, a US official and the State Department said on Tuesday, amid a lull in US-brokered talks to achieve a ceasefire and end Russia’s invasion ‌of Ukraine. The Financial Times first reported Davis’ departure and said it was because of differences of opinion with President Donald Trump’s policies and that Davis had grown frustrated with her role over his dwindling support for Ukraine. The State Department pushed...

The top U. S. diplomat in Ukraine is leaving her role later this year, the State Department confirmed, creating a vacancy in Kyiv at a tense moment in the relationship between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Julie Davis, the chargé d’affaires at the U. S. embassy in Kyiv, will retire from foreign service in June, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Tuesday. The Financial Times first reported Davis’ departure, attributing the move to her dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s level of support for Ukraine. Pigott called that characterization “false.” “Ambassador Davis has been a steadfast proponent of the Trump Administration’s efforts to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine,” Pigott said. “She will continue to proudly advance President Trump’s policies until she officially departs Kyiv in June 2026 and retires from the Department.” Trump has consistently sought to pressure Zelenskyy into territorial concessions in an effort to reach an agreement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine — something Zelenskyy has continued to resist. In March, Zelenskyy told Reuters the Trump administration tied its offer of security guarantees to Ukraine to a peace deal that would see Ukraine concede its eastern Donbas region to Russia. In the same interview, Zelenskyy said he noticed a shift in the Trump administration’s focus once the U. S. war with Iran began in February. “The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump … [he] still chooses a strategy to put more pressure on the Ukrainian side,” Zelenskyy said. In addition to her role at the U. S. embassy in Kyiv, Davis also serves as the ambassador to Cyprus. During the first Trump administration, she served as the U. S. special envoy to Belarus.

Vasily Nebenzya says that the perpetrators must receive punishment regardless of their status

This week is crucial for Christian Garin (ranked 85th). The Chilean tennis player needs to defend the 100 points he earned last year by winning the Challenger in Mauthausen. He was unable to reduce this number at the Madrid Masters 1000, as he lost in the first round after qualifying as a "lucky loser." Therefore, the Cagliari Challenger 175 appears to be a perfect opportunity to avoid a drop of nearly 20 places in the rankings and to stay within the top 100, despite the tournament draw being similar to that of an ATP event. His opening match was far from easy, as the Tunisian Moez Echargui (ranked 144th) gave Gago quite a few problems. Gago had to work hard to eventually win 6-7(5), 6-4, and 6-2, in two hours and 42 minutes. Rodríguez's protégé showed great resilience after losing the first set, which lasted for an hour and 11 minutes and was decided by a few points in the tiebreak. In the second set, a single break in the seventh game was enough for him to equalize the match. In the final set, Garin displayed the best of his game and managed to secure two consecutive breaks, which allowed him to maintain a comfortable lead and close out a very good victory. His opponent in the semifinals will be the Portuguese player Nuno Borges (ranked 49th), whom he will face this Thursday. Meanwhile, at the Mauthausen Challenger 100, Tomás Barrios (ranked 123rd) will be aiming to reach the quarterfinals this Wednesday, around 8 am in Chile, against…

WASHINGTON. – The U.S. Department of Justice has once again placed former FBI Director James B. Comey in the spotlight, as a new indictment has been filed against him, in a case that once again intertwines with the long-standing political dispute he has with President Donald Trump. The indictment, presented by a federal grand jury in North Carolina, marks a new chapter in a series of attempts to bring to trial one of the most vocal critics of the president. Although the specific charges were not immediately detailed, sources familiar with the investigation indicated that the case originates from a post Comey made on social media last year. The image showed seashells arranged on a beach to form the phrase "86 47," a combination that generated controversy due to its potential interpretation. Trump is the 47th president of the United States, while "86" is a colloquial expression that can mean "to get rid of" someone, but also, in certain contexts, is associated with the idea of killing. The post was removed shortly after it was published, following a wave of criticism from sectors close to the government. At the time, Comey stated that he had not perceived any violent connotations and that he interpreted the arrangement as a "political message." "I was not aware that some people associate those numbers with violence," he wrote, before the text was cut off.

The road blockades carried out by former military personnel at key routes in Guatemala this Tuesday morning have generated strong opposition from representatives of the productive and commercial sectors, who warn about the immediate impact of these actions on mobility, the economy, and the functioning of the country. Business chambers insist on the need to maintain legal certainty and conditions for investment, warning about the serious consequences of disrupting the free flow of traffic at a time when the Guatemalan economy is facing additional challenges. A single day of blockades results in millions of dollars in economic losses and affects more than 4.9 million vehicles. According to estimates from the Observatory and Industrial Policies of the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala (CIG), the affected departments account for the daily transit of more than 4.9 million vehicles. This figure reflects the logistical impact of the blockades, as thousands of citizens see their access to healthcare, education, and employment disrupted. According to the CIG, even a single day of blockades represents an average loss of Q217.59 per economically active person, which demonstrates the direct cost that falls on national competitiveness and the confidence of investors and job creators in Guatemala. Just one day of disruptions puts at risk the timely supply of essential goods and paralyzes production processes, causing delays…

A US backed gas pipeline could help Bosnia cut reliance on Russian energy. But Brussels warns that a deal with a company linked to Trump allies could put the country's EU hopes at risk.

