European Union

Germany to Send New Frigate to Protect Ships in Red Sea

Germany said on Saturday that it will send a new frigate to the Red Sea in August to help secure maritime traffic, which has been disrupted for months due to attacks by Iran-backed Houthis. The 'Hamburg' will replace the 'Hessen', which left the zone on Saturday, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. The 'Hessen' had been deployed in the area ...

EU Sanctions 'Extremist' Israeli Settlers

The European Union on Friday imposed sanctions on four "extremist" Israeli settlers and two groups over violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, Brussels said. The decision was the second part of an agreement among EU member states that saw Palestinian Islamists Hamas last week sanctioned over sexual violence during the October 7 attack on ...

US to Impose New Sanctions on Iran, Following Israel Attack

The US is to impose new sanctions on Iran's missile and drone program, it said Tuesday, following its recent attack on Israel. The United States said Tuesday it would soon impose new sanctions on Iran's missile and drone program after its weekend attack on Israel, and that it expects its allies and partners to follow with parallel measures. US ...

EU to Expand Iran Sanctions Following Israel Attack

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that Brussels was starting work on expanding sanctions against Iran after Tehran's attack on Israel. Speaking after an emergency online meeting of EU foreign ministers, Borrell said that the bloc would look to toughen measures against Iran's supplies of weaponry – including drones – to ...

EU Admiral Calls for Warship Boost to Red Sea

The head of an EU force protecting cargo ships from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea on Tuesday said the operation had met its goals, but freight traffic cannot increase without more warships. "The distances that need to be covered are huge," Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis told AFP at EU operation headquarters in the central Greek city of ...

The Intelligent Recap: This Week's AI News Report

Good evening and welcome to The Intelligent Recap. It is Friday April 12th and the 189th day of the war in Gaza. In this week’s recap: The situation at the southern border, and the 6-month anniversary of the war. Also in Lebanon, a murder that shook the country and other local news. Internationally: What’s happening in Gaza, a new European ...

US Appeals to International Community to Rein in Iran

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has asked China's foreign minister and other counterparts to use their influence to dissuade Iran from striking Israel, the State Department said Thursday. Blinken spoke by telephone over the past day to his Chinese, Turkish, Saudi, and European counterparts "to make clear that escalation is not in anyone's ...

EU Parliament Adopts Contentious Asylum Law Reform

The EU parliament on Wednesday adopted a contentious reform of Europe's asylum policies that will harden border procedures and force all the bloc's 27 nations to share responsibility. The parliament's main political groups overcame opposition from far-right and far-left parties to pass the new migration and asylum pact -- a sweeping reform nearly ...

EU Naval Mission Repels 11 Attacks in Red Sea

The EU mission escorted 68 ships and repelled 11 attacks since it was established less than two months ago, according to a report by the Associated Press. It only defends vessels and does not engage in military strikes. The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, have been targeting the vital shipping lane since November in a ...

Upcoming EU Vote Seeks to Harden Immigration Policies

The EU will vote to reform its immigration policies on Wednesday, which would harden its stance towards asylum-seekers, in a move that has been criticized by groups on both the far-left and far-right. The EU will vote on Wednesday on a vast overhaul of its immigration policies that would notably harden entry procedures for asylum-seekers and ...

Syrian Migrants: Cyprus Appeals to the European Union

Cypriot Prime Minister Nikos Christodoulides is scheduled to meet European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen in Athens on Sunday, before his trip to Beirut on Monday. On the agenda: the influx of Syrian migrants from Lebanon. Nicosia wants to seek Brussels' help in resolving this issue. On Tuesday, the Cypriot President, who is also Prime ...