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...
Kosovo in crisis: President Osmani dissolves Parliament, triggers snap elections
With the country under a caretaker government since February, the snap vote looms as a pivotal test of its polarized political landscape Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani has signed a decree dissolving the country’s parliament, clearing the path for early legislative elections on 28 December after the second nominee for prime...
Protests escalate in Bulgaria over judicial abuse against Varna mayor
Supporters plan to occupy parliament as political tensions sharpen around the case of Blagomir Kotsev, detained without conviction. Public anger over the nearly five-month detention of Varna mayor Blagomir Kotsev is intensifying, triggering demonstrations in several Bulgarian cities last evening, with the largest taking place in the capital Sofia. Kotsev,...
Germany, Poland and France push EU to tighten action against Russia’s shadow fleet
European efforts to curb Russia’s shadow fleet will take centre stage at the 20 November meeting of EU foreign ministers, after Germany, Poland and France circulated a set of proposals aimed at closing loopholes that allow sanctioned oil tankers to continue operating. According to one diplomat, the first proposal is...