Beran A admits conspiring in other plans abroad as well as planning attack on Swift's Vienna concert.

Julie Davis frustrated with president’s lack of support for Kyiv, say people familiar with the matter

The incineration of 4,920 kilograms of cocaine, seized in Puerto Quetzal in January, was supported by a technical report from the National Institute of Forensic Sciences of Guatemala (Inacif), presented on Wednesday to the Criminal Court of First Instance for Drug-Related Crimes, specifically for incineration cases. The analysis, conducted by the Inacif Controlled Substances Laboratory using a recently acquired gas chromatograph with mass spectrometer, determined that the drug had a purity of 55%, providing technical support for the legal proceedings and ensuring the legality and reliability of the chain of custody. This procedure was carried out during the opening and verification hearing for the seized packages and constitutes preliminary evidence according to the Law against Drug Trafficking. The process included the collection of samples, the performance of preliminary and instrumental tests, and certification according to international standards, all of which were documented in the report presented to the judge. The protocol applied allowed for the involvement of all institutions within the justice sector, including the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Police, and judicial authorities. This facilitated the immediate issuance of an order for the transfer of the drug under strict security measures, culminating in its incineration in the specialized furnace at the Precursors and Chemical Substances Complex, located on the Estanzuela estate in Navajas, San José de…

The export of Ukrainian weapons will become a reality, and any surplus beyond the amount needed by the Ukrainian military will be put up for sale.

On the morning of the 28th, U.S. President Trump posted on social media, claiming that "Iran has just stated that it is in a state of 'collapse.'" He further stated that "They are seeking a swift 'opening of the Strait of Hormuz' from us as they try to find answers on how to deal with their leadership structure." He also added that "We believe Iran can handle the issues surrounding its leadership structure." President Trump has previously claimed that Iran lacks a stable leadership structure and that internal conflicts are occurring, but the Iranian side has emphasized unity and denied President Trump's claims.

According to data released by Anmil for 2026, there was a 2.6% increase compared to the previous year. Oil is focusing on the psychosocial well-being of its employees.

Austrian prosecutors said the man plotted in 2024 to set off a bomb outside the concert, which was later canceled. He and another man still face separate charges.

Following the Hungarian election, hyper-wealthy circles around outgoing prime minister Viktor Orbán are moving assets out of the country, to places such as Dubai, the US and Uruguay.

On Russian President Vladimir Putin's instructions, Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov flew to the Krasnodar Region to control the extinguishing of a fire at the oil refinery

Neanderthals inhabited the territories that are now Europe and Asia, and coexisted for thousands of years with Homo sapiens. They were robust, adapted to the cold, and crafted sophisticated tools. Their disappearance approximately 40,000 years ago remains one of the greatest mysteries in human history. Classical theories suggested that Neanderthals had fewer cognitive abilities than modern humans due to differences in their brains. This idea fueled the hypothesis that Homo sapiens possessed a decisive evolutionary advantage in language, memory, and symbolic thought. However, scientists from the United States and China propose that the anatomical differences in the brain between Neanderthals and modern humans did not necessarily imply a significant cognitive disadvantage. They published their findings in the journal *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* (PNAS). The team included Thomas Schoenemann, Ralph Holloway, Jia-Hong Gao, and Guoyuan Yang. They are affiliated with the University of Indiana, Columbia University, Peking University, and the Beijing Institute of Technology. They emphasized that the differences they detected between Neanderthals and humans were as small as those that exist today between different human populations. The Myth of the Neanderthal Mind For decades, researchers in paleoanthropology have wondered whether the brain structure of Neanderthals limited their behavior or ability to adapt…

A Ukrainian drone attack caused a new and significant fire at the Tuapse refinery, a Russian port city on the Black Sea, as part of a series of bombings that have already caused a fuel spill of over 10,000 square meters and threaten to trigger an ecological disaster. The governor of the Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratiev, confirmed on Telegram that "a large-scale fire broke out at the refinery following a drone attack." Local authorities reported that 122 firefighters and 39 vehicles were working to extinguish the flames, and a temporary evacuation center was set up in the city. No casualties were reported. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the attack. "Impacts from attack drones were recorded on the perimeter of the target," a statement said, adding that the fire was a direct consequence of the bombing and that "the extent of the damage is being assessed." Kyiv emphasized that the refinery plays a key role in supplying fuel to Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. According to the independent Russian Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti, the explosions began around 02:00 local time (23:00 GMT on Monday) and the attack lasted for several hours. The Astra channel published images from security cameras showing a massive column of black smoke over the city. Hours after the Ukrainian attack on Tuapse, f...

