Finnish president Stubb joins list of EU leaders seeking to tame Putin, in a 90-minute Kremlin phone call that caused a rift with Denmark
The Finnish-Norwegian call was “not coordinated with any of us [allies]” in advance, said Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday – directly contradicting Finland’s Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre. “I really don’t understand what these two countries think can be achieved this way,” she said.
Two graphs and one map show that Russia is not currently winning the war (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,706)
, and the war has frozen into a deadly stalemate.
EU plans massive investment in Australia’s critical minerals to cut dependence on China
Benjamin FoxAustralia has announced plans to overhaul its national critical minerals strategy, the EU says it wants to invest ‘massively’ in refining and processing.
[Interview] There are still more American soldiers than Western ones on Nato’s eastern border, says defence expert Robert Pszczel
Donald Trump’s 9 October diesel deal with Vladimir Putin left Europeans – including Ukraine – out in the cold, as US dollars will now become key aid in the financing of Russia’s war.
Europe is in denial about war — and that’s how wars start
Caroline de GruyterEuropeans have not experienced war for so long that they don’t recognize it anymore, the case just before the outbreak of the First World War.
Partial victory for disabled rights, as some carers may board flights for free from 2027
, airlines will decide whether or not companions to disabled passengers are deemed necessary for safety reasons. Only if their presence is required will their ticket be free, while companions traveling with disabled passengers anyway will have to pay for a full-price fare.
Farming ministers agree on more national control of EU funds as part of CAP reforms
EU agriculture subsidies are set to distributed via a new system of national and regional plans, as governments seize control of the bloc’s subsidy scheme.
Listen: What should we expect from the Israeli elections?
the polls today for legislative elections. It is the first national vote since 2022, and a decisive moment for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is running again.
One supply scare pushed China into renewables. Two real crises still haven’t woken Europe up
China into a clean tech powerhouse, while Europe, hit by two real energy shocks in a few years, is wasting time watering down its green rules.
One-in-three European voters now support an authoritarian or populist party, new research reveals
Zuzanna StawiskaA historically-high number of voters have chosen parties classified as authoritarian or populist, a new report analysing parliamentary election results for 260 parties in 31 countries since 1946, or since the year free elections were first held.
Brazil’s Lula survives Bolsonaro scare, safeguarding EU democratic ally on climate and trade
Brazil’s workers’ party leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defied all odds to become the first president to win the second round of elections after losing in primaries. Though his adversary has failed to acknowledge defeat, EU leaders and pro-democracy groups expressed relief at the unexpected comeback.
Ex-EU commissioner Reynders faces new Belgian and Polish scrutiny after EUobserver revelations
a director in the Belgian intelligence service had exchanged WhatsApp messages with ex-EU commissioner Didier Reynders, which may have been part of a criminal conspiracy to block reports into Reynders’ alleged wrongdoing.
Ukrainian offensive creeping forward in south-east, near Velyka Novosilka (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,705)
the borders of three regions meet: Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. It has received less attention in recent months because there have been more active areas of the front.
Serbia’s student protestors win parliamentary majority – setting scene for showdown with Vučić in December’s presidential poll
Serbia’s student movement has broken Aleksandar Vučić’s decade-long hold on parliament.
Czech government approves first step to scrapping TV and radio licence fees in 4.36am vote, sparking protests
, , , and , and the government will instead fund public media operations from the state budget. Opposition MPs and experts have described these far-reaching changes as a dangerous attempt to weaken public service media, threatening their independence.
I led Israel’s oldest peace group and advised the Knesset. Netanyahu may fall on Tuesday, but the West Bank annexation policies won’t
a new government without changing the country’s course. Having worked as a parliamentary adviser in the Knesset and later as executive director of Peace Now, I know how that can happen, writes Shaqued Morag.
Listen: How close is the AfD to governing in Saxony-Anhalt?
The German AfD has won two state elections in September but whether it will form local governments is not yet determined.
Ukraine blowback. How Russia is using the Global South to beat the West and strangle support for Ukraine
Ukraine battlefield is the hottest part of Russia’s war on the West, but not the only one. The Kremlin is betting that sabotage, intimidation and other sub-threshold attacks will make Ukraine’s allies so distracted, scared and tired that they cut their support to Kyiv. Meanwhile Russia’s political warfare is reaping rewards in Africa, Asia and Latin America, writes Edward Lucas.
[Exclusive] Iran war and Israeli airstrikes derail thousands of EU deportation flights
, , and , the return of migrants and failed asylum-seekers is colliding with hard security risks, rising costs and a backlog of 5,500 failed deportation attempts.
THIS WEEK: the EU’s new Canada offer, cash for farmers and Russia’s Lavrov returns to G20?
and the terms of closer cooperation on energy, trade and defence at a summit in Montréal this week.
