On Tuesday, the Italian Chamber adopted the 2026 finance law, officially postponing the “sugar tax” – which targets sugar-sweetened non-alcoholic beverages – to January 2027. The legal framework for the tax, which was due to enter into force on 1 January 2026, was introduced under the 2020 finance law. Successive governments, however, have repeatedly postponed […]
Continue ReadingPoland and South Korea have signed a €3.3 billion agreement to jointly produce missiles for the HOMAR-K rocket launcher in Poland for the first time. The Polish State Treasury and a joint consortium of manufacturers – Polish-Korean joint venture Hanwha WB Advanced System and South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace – inked an implementation agreement for the production of CGR-080 precision-guided missiles with […]
Continue ReadingGerman far-right politicians of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party will no longer be banned from Europe’s top security forum. The new leadership of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Europe’s most relevant annual policy conference on international security, decided to reverse the ban policy of recent years and invite all parties represented in the German […]
Continue ReadingLatvia has completed a 280-kilometre fence along its eastern frontier with Russia, the country’s real estate administration said on Tuesday. Topped with barbed wire and a patrolling path, the fence spans the entire length of the Latvia-Russia border. The fortification of Latvia’s land borders with Russia and Belarus began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine […]
Continue ReadingThe French government on Tuesday postponed a ban on plastic throwaway cups by four years to 2030 because of difficulties finding alternatives. The ban was meant to start on 1 January. But the ministry for ecological transition said the “technical feasibility of eliminating plastic from cups” following a review this year justified pushing back the […]
Continue ReadingGerman digital rights groups and tech companies will start organising “digital independence days” in 2026 to help users move away from US tech platforms, starting from this Sunday, a leading hacker organisation said. Announcing the initiative at its annual conference over the weekend, the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) said the project aims to loosen what […]
Continue ReadingIreland is looking to push for EU-level rules on social media ID verification and a ban for children during the country’s rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2026. In an interview with the Irish news site, Extra, Vice-Prime Minister Simon Harris said that his colleague in charge of media, Patrick […]
Continue ReadingPoland expects to build a €2 billion anti-drone system within two years to ward off Russian attacks, moving ahead of broader EU plans to protect Eastern Europe’s airspace. The announcement comes as drone incursions into European airspace have intensified since September, prompting Warsaw to trigger NATO Article 4 consultations after it shot down what […]
Continue ReadingThe United States is offering Ukraine “strong” security guarantees for an extendable 15-year period, but Kyiv wants a longer term, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday. The comments came a day after talks with President Donald Trump on ending the war with Russia, and following the announcement that Ukraine’s allies will meet in January to […]
Continue ReadingChina launched live-fire drills around Taiwan on Monday that it said would simulate a blockade of the self-ruled island’s key ports, prompting Taipei to condemn Beijing’s “military intimidation”. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and has refused to rule out using military action to seize the island democracy. The latest show of […]
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