Almost a decade ago, Amy Gong joined the SERES Group's headquarters in Silicon Valley. This Chinese group took a different approach than its competitors of similar origin, choosing to establish a subsidiary in the United States and control its international expansion from there. The SERES Group has experienced a significant surge in sales and brand recognition in recent years. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Chongqing (China), SERES Group has evolved from a manufacturer of automotive components to a global player in the electric vehicle, motorcycle, commercial vehicle, and automotive parts sectors. Its most well-known brand in Chile is DFSK, a company that has also undergone a significant transformation in its product offerings. However, much of its success is attributed to the strategic alliance with Huawei for the development of the AITO brand, which has strengthened the perception of technological innovation and boosted sales. During her recent visit to Chile for the launch of the DFSK E5 Plus, Amy Gong, one of the key executives responsible for sales outside of China, explained the group's development, the importance of the DFSK brand in the region, and its commitment to models with new energy technologies. What is the current strategy of the SERES Group at a global and regional level? Our strategy has always been focused on new energy technologies. That is the strategy we began with 10 years ago, when we started our operations...

Police in Greece’s capital were searching for a gunman, reportedly aged 89, who opened fire on Tuesday in a social security office and a courthouse in central Athens, wounding at least four people. Armed with a shotgun, the gunman initially opened fire at the social security office, wounding an employee, police said. Police officers who arrived at the scene treated the man, but the gunman fled the scene. Local media aired security camera footage that it said was from a local store near the...

Ukraine’s drone strikes switch back to refineries, allowing Moscow to boost seaborne flows

A Ukrainian drone attack has caused a “large-scale fire” at ‌Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea, forcing the evacuation of nearby buildings, local officials said on Tuesday. The Rosneft-owned refinery delivers oil products mainly for exports but operations have been halted since April 16 following an earlier drone attack, industry sources said. Ukraine did not immediately comment ⁠on the reports. Kyiv has stepped up strikes on Russia since March, with ‌US-brokered talks on the war in...

Greek police are looking for a gunman, reportedly aged 89, who opened fire on a social security office and a courthouse in central Athens, wounding several, local media reports say.

Oleg Ozerov noted that traditional CIS markets remain crucial for certain categories of goods, primarily agricultural products

A man accused of pledging allegiance to Islamic State group and plotting to attack one of superstar singer Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna nearly two years ago pleaded guilty as his trial began on Tuesday, Austrian media reported. The plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still cancelled Swift’s three performances in August 2024. The singer’s fans, known as Swifties, who had flown to Austria from across the globe to attend a performance of her record-setting Eras Tour were devastated,...

Viktor Orbán's regime transformed the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), a private Hungarian educational institution, into a talent incubator for Fidesz. By establishing an office in Brussels and organizing numerous events, MCC brought together right-wing politicians, journalists, academics, and other figures from around the world. These activities were enabled by the unusual financial arrangements provided to MCC by the Fidesz government.

"Tax rules are part of EU law. Countries under review must respect the recommendations."

Valeriu Chiveri claimed that the operational group of Russian troops in Transnistria posed a threat to the security of both Moldova and Ukraine

The Finnish president will discuss Baltic security and Russia's war on Ukraine during visits by his Estonian and German counterparts.

From beauty influencers to the token political opposition, Russians are openly questioning President Vladimir V. Putin’s moves to hamstring access.

With Cuba in dire economic crisis, people whose properties were seized by its government decades ago say it’s time to resolve thorny compensation claims.

The results of the survey demonstrate an increase of 1 percentage point

The termination of Kazakh oil supplies to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline could lead to dire consequences for Berlin and Kiev, Politico reported

Estonian President Alar Karis stated that Europe missed the opportunity to begin peace talks with Moscow at the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.

In separate overnight attacks on the Belgorod region, at least three people were killed, regional officials said.

As of the morning of April 27, many users in the Sumy region are without power due to Russian attacks; power outages are also affecting customers in the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions.

Function of synthesis and coordination among the various national institutions involved.

According to a verified list of foreign fighters compiled by Laurent Braillard, Colombians rank first with 1,725 individuals

The man accused of plotting to attack one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna in 2024 faces charges including terrorist offenses. He could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

On Monday night, drones again attacked the oil refinery in the city of Tuapse in Russia’s Krasnodar region, resulting in a fire at the facility’s tank farm.

A fire broke out at an oil refinery in Tuapse in Russia’s Krasnodar Region after it was hit by debris from a downed drone

"As long as we depend on oil and gas, we will continue to ​pay the price of other people's wars,” said French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.

Journalists face rising threats while media ownership is concentrated in fewer hands, a civil liberties group warns. Journalists in the EU are facing increasing levels of harassment, threats, and violence, while news outlets are owned by a shrinking number of proprietors, and public trust in the media has plummeted, according to a report. The Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) said that the findings of its fifth annual media freedom report, released on Tuesday, should put EU officials "on high alert," as media freedom and pluralism are "under sustained attack" across mainland Europe.

