With drone alerts, emergency shelters and fighter jets over the Baltics, Europe’s security fears suddenly feel much less theoretical at the GLOBSEC forum in Prague. On the ground in Czechia for the Brussels Playbook Podcast, Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur unpack the growing wave of drone incursions linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine. They also […]
Continue ReadingFollowing the detection of the drone in Lithuania, Vilnius International Airport was closed and officials in the Ignalina District Municipality instructed children in schools to take shelter. Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė was set to meet her National Security Commission on Wednesday to discuss drone incursions; a government spokesperson told LRT that she had been […]
Continue ReadingBut NGOs say that these hubs risk becoming lawless offshore detention centers. The lack of detail on where the hubs will be placed and who will monitor them “risks leaving the door open to abuses of power, human rights violations, and even more disorder at Europe’s borders,” said Imogen Sudbery, executive director of the NGO […]
Continue Reading“I’m getting ready,” Hollande told the weekly magazine Marianne, which splashed the quote across its front page last month. “What’s at stake in the [2027] presidential election is major, historic. For France, but not just for France,” Hollande said last month in a clip posted to social media. “How the French vote will decide the […]
Continue Reading“Our fuel suppliers as recently as this week have confirmed they expect no supply disruption right out to the middle of July, and the situation continues to improve,” Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said on Monday. The airline boss said he is now confident that rising fuel imports from West Africa, the U.S. and Norway are […]
Continue ReadingAfter years of Hungary’s former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blocking Ukraine’s path to join the EU, Budapest and Kyiv are talking again. That has Brussels wondering if Hungary might finally be softening its position on Ukrainian accession. Today on the pod, Nick and Ian discuss why joining the bloc is so important to the war-torn […]
Continue ReadingBessent later confirmed the move in a post on X. “This general license will help stabilize the physical crude market and ensure oil reaches the most energy-vulnerable countries,” he wrote. The U.S. paused sanctions on Russian oil for 30 days immediately after the start of the war on Iran in February, which fueled a spike […]
Continue Reading“I understand that the reorganization process is under way, but it cannot come at the expense of such a staunch ally as Poland,” Kosiniak-Kamysz added. “We are a proven and reliable ally, which is why we expect partnership, friendship and a good exchange of information.” Kosiniak-Kamysz and Poland’s top military commander, Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, are […]
Continue ReadingRussia and Belarus practiced deploying tactical nuclear weapons on Monday, just one day after Ukraine carried out its biggest drone attack on Moscow. In a statement, Belarus’ Defense Ministry said the exercise, which was held with units of the Russian armed forces, intended to test the military’s readiness to launch nuclear weapons from mobile or […]
Continue ReadingCampaigners believe such a fundamental change to how NICE functions should have required primary legislation, rather than secondary legislation pushed through with limited scrutiny. Some MPs have already tried to push back on the legislative changes. Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell led a cross-party intervention, writing to former Health Secretary Wes Streeting to publish the […]
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