Europe

Russia And Iran Expected To Sign a ‘Strategic Partnership'

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian are due to sign a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ in Russia on Friday, presented as a new stage in the growing alliance between the two countries. Subject to international sanctions that restrict trade, Russia and Iran have become close allies in recent ...

Tunisian Talent Shines Bright at Juste Debout’s Premiere

Rhythmic beats echoed through the Tunis Opera Theater stage as dancers faced off at the first-ever edition in the Arab world of a street dance tournament originating in Paris. This year's Juste Debout is hosted in eight cities, including London, New York, Beijing, and Tokyo, as well as the Tunisian capital. Bruce Ykanji, a French-Cameroonian ...

Private US, Japanese Lunar Landers Launch on Single Rocket

One rocket, two missions: lunar landers built by US and Japanese companies launched their "rideshare" to the Moon on Wednesday, showcasing the private sector's growing role in space exploration. On board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida were Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience ...

NATO Baltic Leaders Set to Boost Security After Cable 'Sabotage'

NATO countries on the Baltic Sea will look to boost security when they meet in Helsinki on Tuesday, following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables widely blamed on Russia. They are expected to announce a NATO patrol mission monitoring activity "below, above, and on the sea surface", researcher Iro Sarkka of the Finnish Institute of ...

Italian Foreign Minister Meets Syria’s New Leader in Damascus

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani met Syria's new ruler Ahmad al-Shareh in Damascus Friday, state media said, in the latest such visit from a European diplomat since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. State news agency SANA did not give further details about Tajani and Shareh's discussions, just over a month after Islamist-led rebels seized ...

2024 Sets New Global Heat Record, Says Copernicus

The last two years exceeded on average a critical warming limit for the first time as global temperatures soar "beyond what modern humans have ever experienced", an EU agency said Friday. This does not mean the internationally-agreed 1.5C warming threshold has been permanently breached, but the Copernicus Climate Change Service said it was ...

Top European diplomats urge inclusive transition in Syria visit

The European Union backs a peaceful, inclusive transition in Syria, top French and German diplomats said Friday as they visited Damascus to meet with new leader Ahmed al-Chareh. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock were in the Syrian capital for talks on behalf of the European Union, in the ...

2025 Celebrations Begin as the World Reflects on a Chaotic 2024

Crowds will marvel at fireworks and toast champagne to greet 2025 on Tuesday, waving goodbye to a year that brought Olympic glory, a dramatic Donald Trump return, and turmoil in the Middle East and Ukraine. It is all but certain 2024 will go down as the hottest year on record, climate-fuelled disasters wreaking havoc from the plains of Europe to ...

The Maronite Curse…

During World War I, a remarkable event, known as the Christmas Truce, occurred on Christmas Eve. Along the Western Front in Europe, opposing soldiers, without an official ceasefire or wide public announcement, gathered to share a meal in the spirit of Christmas. This holiday has the power to inspire miracles, provided faith is present. As Jesus ...

Germany's Scholz Loses Confidence Vote, Triggering Early Elections

Germany's centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote on Monday after weeks of turmoil, setting Europe's biggest economy on the path to early elections on February 23. The Bundestag vote, which Scholz had expected to lose, allows President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the legislature and formally order an election. The ...

EU kickstarts satellite network to rival Musk's Starlink

The EU's flagship satellite constellation project officially took off Monday, as the bloc signed a concession contract with a European consortium to develop a secure space-based communication system. Envisaging a multi-orbital network of almost 300 satellites, Iris² aims to rival US satellite internet service providers such as Elon Musk's ...

NATO Chief Calls for Defense Surge to Avoid 'Big War' with Russia

NATO chief Mark Rutte issued a stark warning Thursday to "turbo-charge" defense spending, saying European nations were not prepared for the threat of future war with Russia. "We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years," Rutte said in a keynote address in Brussels, his first major speech since taking office as NATO ...