Tag - europe

 
 

EUROPE

A view of the Republic Square on the eve of the 8th European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on Sunday
WORLD
May 4, 2026
European leaders meet as Trump adds more threats
The U.S. president said he would cut thousands of troops stationed in Germany after accusing European countries of ignoring requests for help in the war with Iran.
Orthodox priests arrive for a ceremony in the cathedral of Saint Etchmiadzin near Yerevan, in Etchmiadzin, Armenia on May 3.
WORLD
May 4, 2026
Ancient faith to AI future: Five things to know about Armenia
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has cautiously deepened engagement with the European Union and the United States, seeking economic support and political backing.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (right), during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) ahead of the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
May 4, 2026
Armenia summits show Europe’s Caucasus rivalry with Trump and Putin
Long the dominant force in the region, Russia now faces growing competition from the U.S., as well as from Turkey, the European Union and China.
Soldiers during an exercise at the the U.S. Army's training facilities in Hohenfels, Germany, on Thursday
WORLD / Politics
May 3, 2026
Trump threatens deeper cuts for U.S. troop presence in Germany
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with European nations, accusing them of ignoring his requests for help in the U.S. war with Iran and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merz (left), French President Emmanuel Macron (second left), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (second right) and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni arrive for a news conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 17.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
May 2, 2026
Trump’s attacks on Europe’s leaders worsen transatlantic frost
The latest U.S. broadsides, fired over disagreements about the Iran war, have raised fresh questions about the best way to handle a mercurial ally.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington in April last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 2, 2026
Trump says will raise U.S. tariffs on EU cars to 25%
U.S. President Donald Trump charged that the bloc is not complying with an earlier trade deal.
U.S. Army soldiers take part in a combined military exercise at the U.S. military's Hohenfels Training Area in Hohenfels, Germany, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
May 2, 2026
U.S. withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany, U.S. officials say
The drawdown would bring U.S. troop levels in Europe back to roughly pre-2022 levels, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a buildup by then-President Joe Biden.
In a bipolar system dominated by America and China, Japan should navigate the rivalry by deepening its alliances, diversifying economic ties and maintaining flexible, practical diplomacy in Asia. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 30, 2026
Japan’s balancing act in an era of U.S.-China dominance
Tokyo’s move toward defense spending of 2% of GDP is not militarism. It is overdue burden-sharing within an alliance that is the foundation of regional deterrence.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) meets with Hungary's incoming Prime Minister Peter Magyar in Brussels on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 30, 2026
Hungary’s Magyar pushes to unblock EU billions in Brussels
In a sign he intends to turn the page on the bad blood of Viktor Orban’s rule, incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar visited Brussels before he takes office next month.
EU countries apply different legal definitions of rape, even among those that have ratified the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty designed to protect women that criminalizes rape based on the absence of consent.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 29, 2026
European Parliament backs EU-wide consent-based definition of rape
Legal definitions of rape differ by country, even among signatories of an international treaty that criminalizes rape based on the absence of consent.
A couple views a vandalized poster of outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on April 13, one day after Hungary's general elections.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2026
Hungary’s shift unlocks new opportunities for NATO and Ukraine
Ukraine. By the time of his rejection by the electorate, he was widely regarded as Putin’s top ally in Europe and a Trojan horse inside the alliance.
Vladimir Putin is not pursuing a coherent plan for global dominance but instead is using disruption, coercion and opportunistic interventions to protect regime stability, preserve influence in Russia's neighborhood and weaken Western unity.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2026
The West is still getting Russia wrong
Because of Russia weakness, the Kremlin is focused not on domination, but on disruption.
Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in July last year
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 27, 2026
Taiwan downplays impact of Chinese sanctions on European arms makers
China’s Commerce Ministry banned exports on Friday of dual-use ​items to the seven companies over arms sales to Taiwan, placing them on its export control list.
Commander of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment, Maj. Gen. Toshikatsu Musha, and commander of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Amphibious and Mine Warfare Force, Rear Adm. Ikeuchi Izuru, attend the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on April 20.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2026
Beyond the hub-and-spoke: Japan quietly emerges as a secondary connector
Tokyo is positioning itself as a strategic hub for middle-power security diplomacy that reinforces the U.S.-led order while diversifying its own security partnerships.
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, last October.
WORLD
Apr 25, 2026
Pentagon email floats suspending Spain from NATO, other steps over Iran rift
The message also proposes reviewing the U.S. position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands, an American official said.
European Union Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shake hands after signing a memorandum of understanding for a strategic partnership on critical minerals at the State Department in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2026
U.S. and EU deepen cooperation on critical minerals with eye to broader agreement
The two signed a memorandum of understanding for a partnership on producing and securing critical minerals, with a specific ‌action plan ‌for trade announced separately.
Solar panels are seen on the roof of a home in Ronda, Spain, in February last year.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 24, 2026
Iran war revives European rooftop solar demand to cut energy bills
The conflict has pushed oil, gas and electricity prices sharply higher, hitting companies and households alike.
A sign controls the flow of freight traffic entering from Russia at the border crossing in Luhamaa, Estonia. Last week, the head of the Estonian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee hit out at Spain for purchasing gas from Russia in March.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
Baltics warn Europe there’s no going back to life with Russia
The Baltic states’ shift away from Russian trade and energy dependence has put the seal on their economic integration with the rest of the EU.
Mohamad, a Syrian refugee, sits on the stairs before taking boxing classes in Amsterdam in March 28.
WORLD / Society
Apr 23, 2026
Syrian minorities refused asylum in Europe as rejections surge
According to the European Union Asylum Agency, 27,687 out of 38,407 Syrian asylum decisions in 2025 were negative, or a 28% success rate compared with 90% in 2024.
Peter Magyar, who is expected to become Hungary's next prime minister, speaks during a press conference in Budapest on April 13.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 22, 2026
Will Hungary join the euro? It’s a long road after Orban
The process of adopting the euro typically takes several years as aspirants work to meet requirements centered around keeping public finances and inflation under control.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival