European Union

Germany: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Will Be Judged by Its Actions

Germany said on Monday it would judge Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the offensive to oust president Bashar al-Assad, by the actions it takes in government. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) would "certainly play a role in the future of Syria", foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press ...

EU and S.America Countries Conclude Mercosur Trade Deal

The EU and four South American countries have concluded a huge, but controversial trade deal that is opposed by France and many European farmers, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday. "This is a win-win agreement," von der Leyen said in Uruguay, where she was attending a summit of the Mercosur bloc involved ...

Europe’s Vega-C Rocket Launches Satellite Into Orbit After Delays

Europe's new Vega-C rocket launched Thursday from French Guiana and put a satellite into orbit in its first takeoff since a failed flight two years ago. After two days of delays, the rocket -- crucial to Europe's autonomy in reaching space -- took off without problems, carrying the Sentinel-1C satellite for the European Union's Copernicus Earth ...

Russia and Ukraine to Attend Rare Joint Summit in Malta

Russia and Ukraine will send their foreign ministers to Malta this week for a summit of the OSCE, officials said Wednesday, in one of the few events attended by both countries since Moscow's Ukraine offensive began. The trip marks Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's first to an EU member since the start of the conflict in February 2022, and ...

Who Are Syria's Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham?

The Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which seized Aleppo in a shock offensive over the weekend, is an Islamist movement that has long ruled swathes of the country's northwest. The group has sought to moderate its image in recent years, including by cutting ties with its one-time sponsor Al-Qaeda, but it faces an uphill battle ...

Lithuania Expels Three Chinese Diplomats Amid Tensions Over Taiwan

Lithuania announced on Friday that it was expelling three staff members of the Chinese embassy, as relations between the Baltic nation and Beijing deteriorate over Lithuania’s support for Taiwan and the suspected involvement of a Chinese ship in the damage to undersea telecommunications cables. Earlier this month, two Baltic Sea ...

Police in Georgia Arrest Dozens in Clash With Pro-EU Protesters

Police in Georgia arrested dozens of people overnight and early Friday in a violent crackdown on protests against the government's decision to delay EU membership talks. The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling party declared victory in October parliamentary elections that the pro-EU opposition decried as ...

EU: We Will Support LAF, UNIFIL and the Lebanese

The European Union reaffirmed its commitment to mobilizing a wide range of tools to support the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), so that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 can be “effectively and fully implemented on the ground.” The EU viewed the ceasefire agreement as “a major achievement, which the ...

EU Commits $19 Billion to Ukraine Under G7 Plan

The European Union on Thursday confirmed it would give Ukraine 18.1 billion euros ($19 billion) as part of a bigger G7 loan backed by profits from frozen Russian assets. The Group of Seven advanced economies last month finalised an agreement on a $50 billion loan to Kyiv to help prop up the country as it struggles to fight back against Moscow's ...

New EU Commission Gets Green Light to Launch Defense, Economy Push

European lawmakers on Wednesday gave Ursula von der Leyen's new executive team the green light to start work, as the EU chief warned there was "no time to waste" to boost the bloc's defenses and competitiveness. From supporting Kyiv against Russia's invasion to war in the Middle East, China's economic rivalry and the imminent return of Donald ...

Georgian Parliament to Convene After Contested Vote

Georgia's new parliament is to meet for its first session Monday amid opposition protests over an allegedly rigged election and the pro-European president demanding the result be annulled. Nearly a month after the October 26 vote, won by the governing Georgian Dream party, political turmoil continues in the small post-Soviet country in the ...

Josep Borrell Visits Geitaoui Hospital

The European Union has provided crucial aid to Geitaoui Hospital to support its recovery efforts. During his visit to Lebanon, Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, toured the hospital's section of those affected by the devastating fires caused by the war, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to aiding ...