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US says it is ‘ready to sign’ minerals deal if Ukraine scraps ‘last-minute changes’ – Europe live

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US treasury secretary says he expects Ukraine to ‘reconsider’ changes it made to agreement as deputy PM Yulia Svyrydenko will reportedly be in Washington to sign agreement todayIn Spain, harrowing stories have continued to emerge after much of the Iber…

How is the European Union fighting the latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease?

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Following cases in Germany earlier this year and Hungary a few weeks ago, Slovakia is currently facing a significant outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Is the European Union properly prepared to fight this extremely contagious virus that is terrorisin…

Elon Musk takes hit as Europeans ditch X in droves

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The right-wing billionaire’s platform has recently lost about 10 percent of its European user base.

German Social Democrats pour cold water on French nuclear deterrent

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German lawmaker Nils Schmid argues there is no need to open the subject as the U.S. has not said it would withdraw its nuclear umbrella.

Former aide to far-right German lawmaker charged with spying for China

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AfD politician Maximilian Krah denies he had knowledge about the activities of erstwhile assistant and says he was “deceived.”

Germany’s center-left leader will be finance minister in the Merz government

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SPD chief Lars Klingbeil steps into Germany’s most powerful ministry as his party joins a conservative-led coalition.

Eurozone economy grew faster than expected in Q1 in rush to get ahead of US tariffs

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The eurozone economy outpaced expectations at the start of the year, thanks in part to exporters rushing out orders to get ahead of U.S. tariffs. Gross domestic product, the value of goods and services produced by an economy, grew 0.4 percent in the first quarter, Eurostat reported today, well ahead of analysts’ forecasts of 0.2 […]

Cocaine, corruption and bribes: the German port under siege by Europe’s criminal drug gangs

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After seizure in Hamburg of 16 tonnes of high-purity powder, state attorney is accused of being on payroll of gang he was supposed to be prosecutingIn Hamburg’s spring sunshine, 200,000-tonne cargo ships almost half a mile long, piled high with the sam…

The mechanics behind Spain’s mega-blackout

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People rarely think about Europe’s criss-crossing energy system. We tell you how it works, what went wrong (and right) on Monday and what happens next.

Chief of Europe’s most powerful party accepts his crown for second term

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Manfred Weber will continue to helm the center-right European People’s Party and shape the agenda of Brussels’ institutions.

Physicists find key to perfect pasta – but it’s not how Mamma used to make it

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Scientific recipe for cacio e pepe avoids a lumpy sauce but uses powdered starch instead of reserved pasta waterIt may be only pasta, pecorino and black pepper, but cacio e pepe is not nearly as easy to make as some would imagine.Now, researchers have …

EU must address ‘internal’ divisions to avoid tariffs, top US official says

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the EU has “some internal matters to decide before they can engage in an external negotiation” with Washington.

Half of pet dogs in Berlin kept illegally as owners ‘boycott’ registration rules

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Microchip implant with data has been required since 2022 but policy is unpopular because of expense and nuisanceHalf of the pet dogs in Berlin are being kept illegally owing to a suspected “boycott” of unpopular registration rules rolled out after a su…

Drought fears for grains growing season mount in Central Europe

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Concerns stretch across Eastern France, Germany, Czechia and Poland.

Italy’s Meloni says Putin’s 3-day ceasefire ‘insufficient’

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Russia has yet to prove it wants to end the war, prime minister says.

Ukraine’s ceasefire view: Putin doesn’t want Xi hiding in Lenin’s tomb from killer drones

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Kyiv fumes over Russia’s Victory Day ceasefire plan.

Populists and extremists are EPP’s main competitors, Manfred Weber tells Euronews

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In an interview with Euronews, EPP President Manfred Weber warned of an authoritarian wave in Europe, pledging never to cooperate with far-right parties like France’s National Rally or Germany’s AfD, whom he accused of threatening European unity and de…

‘It’s in our DNA to be anti-fascist’: Germany’s leftwing ‘TikTok queen’ Heidi Reichinnek

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A powerful speech in the Bundestag made her famous and has inspired young voters to fight back against the far rightThe latest tattoo on Heidi Reichinnek’s lower right arm reads “Angry Woman”. A “present to myself”, she says, after the unexpected retur…

Privacy officials’ travel to home countries sets off EU alarm bells

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Privacy regulator’s secretary general traveled on the EU’s dime to Spain, his home country, far more often than to other countries.

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy calls Putin’s offer of brief ceasefire ‘manipulation’

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Ukraine president urges month-long truce after Russia suggests three-day one to mark a world war two victory. What we know on day 1,161Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for an immediate month-long ceasefire after Vladimir Putin unilaterally announced a th…

EU backs Olympic bid for 2036, while London wants the Games in 2040

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Europe’s sports chief calls for the Olympics to return to the EU — but that aspiration could clash with a bid from London.

