French pollster Odoxa predicted for the first time that 30-year-old far-right leader Jordan Bardella would win the next presidential election, scheduled in 2027, no matter who his opponents would be. The current president of far-right National Rally (RN) party, and heir to long-time leader Marine Le Pen, would garner more...
Europol Warns: Criminal networks are turning children into tools of violence
Criminal organizations are increasingly “weaponizing children,” manipulating them through multiplayer video games and smartphones while parents often remain unaware of what’s happening, according to Europol chief Catherine De Bolle. She says these networks currently represent the most serious criminal threat to the European Union, as they undermine society by targeting...
Europe seeks a fresh strategy in Africa’s Battle for critical minerals
When the colonial governments of Belgium and Portugal ordered the construction of a railway connecting oil- and mineral-rich regions in the African interior to the Atlantic, their primary objective was to plunder resources such as rubber, ivory and minerals for export to Western countries. Today, that same stretch of railway...
British divers found a Russian tracking device off the coast of Wales
Divers from Neptune’s Army of Rubbish Cleaners (NARC) weren’t expecting geopolitics on their routine 15 November debris sweep in the Skomer Marine Conservation Zone off Pembrokeshire. But that’s what they got. What first looked like a scrap of navigational equipment quickly raised eyebrows. The team realised the barnacle-scarred tube resembled...
Separatist candidate wins presidential vote in Bosnia’s Serb region
A close ally of Bosnia’s Serb Republic separatist leader Milorad Dodik won a snap presidential election in a tight race with opposition candidate, the election commission said on Sunday, citing preliminary results. “According to preliminary, unofficial and incomplete results, Siniša Karan won 50.89% of the votes,” Jovan Kalaba, the commission’s...
Radio Free Europe closes in Hungary
U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) will cease operations in Hungary, concluding a five-year run of a media service that a U.S. official said had complicated President Donald Trump’s foreign policy with a key ally. Founded in 1950 to broadcast into communist-controlled countries during the Cold War, RFE/RL continues to...
Europe needs tactical nukes to counter Putin
European aerospace heavyweight warns that the continent must have a stronger deterrent against Russia's massive arsenal. European nations should develop a joint tactical nuclear deterrent to counter Russia's expanding arsenal, Airbus board chair Ren'e Obermann said Wednesday, breaking one of Europe's biggest defense taboos. Speaking at the Berlin Security Conference, Obermann said Europe's current posture leaves...
Von der Leyen drifts right with new digital deregulation plans
A fresh proposal by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to reform digital laws on Wednesday was welcomed by lawmakers on the right but shunned on the left. It signals a possible repeat of a pivotal parliamentary clash last week in which von der Leyen's center-right European People's Party sided with the far...
EU’s latest Palestine Initiative lacks real influence
A new EU-led effort to raise funds for Palestinian reconstruction and claim a role in Gaza’s peace process has drawn criticism for exposing the bloc’s limited political weight in the region. The Palestine Donor Group meeting held on Thursday — announced earlier this year by the European Commission president —...
Berlin and Athens to build migrant return hubs in Africa
Greece and Germany aim to create facilities in African countries to receive migrants deported from Europe, Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said. In a televised interview, Plevris explained that discussions are underway with African states considered safe, which would agree to accept migrants who cannot be returned to their countries...