Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as the new head of his office on Friday, after his previous top aide resigned in November over a corruption scandal. Budanov has built up a legendary reputation in Ukraine, credited with a series of daring operations against Russia since it launched an all-out assault […]
Continue ReadingChina’s decision to impose new tariffs on beef imports from key partners such as Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay is increasing pressure on South American exporters and giving fresh momentum to the long-awaited EU-Mercosur trade deal. As of January 1st, Beijing is applying additional tariffs of 55% on beef imports exceeding a fixed quota for major […]
Continue ReadingOn The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Bulgarians have begun withdrawing euros for the first time after the former communist nation joined the euro currency union as its 21st member. Cash machines in the capital, Sofia, […]
Continue ReadingFinnish authorities on Wednesday seized a vessel suspected of damaging an undersea communications cable between Finland and Estonia, while Swedish authorities discovered two breaks in a different submarine cable connecting to Tallinn. Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many experts and politicians have viewed the damages to energy and communications infrastructure in […]
Continue ReadingFrance could ban social media for under-15s as early as next September, according to a draft law which will be discussed by parliament early in 2026. The law would prohibit social media platforms from providing their services to children under 15 years old as of 1 September 2026, according to the draft seen by Le […]
Continue ReadingThe Polish digital minister Dariusz Standerski has asked the Commission to investigate TikTok under the Digial Services Act (DSA) over the spread of AI-generated disinformation videos. Poland has recently seen a surge of AI videos that call for the country to leave the EU, the minister said in a post on X on Tuesday, which […]
Continue ReadingRomania has joined the club of Western countries that buy US-made weapons for Ukraine, pledging €50 million to the so-called PURL fund created in the summer. The announcement was made by Romanian foreign affairs minister on social media on Wednesday. The Priority Acquisition List for Ukraine’s Defence is an initiative approved by US President Donald […]
Continue ReadingIn his New Year’s address on Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that not only Germany is under daily attack but that Russia is also targeting the whole of Europe. “We are seeing more and more clearly that Russia’s aggression was and is part of a plan targeted against the whole of Europe,” Merz said, […]
Continue ReadingUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he would hold a meeting with leaders of Kyiv’s allies next week in France, as diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia intensified. Zelenskyy said on social media that the summit will be preceded by a meeting of security advisers from countries allied to Kyiv on 3 […]
Continue ReadingOn 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 […]
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