Month: April 2026

Macron Calls for Stronger EU Defence Role

With dwindling confidence in U.S. support, France’s president calls the EU’s mutual defence clause a real commitment, amid European moves to strengthen security.

Orbán to Step Aside from Hungarian Parliament

Following heavy electoral losses for his party, Hungary’s long-serving PM will not take up his parliamentary seat—instead shifting his focus to rebuilding the nationalist camp.

Pilgrimage at the Spanish Steps

The legendary steps serve as a reminder that in a world consumed by short-term thinking, we’ve lost sight of the kinds of wealth that don’t show up on a balance sheet.

Russian Strike Levels Dnipro Building, Leaves Dead and Missing

Russian Strike Levels Dnipro Building, Leaves Dead and Missing

Rescue teams search rubble after a Russian strike hits a residential block in eastern Ukraine, as calls grow for stronger Western support.

April 25, 2026
UK Assisted Suicide Bill Collapses After Lords Deadlock

UK Assisted Suicide Bill Collapses After Lords Deadlock

Deeply divisive proposal to permit assisted suicide fails to pass Parliament, with critics citing major gaps in safeguards.

April 25, 2026
EU Anti-Fraud Office Probes Mandelson Over Time in Brussels

EU Anti-Fraud Office Probes Mandelson Over Time in Brussels

Inquiry examines Epstein-linked material and past ties to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska during his tenure as EU trade commissioner

April 25, 2026
Salazar’s Legacy: Patriot Moderniser or Obscurantist Dictator?—Historian Tom Gallagher

Salazar’s Legacy: Patriot Moderniser or Obscurantist Dictator?—Historian Tom Gallagher

“António Salazar was distrustful of the terms ‘right’ and ‘left’ and took his stand around a position of steady but unspectacular nationalism.”

April 25, 2026
Pope Rebukes German Church Over Same-Sex Blessings

Pope Rebukes German Church Over Same-Sex Blessings

Leo XIV says formalised ceremonies exceed Vatican limits set under Francis.

April 25, 2026
Italy Approves €615 Payments for Professionals Helping Migrants Return Home

Italy Approves €615 Payments for Professionals Helping Migrants Return Home

The Italian parliament has passed a security package aimed at strengthening law enforcement and reducing illegal migration.

April 24, 2026
Back from Africa, Pope Leo Reaffirms the Importance of Borders

Back from Africa, Pope Leo Reaffirms the Importance of Borders

Pope Leo breaks with his predecessor’s rhetoric of unconditional welcome for migrants.

April 24, 2026
Over 200 ETA Prisoners Released From Ordinary Prisons Since 2018

Over 200 ETA Prisoners Released From Ordinary Prisons Since 2018

The more lenient prison policy has coincided with the Sánchez government’s need for parliamentary support from groups such as the Basque nationalist EH Bildu.

April 24, 2026
French Anti-Terror Prosecutors Charge Teen Over Alleged “Martyrdom” Plot

French Anti-Terror Prosecutors Charge Teen Over Alleged “Martyrdom” Plot

A new suspect’s circumstances fit in with what the PNAT head described as a “four- or five-year” trend of increasingly young defendants linked to Islamist offences.

April 24, 2026
UK Council’s “Insensitive” KKK Image Featuring Millwall FC Badge

UK Council’s “Insensitive” KKK Image Featuring Millwall FC Badge

Millwall described the municipal depiction of a cartoon figure in Klan-style clothing wearing the football club’s badge as “false and damaging.”

April 24, 2026
Merz Rules Out Fast-Track EU Entry for Ukraine

Merz Rules Out Fast-Track EU Entry for Ukraine

The chancellor said Germany supports “closer integration into the European institutions,” including allowing Ukraine to attend meetings such as European Council sessions without voting rights.

April 24, 2026
Turkey Border Reset Angers Armenians

Turkey Border Reset Angers Armenians

Following last year’s historic U.S.-brokered peace deal, Armenia and Turkey are on the verge of opening their land border for the first time in more than three decades.

April 24, 2026