Global reaction to the US presidential election
Reuters World leaders rushed to congratulate Republican Donald Trump on Wednesday after he claimed victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the US presidential election, which would cap a stunning political comeback four years after he left the White House. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President of Ukraine “I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through […]
EU leaders set course for tougher policy to send back irregular migrants
Brussels, Belgium Reuters European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to use all their leverage, including trade, development aid and visa policy, to speed up returns of migrants illegally entering the bloc and asked the European Commission to urgently draft a law. Immigration is a highly sensitive topic in most of the bloc’s 27 member states, […]
EU offers to tighten migration stance under pressure from governments
Brussels, Belgium Reuters The European Commission will propose during its new term measures to tighten the EU’s stance on migration, responding to pressure from governments across the bloc for which irregular arrivals have become a major political and security problem. Ursula von der Leyen, who runs the European Union’s executive arm, wrote to EU leaders […]
EU’s von der Leyen urges Moldovans to vote in membership referendum
Chisinau, Moldova Reuters European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged Moldovans to vote in an 20th October referendum on future EU membership during a visit to Chisinau on Thursday where the bloc pledged a €1.8 billion economic support package. Moldova, a former Soviet republic of 2.5 million people located between Romania and Ukraine, is […]
EU Commission chief: Hungary’s Russia, China policies pose security risk
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Hungary is putting European security at risk, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday in an unusually blunt speech blasting Budapest’s relationship with Russia and China. Speaking at a debate with nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen took aim at […]
Flood-hit central Europe will get billions in EU aid, von der Leyen promises
Wroclaw, Poland Reuters The worst floods to hit central Europe in at least two decades have caused widespread damage from Romania to Poland, killing at least 24 people, destroying bridges, submerging cars and leaving towns caked in mud and debris. A drone view of Oder river during flooding in Wroclaw, Poland, on 19th September, 2024. […]
Central Europe flood deaths rise as citizens race to build defences
Wroclaw, Poland Reuters Volunteers and emergency personnel raced to secure river banks and buildings in Poland and Hungary on Tuesday as flood waters that have wreaked havoc across central Europe began to rise in new areas and the Czech Republic reported another death. The worst floods to hit central Europe in at least two decades […]
EU Commission head von der Leyen elected for second term
Strasbourg, France Reuters Ursula von der Leyen won a second term as president of the European Commission on Thursday after pledging to create a continental “defence union” and to stay the course on Europe’s green transition while cushioning its burden on industry. Members of the European Parliament backed von der Leyen’s bid for another five-year […]
EU leaders pick von der Leyen for second term as Commission chief
Updated: 10am (AEST) Brussels, Belgium Reuters European Union leaders agreed on Friday to nominate Ursula von der Leyen of Germany for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission, the EU’s powerful executive body. At a summit in Brussels, the bloc’s 27 national leaders also picked former Portuguese premier Antonio Costa as the […]
EU summit ends without agreement on top jobs
Brussels, Belgium Reuters European Union leaders ended a discussion on who should take the bloc’s top jobs for the next five years without agreement on Monday, aiming instead for a decision at a summit next week. The leaders’ meeting was the first since the European Parliament election, which saw gains for the centre-right and right-wing […]