Environmental experts estimate that damage caused by the Russian shelling of Korosten on April 3 amounts to UAH 988 million.

The spacecraft carries about 2.5 tons of cargo

The Japanese government established a panel of 15 experts in diplomacy, defense, and economics this Monday, tasked with reviewing the country's national security documents. The creation of the group, announced by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in her office, comes at a time when Tokyo is accelerating the largest rearmament program in its contemporary history to respond to what its authorities describe as the most severe security environment since the end of World War II. "The international situation has changed completely," Takaichi stated. "The relatively stable international order of the post-Cold War era is a thing of the past." The Prime Minister urged drawing lessons from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East to adapt Japan to new forms of warfare, including the massive use of drones and the prospect of prolonged conflicts. The review of the strategy, she said, is "a crucial effort that affects the destiny of Japan." The panel must present recommendations for reforming the national security strategy before the end of 2026. The establishment of the panel comes just a few days after Prime Minister Takaichi's cabinet lifted restrictions that had prevented Japan from exporting lethal weapons. The measure was welcomed by the United States and other allies, but it generated protests from pacifist groups and a critical reaction from Beijing, which accused Tokyo of deviating from the principle of self-defense and...

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has again appealed to various countries to continue providing support for air defense systems, stating that Russia launched approximately 1,900 drones and other weapons in attacks last week.

The mystery of ancient ships lies not only in their remains, but also in the secrets held within their materials. A team of scientists from France and Croatia successfully analyzed the protective coatings of the Ilovik–Paržine 1, a Roman ship that sank near present-day Croatia approximately 2,200 years ago. As reported in the journal *Frontiers in Materials*, this discovery reveals how Roman sailors protected their ships from water and salt. The study was led by Armelle Charrié, from the Mass Spectrometry Laboratory at the University of Strasbourg, and colleagues from the Aix Marseille University and the Croatian Conservation Institute. The team found that the Romans primarily used pine resin and a mixture of tar and beeswax as waterproofing agents. These types of materials have not received sufficient attention from traditional archaeology. The ship was located in 2016, and since then, specialists have examined both its structure and its cargo. In this instance, the research combined pollen analysis and molecular techniques, a novelty for this type of investigation. This allowed them to identify not only the ingredients of the coatings, but also details about the environment in which they were applied. The researchers analyzed ten samples taken from the hull. Molecular analysis showed that the base was heated coniferous resin, known as tar or pitch. One of the samples, however, contained…

Coordinated attacks signified a major escalation of insurgent violence in a region of West Africa where military leaders had seized power and warmed to Moscow in recent years.

The volumes of production and supply of unmanned ground vehicles for the military must be increased. The current target is at least 50,000 units for this year.

The cyberattack on the "Tu Empleo" portal of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security exposed over 200,000 personal records and 40 GB of sensitive information, creating a risk of fraud and raising serious concerns from the business sector regarding the security of citizens' data, according to an official statement from the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala. The official investigation aims to determine the extent of the incident and has activated protocols to strengthen the protection of state-run employment platforms, as announced by the entity on Sunday evening, in a message disseminated by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. According to the Ministry of Labor's statement, following the service interruption, "Tu Empleo" serves as a central tool in the country's labor intermediation, allowing companies to publish job openings and enabling job seekers to apply for available positions. This digital environment has become one of the primary targets for cybercriminals, alongside entities such as the Directorate General for Arms and Ammunition Control (Digecam) and the Ministry of Public Health, both of which have been victims of similar attacks in the past month, according to official sources. For the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala, the immediate risk following the breach of "Tu Empleo" is the potential for identity theft, extortion, and electronic fraud, which could affect both users and national companies. The industrial sector has...

The government of Guatemala published the regulations on Monday that officially establish the temporary subsidy for fuels. This measure aims to mitigate the impact of the international price crisis on consumers, without compromising the fiscal balance or essential public services. The subsidy, detailed in Executive Decree 64-2026 and announced by the Central American Daily, will take effect immediately, although the direct application of the economic benefit will begin on May 1st. The financial backing for the initiative, amounting to 2 billion quetzals and representing 1.25% of the national budget, was defined in the Official Gazette and approved by more than 115 votes in Congress through Decree 11-2026 on April 14th. According to statements by Jonathan Menkos Zeissig, the Minister of Public Finance, to LaRontaGT, the funds are entirely derived from the redistribution of the budget between ministries, without resorting to new debt or tax increases. President Bernardo Arévalo, accompanied by Menkos Zeissig at a press conference, emphasized that the measure is being implemented in response to an unprecedented situation caused by "wartime conditions on the other side of the world," which has led to a global increase in hydrocarbon prices. The official objective is that the aid is passed on "directly to consumers through their fuel bills." The temporary subsidy will last for three months and is designed to…

Court sentences Jelena Djukanovic, a former OSCE employee in Kosovo, to six years in jail for using her position to supply Serbia's intelligence agency, the BIA, with sensitive information.