Friedrich Merz picks pro-Kyiv foreign minister and promises German support for Ukraine

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Chancellor-designate vows to tackle Russian aggression and appoints Johann Wadephul, an ex-soldier, to key roleGermany’s chancellor-designate, Friedrich Merz, has promised to put staunch support of Ukraine at the heart of his government after announcin…

Europe has risky reliance on China for low-tech chips, auditors warn

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Brussels is far from meeting its targets to reshore microchips manufacturing.

Trump: Putin will be ‘fine’ in peace negotiations

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The interview’s release comes amid the Kremlin’s announcement of a three-day May ceasefire to the war.

Berlin gears up for Trump era as Merz picks new foreign minister

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Berlin’s new foreign ministry leadership signals tougher stance toward China and Russia.

Putin announces new ceasefire but Kremlin hardens stance on annexed Ukrainian regions

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Moscow is emboldened after U.S. President Donald Trump caves in to a key Russian demand.

Germany triggers EU’s emergency clause for defense spending

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Acting Finance Minister Jörg Kukies also pushes for wider definition of security investment.

Berlin takes lead in Europe’s rearmament as global defense spending soars

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Military spending surged last year in ways unseen since the Cold War, study says.

Germany’s new interior minister highlights hard right turn on migration

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The appointment signals stricter asylum rules, tighter border controls and a tougher stance on deportation for the EU’s biggest economy.

Two to One review – East Berlin cash scam capers through ruins of communism

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The discovery of a cache of ostmarks, just before German reunification makes them worthless, sets off a madcap tale from Natja BrunckhorstNatja Brunckhorst is the actor-turned-director who first came to prominence as the teen lead of Uli Edel’s Christi…

Germany requests EU budget exemption to boost defence spending

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Only a handful of EU countries have signalled interest in activating the ‘escape clause’ to free up more cash for defence.

Iberian peninsula power cut: King Felipe to chair national security council meeting in Madrid – as it happened

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This blog has now closed. You can read our latest wrap of developments here.We are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source.We have not independently verified t…

Merz announces first German Cabinet choices

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Germany’s chancellor in waiting hands key ministries to CDU veterans and business figures, setting the tone for a more conservative, security-focused government.

Austrian far right triples its vote in Vienna election

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In today’s edition of The Capitals, read about how Germany has become Europe’s top defence spender according to SIPRI arms data, Meloni’s push for a mediator role following the Vatican funeral, and so much more.

Bergen-Belsen survivors mark 80th anniversary of camp’s liberation

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About 180 British Jews and deputy PM Angela Rayner among those in attendance at event in northern GermanySurvivors of the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen and their families have gathered at the site in northern Germany to officially commemorate t…

Sacraments and side-chats: Pope’s funeral overshadowed by Trump dealmaking 

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Emotional tributes to the popular Pope Francis came amid a diplomatic scramble to meet with the U.S. president.

How idea of stripping citizenship for crimes spread across Europe

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Recent proposals put forward in countries such as Sweden, Finland and Germany reflect wider shift, say analystsThe plans, hatched by Sweden’s rightwing government with support of its far-right backers, made waves around the world. Politicians said they…

Calls for inquiry after German police kill black man outside nightclub

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Officer suspended after shooting 21-year-old man from behind in Oldenburg in north-west GermanyCivil rights activists in Germany have demanded an independent inquiry into alleged police racism after an officer shot a 21-year-old black man from behind, …

‘We’ll make it home together’: A friendship between two deported women in Ravensbrück camp

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During World War II, approximately 8,000 women were deported from France to Ravensbrück, Germany, the largest women’s concentration camp under the Third Reich. FRANCE 24 tells the tragic story of a friendship forged between Suzanne Bouvard and Simone …

Germany cuts economic growth forecast to zero

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In today’s edition of The Capitals, read about Czech lawmakers dragging their feet on the foreign tech blacklist law, Donald Trump Jr. visiting Bulgaria for AI investment talks, and so much more.

Europe shows withdrawal symptoms after 75 years of addiction to US troops

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European capitals are divided on how to respond to a probable reduction of America’s military presence.

MAGA vs. Pope Francis

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The venomous reactions to the pope’s passing are no surprise, but it’s ironic that MAGA is marching in lockstep with the Vatican’s cloistered and rigidly doctrinaire insiders.

German coalition member backs US easing Nord Stream sanctions in Russia peace talks

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A move by the White House to grant a reprieve to Russian energy divides Berlin’s incoming government.

From Ravensbrück to freedom: The story of Sweden’s daring ‘White Bus’ rescue

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In April 1945, as Nazi Germany is on the brink of defeat, the Swedish Red Cross launches the largest rescue operation of World War II. The mission – arranged in secret between a Swedish aristocrat and Adolf Hitler’s right-hand man, SS chief Heinrich H…

Europe’s debt set to surge again in new era of uncertainty, IMF warns

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But the Fund gives its implicit backing to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ plans to stabilize U.K. public finances.

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy reposts US missive from first Trump term that Crimea is Ukrainian

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Casualities as Russian missiles hit Kyiv and Kharkiv; strike damages Shahed factory in Tatarstan, says Ukrainian military. What we know on day 1,156 Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that peace talks in London had been marked by “emotions” and pled…

White House debates lifting sanctions on Russian energy assets, Nord Stream

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The debate pits Steve Witkoff against State Department and U.S. energy export proponents.