Keep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work! Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support. A veteran of Poland’s wartime resistance who participated in the Warsaw Uprising has been promoted to the rank of colonel by the defence minister to mark her 105th birthday. Urszula Tauer, who served during the war under the pseudonym “Ala”, took “enormous risks every day, fully aware of the potential consequences”, wrote the head of the regional government of Kuyavia-Pomerania province, where she lives, in a letter of congratulations. “Thank you for your unyielding resolve – you are…the pride of our province,” he added. Tauer was awarded a promotion to the rank of colonel by the defence minister ahead of the forthcoming celebrations of Polish Constitution Day on 3 May, according to the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Provincial Office. She was also presented with the “Pro Bono Poloniae” commemorative medal by the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression. Born on 24 April 1921 in the city then known as Lwów, when it was part of prewar Poland (but which is now Lviv in Ukraine), Urszula Tauer (née Kraft) moved to Bydgoszcz, in northern Poland, as a young child. She had just completed secondary school when the war broke out in September 1939. In that same month, her grandfather was executed by the invading Germans, “an event that forever shaped her patriotic stance”, writes Beata Krzemińska, a spokeswoman for the provincial authorities, in an article for the KAI press agency. Click here to help us continue providing news free from paywalls and ads Tauer was first detained by the Gestapo the next year, before escaping to Warsaw. There, she became a liaison and courier for the Union of Armed Struggle, Poland’s main underground resistance force, which was in 1942 renamed as the Home Army (AK). Her knowledge of German allowed her to carry out dangerous missions, even travelling to Berlin to re-establish contacts with the Polish underground there. “I wasn’t afraid of death. I was only afraid of being a traitor. After all, how much can a person endure?” Tauer once told Gazeta Wyborcza in an interview about her wartime experiences. Today marks the 78th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, when Poland's underground resistance rose up against the Nazi German occupiers. The struggle was documented by photographer Sylwester Braun, a member of the resistance https://t.co/OprNr0Y0vX — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 1, 2022 In 1944, she headed a unit responsible for legalising false documents issued to underground couriers, who were responsible for carrying information, documents or other important materials between various sections of the underground resistance. Tauer participated and was wounded twice as a liaison for the Home Army headquarters during the Warsaw Uprising of August-October 1944, when the Polish underground rose up against the German occupiers in the largest single military operation by any European resistance movement in the war. After the war, Tauer returned to civilian life, raising three children and running a chemical laboratory. “I’ve always been someone able to adapt very quickly, understand that various issues need to be steered into a pleasant conversation, not an argument,” she told the local Bydgoszcz TVP station last week. “I’ve simply done what I had to do in life.” Najstarsza uczestniczka Powstania Warszawskiego z Kujaw i Pomorza skończyła 105 lat!https://t.co/yHgqrLSI0I — TVP3 Bydgoszcz (@tvpbydgoszcz) April 24, 2026 Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support. Main image credit: Urząd do Spraw Kombatantów i Osób Represjonowanych (under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

According to Dmitry Sorokin, the transfer of production facilities from Ukraine to Moldova was prompted by the systematic destruction by Russian troops of Ukrainian weapons depots

Donald Tusk said that Warsaw aims to gain advantage over Moscow in drone technologies

In 2026, the company expects to produce 2.415-2.465 mln ounces of palladium and 616,000-636,000 ounces of platinum

Palladium production declined by 18% in the Q1 to 608,000 ounces

The defense ministries of Norway and Ukraine have signed an agreement in Kyiv for the first Norwegian-Ukrainian project under the Build with Ukraine initiative, under which Ukrainian drones will be manufactured in Norway.

N-butyllithium is a key catalyst for the production of thermoplastic elastomers and synthetic rubbers

Kyiv and Warsaw will develop a "Polish model" of mutual cooperation in the defense industry by the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) at the end of June in Gdańsk, where the first contracts in the defense sector are expected to be signed.

The plan to replace natural rubber in Russian tires with synthetic rubber is also being implemented

Pavel Lyakhovich, a member of the board and executive director of Sibur, pointed to a decline in consumption

Following a Russian attack on the Odesa region on April 26, a spill of sunflower oil was recorded in the waters of the port of Chornomorsk.

Portugal has built up a surprisingly large, independent arms industry over the past five years. But whether it can be truly autonomous with the US as a major ally remains to be seen.

In Odesa, the injury toll after the overnight Russian attack has increased to 11.

China warned on April 27, 2026, that it would take countermeasures if the EU's proposed Industrial Accelerator Act harms Chinese companies — a move with potential global trade and investment implications as Brussels seeks to shore up domestic manufacturing amid green transition goals.

Egypt’s capital is known for its all-hours buzz. A government effort to reduce power consumption has forced stores and cafés to shut up early.

BRUSSELS — An Italian leather-maker owned by French luxury giant LVMH has purchased animal skins from Paraguayan companies tied to deforested land, according to an NGO investigation, even as its CEO pushes for exemptions under EU anti-deforestation rules. Backed by some European lawmakers and government officials, industry lobbyists have been trying to convince the European Commission that leather should not be covered by new rules restricting imports of products tied to deforestation. The sector claims it does not cause deforestation because leather is a meat-industry byproduct. Once animals are slaughtered, their skins would go to waste if they weren’t bought by tanneries to make products like bags, belts, and car seat covers, it argues. Fabrizio Nuti — president and CEO of Nuti Ivo Group, an Italian tannery acquired three years ago by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, and president of Italy’s national tannery industry association — is a prominent voice in the campaign. “If we cannot get the raw material that we need, we’re out of business — we are out, simply, overnight because we don’t have the information that is required,” Nuti told a recent event at the European Parliament, referring to the supply-chain data he would need to comply with the anti-deforestation rules. He insisted that South American skins only represent a fraction of the sector’s imports. An investigation by NGO Global Witness, a campaign group that investigates the impact of business on the environment, shows that Nuti Ivo has worked with suppliers that have a high risk of causing deforestation across more than 100,000 hectares in Paraguay — including on land claimed by Indigenous communities. The investigation, shared exclusively with POLITICO, also finds that Nuti is part owner of a Paraguayan tannery shipping those skins to Nuti Ivo, the company of which he is CEO. Both LVMH — which also owns Christian Dior, Tiffany & Co, and Sephora — and Nuti Ivo have said they do not source skins from South America. They cite a group-wide “commitment to halt any deforestation and conversion of natural ecosystems, within both its operations and supply chains by 2025.” But trade data from the global trade intelligence platform Export Genius shows one company in the Nuti Ivo Group was still receiving hides from a Paraguayan exporter as recently as January. In 2025, tanneries belonging to the Nuti Ivo Group imported around 2,710 metric tons of leather from Paraguay, including cow and buffalo hides, worth about $3.8 million (€3.4 million), the data shows. The findings show that “the leather companies, especially those that purchase from South America, are much more interested in maintaining business as usual and keeping the hides from these very high-risk countries flowing to Europe rather than actually taking the steps to address the root issue in their industry,” said Charlie Hammans, who led the investigation for Global Witness. ‘Very small quantities’ When first asked for comment on the investigation’s findings, LVMH said Nuti Ivo Group had adopted its policies of banning leather sourced from South America. Yet when later presented with the export data, a spokesperson for the company said Nuti Ivo has “sourced very small quantities in South America as part of sourcing pre-existing its acquisition.” LVMH acquired a majority stake in the Nuti Ivo Group in 2023 through its specialized artisan division LVMH Métiers d’Art. The spokesperson made a distinction between LVMH brands — the “House” — and Métiers d’Art, which brings together LVMH’s key supply chains. He added that, since the acquisition of Nuti Ivo, it “has engaged in discussions with a view to the gradual cessation of these residual contracts.” LVMH said it “has never undertaken any action to lobby EU institutions to reduce the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation” and is “fully committed to combating deforestation.” Fabrizio Nuti and the Nuti Ivo Group did not respond directly to multiple requests for comment. COTANCE, a leather industry association of which Nuti Ivo is a member, told Global Witness that Nuti Ivo “adopted the policies of the [LVMH] Group.” The EU’s deforestation beef The EU has been trying to address the massive deforestation caused by imports of commodities like beef, cocoa, or palm oil. The U. N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 90 percent of global forest loss is caused by forests being converted into farmland for crops or grazing. In South America, deforestation is also a social justice and human rights issue: Roughly 35 percent of Latin American forests are occupied by Indigenous peoples. In 2023, Brussels passed a law banning the sale of products in the EU if they are linked to land anywhere that was cleared after December 2020. The law is due to come into force at the end of this year after multiple delays. Animal skins for leather tied to deforested land should be restricted once the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) takes effect, but the Commission is expected to propose changes to the scope of the rules by the end of this month. During a meeting in early April of lobbyists, lawmakers and government representatives in the European Parliament — hosted by Italian Socialists & Democrat MEP Dario Nardella — Nuti spoke passionately on the pitfalls of including leather products in the scope of the EU’s anti-deforestation law. Tanners are giving “worth” and “new life” to leather, he said. People would not trade the skins, he argued, so leather itself cannot be a deforestation driver. Environmental groups don’t buy it. “Arbitrarily removing leather from the EUDR would lead to significant policy incoherence: the meat from a cow raised on deforested land would be prohibited, while the skin of that same animal could be sold freely in the single market,” a coalition of NGOs wrote in a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Only by including all high-impact cattle products can the EU fulfill its commitment to ending its contribution to global deforestation,” said the green groups, which included Earthsight, Global Witness, ClientEarth and Human Rights Watch. Traceability concerns The Global Witness investigation examines the web of cattle farms supplying two major meat companies — Minerva Foods and Frigorífico Concepción — that run slaughterhouses in the Gran Chaco Forest, South America’s second-largest forest. Paraguayan tannery Parpelli, owned by an exporting company called the Lecom group, buys animal skins from those meat companies. It then treats and ships the hides to countries including China, Vietnam, Portugal and Italy. One buyer is the Italian tannery Conceria Everest, which is part of the LVMH-owned Nuti Ivo Group. Global Witness has linked 16 farms that were supplying the meat companies as recently as 2023 to 110,000 hectares of deforested land since 2021, using trade data, satellite imagery, forestry databases and interviews with local farmers. Fabrizio Nuti, the Nuti Ivo Group’s CEO, owns a 40 percent stake in Parpelli through his family holding company Finatan. Trade data from Export Genius shows that in 2025, Nuti Ivo S.p. A and Everest Srl imported roughly 2,710 metric tons of leather worth about $3.8 million from Parpelli. Parpelli was also listed as one of the group’s international partners on Nuti Ivo’s website until March. Global Witness argues in its investigation that Nuti Ivo’s supply chain traceability shows “major gaps,” because “it can only trace 45 percent of its hides to a specific slaughterhouse.” In statements to Global Witness, Minerva Foods and Frigorífico Concepción did not confirm or deny that they still work with the 16 deforestation-linked farms. The companies did not reply to POLITICO’s requests for comment. Lecom says it verifies that its suppliers’ “operations do not compromise local ecosystems or contribute to the deterioration of the environment, preserving the traceability of the product, the conservation of our forests today, and for future generations.” The company exports 22 percent of its leather to the European market. Of this, 5 percent represents leather sourced from Frigorífico Concepción and 17 percent from Frigorífico Minerva, the company told Global Witness in a statement dated April 7. It added that it was working on “continuously improving existing [traceability] systems.” The group did not respond to a request for comment from POLITICO. While the data does not confirm that the specific skins purchased by Nuti Ivo from Parpelli came from cows from those 16 farms, Global Witness argues this puts LVMH’s supply chain at high risk of being exposed to deforestation. Hammans, the author of the investigation, urged LVMH to join forces with other multinational companies calling on the European Commission to keep the deforestation law intact. LVMH is “literally one of the largest companies in the world, and it’s the largest luxury company,” he said. “With all of their resources, they’ve got a responsibility to make sure that their subsidiaries are actually in line with their own policies and are not contributing to weakening a really important law to actually make sure that these promises are enforced.”