France floats resurrecting doomed EU-US trade deal it used to oppose

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Lombard said he hoped the two sides could avert a trade war with “a win-win” solution.

Longtime US allies say they have ways to fight back against Trump, and they’ll use them

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Plans are being drawn up and, as one EU diplomat said, “We’ll take decisions to protect ourselves.”

Russia launches attacks across Ukraine before postponed London peace talks – video

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Several cities across Ukraine were hit by Russian drone attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday. Peace talks scheduled to take place in London, involving top officials from the UK, US, France, Germany and Ukraine, were downgraded at the last minute amid specu…

Rubio and Witkoff bail on crucial Ukraine talks amid Crimea split

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Donald Trump’s peace proposal involves a potential lifting of sanctions and informal U.S. recognition of Russia’s control over Crimea. That’s a nonstarter for Kyiv.

The global south has lost its pope. The world has lost its conscience | Nathalie Tocci

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He was no liberal, but Francis embodied a spirit of international solidarity that is in alarmingly short supplyPope Francis died hours after meeting the US vice-president, JD Vance. If that wasn’t a bad enough omen, the Republican congresswoman Marjori…

The US cavalry isn’t coming: How Europe moves its armies without American assistance

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Europe has built its war-fighting plans on speeding American reinforcements to the front lines. The prospect of that not happening is throwing military mobility plans into disarray.

Trump’s trade war will have ‘profound impact’ on UK economy, says Reeves

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The U.K. chancellor is in Washington this week for talks with finance ministers including U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

IMF slashes world growth forecasts due to trade war

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The multilateral lender thinks the U.S. will be hurt more than either Europe or China by Donald Trump’s tariff blitz.

IMF slashes UK growth forecasts as trade war hits economies

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British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves arrives in Washington, DC today for the IMF’s spring meetings.

Al Gore compares Trump administration to Nazi Germany

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The former vice president said the administration was “insisting on trying to create their own preferred version of reality.”

Berlin’s ancient ‘Dicke Marie’ oak feels effects of prolonged dry spell

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The tree, believed to be city’s oldest, had already been damaged by the region’s increasingly arid climateAn ancient English oak believed to be Berlin’s oldest tree is suffering the effects of a prolonged dry spell in the German capital, local authorit…

Trump’s tariff war empowers Europe’s free traders

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Even the EU’s most protectionist countries are realizing that they need new friends to trade with as their oldest ally goes rogue.

Can France and Germany’s new love-fest survive their lingering differences?

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Paris and Berlin have been at loggerheads for years, but things are at last looking up.

Why Pope Francis’s legacy on pedophilia in the Church feels incomplete

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From the US to Australia via Germany, France, Portugal, Belgium, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia: Never had a pope been confronted with so many Church sexual scandals as Francis. While he did respond with an unprecedentedly firm stance for a pontiff, th…

Berlin reports rise in attacks on refugees amid surge in far-right crime

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Call for greater protection for asylum seekers and policies targeting rightwing violence as report sounds ‘alarm bell’Berlin has reported a marked increase in attacks on asylum seekers and refugee shelters, amid a sharp rise in far-right crime and a ha…

Weather tracker: Unseasonable warmth continues in eastern Europe

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Heat spreads eastwards into the Baltics and western Russia, although colder air will sweep in by the weekendAfter a spell of record-breaking heat last week, eastern Europe and western parts of Russia will experience further unseasonable warmth in the n…

Germany bets on volunteers to fix a hollowed-out army — but will it work?

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As troop numbers stagnate and Russia’s threat looms, Berlin is betting on a voluntary service model to rebuild the military — but time is running out.

POLITICO at 10: The EU fights for its independence

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A decade after we launched in Brussels, Europe’s place in the world is ever more uncertain. The battle for relevance will dominate the next 10 years.

Exposing ‘the illegals’: how KGB’s fake westerners infiltrated the Prague Spring

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Kremlin’s most prized spies were sent in to Czechoslovakia to whip up the 1960s reform protests in a move then replicated across the eastern blocDuring the spring of 1968, as revolutionary sentiment began to grow in communist Czechoslovakia, a group of…

German police crack down on illegal street car tuning as season begins

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Enthusiasts gathering on Good Friday – renamed Carfreitag – face curbs on unauthorised tuning, illegal races and pollutionPolice in Germany have announced a crackdown on illegal racing and the unauthorised modification of cars as members of the so-call…

Thirsty giants: Big tech’s data centres multiply in drought-hit Spain

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In recent years, Spain has become a leading destination for tech giants to set up their data centres in Europe. Madrid even aims to become a “digital hub” on the continent, like Germany and the UK. But at what cost to the environment? To cool down the…

US to determine in ‘a matter of days’ if Ukraine ceasefire is ‘doable,’ says Rubio

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“We are now reaching a point where we need to determine whether this is possible or not,” the secretary of state said.

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