Angel Boligán Corbo, a cartoonist for EL UNIVERSAL, won first place in the 19th edition of the "International Caricature and Cartoon Contest of Vianden / Luxembourg 2026" for his cartoon "The Will of the People," which was published by this publishing house on March 15th. This year, the theme to be illustrated was democracy, which, according to the cartoonist, is a timeless topic that remains relevant, with ongoing problems in the area worldwide. Second place in this contest went to Olena Tsuranova of Ukraine, and third place went to Heibat Ahmadi of Iran. "Governments interpret democracy in their own way, believing they have the absolute truth, and my cartoon is a nod to countries where this is happening. In my drawing, I use small figures next to the leader, but together they manage to turn him and make him point in another direction, towards the will of the people, which the majority prefers or votes for, and that was the idea behind the cartoon," he explains. Also read: "Felipe Ángeles" Train: stations, schedules, and cost; this is what the journey from Buenavista to AIFA will be like. In an interview, he mentioned that he did not represent a specific country, but rather the sculpture of a leader pointing the way forward for the people. The cartoon, which was published in the Opinion section of EL UNIVERSAL and won the "International Caricature and Cartoon Contest of Vianden / Luxembourg 2026," took him a few hours to create graphically, but several days to develop the idea.

In the days following the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986, more than 30,000 Kazakhs were sent to the Ukrainian site to help with the cleanup. Those who survived the radiation are finding it increasingly difficult to be acknowledged as victims, even as their country has embarked on a civilian nuclear program.

A senior member of the far-right Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament could face an anti-fraud investigation over allegations of millions of misspent EU funds.

Nikolay Patrushev arrived in Cairo for consultations on issues of cooperation between the two countries in the maritime sphere

Millionaire funded operation called ‘pure animal cruelty’ after environment minister sent threats on social media Final preparations are reportedly under way for a millionaire fundedplan to tow a sickly humpback whale into the North Sea. The 12-tonne whale, nicknamed Timmy, has been stranded on the Baltic Sea coastline for almost a month. A barge resembling a giant steel aquarium will attempt to transport Timmy 400km (248 miles) towards the North Sea, and then hopefully back to the Atlantic Ocean from where it is believed to have arrived. Continue reading...

The Alliance did not help Washington in its operation against Iran, US President said

A year after Beijing cut the world off from vital minerals, the West is breaking China’s chokehold.

Incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar will travel to Brussels on Wednesday for urgent talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as he races to unfreeze billions in EU funds. “I will travel to Brussels on Wednesday for informal talks with the president of the European Commission on unlocking EU funds,” Magyar wrote on X on Sunday. “We have no time to waste.” A delegation from Magyar’s Tisza party, which won a supermajority in Hungary’s April 12 election, met with European Commission officials on Saturday in Brussels, Magyar said in an earlier post. That followed talks in Budapest last weekend. The accelerated pace of talks to unlock EU funding comes as Tisza’s defeat of long-time Hungarian leader Victor Orbán has already led to a major breakthrough in EU-Hungary relations. Brussels on Thursday formally approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine after Budapest — long a holdout under Orbán — dropped its objections, clearing a key political hurdle for Magyar as he seeks to revamp ties with the bloc. In the earlier talks in Budapest April 18-19, Magyar and his incoming team met with von der Leyen’s chief of staff Björn Seibert and senior officials to map out a path toward releasing funds frozen over rule-of-law and corruption concerns. “This necessary work will continue,” the Commission said in a statement. Time is tight for the incoming Tisza-led government. Hungary risks losing around €10 billion in post-pandemic recovery funds if it fails to meet an August deadline, while roughly €18 billion remains frozen over democratic backsliding under Orbán. Magyar is also seeking access to additional EU defense financing and relief from daily fines imposed over migration disputes. Brussels is looking for more than a one-off reset. Officials want Hungary to stay aligned on Ukraine, including backing future sanctions on Russia and dropping its resistance to Kyiv’s EU accession path, while also showing progress on rule-of-law concerns that froze the funds. “I can say that it is extremely important to bring [the money] home, and as quickly as possible,” Magyar stressed on April 13.

During a meeting in Cyprus, three countries provided around EUR 350–400 million under the PURL program. At the same time, the first tranche of a EUR 90 billion loan will go toward domestic weapons production and protecting the energy system ahead of the winter period.

One can only hope that this constellation of politicians will eventually give way to more pragmatically-minded ones, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted

When Hungary's Tisza party swept to a two-thirds majority, it ended Viktor Orban's 16-year grip on power and raised hopes – and difficult questions – about the country's democratic reset. Zsuzsanna Szelenyi, an early Fidesz member turned critic and now political analyst, reflects on Orban's transformation of the party, Hungary's regime-change challenges and a new generation's pro-European momentum.

Ukraine marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on Sunday. FRANCE 24 spoke with Michael Bluck, Director of the Centre for Nuclear Engineering at Imperial College London, to look back at the tragic event that marked history. Pointing to various factors that caused the explosion at Chernobyl, Bluck said that the Soviet Union's culting of top-down rule was also at blame.

Beijing warned Brussels that the “EU will bear all consequences” after the bloc included Chinese companies in its latest sanctions package against Russia, escalating tensions in an already strained Sino-Europe trade relationship. In a statement issued late Saturday, China’s commerce ministry said it was “strongly dissatisfied” and “firmly opposes” the inclusion of Chinese businesses in the Russia sanctions, accusing the EU of acting “brazenly” despite repeated objections. “China urges the EU to immediately remove Chinese companies and individuals from the sanctions list,” the ministry said in the statement, warning that Beijing “will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard” their interests. The EU’s 20th sanctions package, approved last week after Hungary and Slovakia dropped their veto, targets another 20 Russian banks, cutting them off from euro transactions and business in the bloc. The breakthrough on the sanctions came after a dispute over the Druzhba oil pipeline — which carries Russian crude via Ukraine to Central Europe — was resolved. The package also targets banks and companies in third countries, including China, as part of a broader push to shut down back channels used to support Russia’s war economy, with a strong focus on anti-circumvention measures across trade, energy and financial networks. French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that Europe is now under pressure from the United States, China and Russia at the same time. “We should not underestimate that this is a unique moment where a U. S. president, a Russian president, a Chinese president are dead against the Europeans,” Macron said, speaking alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens. The French leader called on the EU to “wake up” and defend its own interests.

The U. S. Department of State, in a statement marking the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant disaster, stressed the importance of prioritizing nuclear safety – both at the site itself and around the world.

People streamed into the central square of Slavutych in the early hours of Sunday, placing candles on a large radiation hazard symbol laid out on the ground as a midnight commemoration began for those killed in the Chernobyl disaster 40 years ago and the thousands who risked deadly radiation exposure to contain its aftermath. Residents show up for the vigil each year despite wartime curfews and official warnings against large gatherings during Russia’s war on Ukraine. The April 26, 1986 disaster...

Forty years after the nuclear disaster, we remember what happened on April 26, 1986, and how the authorities of the former Soviet Union tried to cover up the events.