European

Analysis: EU audit warning exposes risks at the heart of planned CAP overhaul The European Court of Auditors has fired an early warning shot over the European Commission’s plan to fold agricultural policy into a wider, performance-driven budget in the next Multiannual Financial Framework, saying the redesign could delay farm payments, heighten uncertainty and weaken the “common” in the Common Agricultural Policy. The critique goes to the core of how the EU intends to fund farming, rural development and cohesion from 2028 to…

Somalia, EU sign €102 million budget-support deal to sustain reforms MOGADISHU — Somalia and the European Union on Friday signed a €102 million ($110 million) financing agreement that provides direct budget support and development funding to help stabilize public finances and keep reforms on track, Somali officials said. The deal, finalized in Mogadishu after high-level talks, signals continued European confidence in the government’s state-building agenda after decades of conflict and institutional collapse. EU officials…

European Union foreign ministers agreed to add Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the bloc’s list of terrorist organizations, a move that aligns the powerful force with groups such as the Islamic State organization and al-Qaida and signals a sharp shift in Europe’s approach to Tehran. “Repression cannot go unanswered,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on social media, adding that “any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.” The IRGC, created after Iran’s 1979 Islamic…

EU hails Somali opposition joining national dialogue as positive step MOGADISHU, Somalia — The European Union’s envoy to Somalia has welcomed the decision by the country’s main opposition alliance to join a government-led consultation, calling it a constructive step toward national stability. The Somali Future Council — a coalition of regional leaders and former officials — confirmed it will attend the consultations scheduled for Feb. 1, 2026, in Mogadishu. The invitation was extended by the Federal Government of Somalia. EU…

EU, India seal landmark free trade deal after nearly two decades of talks Pact touted as “mother of all deals” creating a market of two billion people; formal signing to follow legal review The European Union and India have agreed on a sweeping free trade deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, declaring the pact the “mother of all deals” and a “free trade zone of two billion people.” “Europe and India are making history today,” von der Leyen said on X, adding that both sides are set to…

EU opens DSA probe into X’s Grok over sexual deepfakes, potential child abuse images The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into Grok, the artificial intelligence tool embedded in X, over its role in the spread of sexually explicit images, including potential child sexual abuse material. The action, taken under the EU’s Digital Services Act, follows public outcry over sexually manipulated images circulating on the platform. “Sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of…

Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Real Oviedo, capitalizing on two second-half errors in heavy rain at Camp Nou and capped by a spectacular acrobatic finish from Lamine Yamal. Monday January 26, 2026 An acrobatic Lamine Yamal strike makes it 3-0 to Barcelona against Real Oviedo. Photograph: Albert Gea/Reuters The victory lifts Barcelona to 52 points, one ahead of Real Madrid, with Atlético Madrid third on 44. It also underscored the growing influence of 18-year-old Yamal and the…

EU lawmakers will vote this morning on whether to ask the bloc’s top court to review the European Union’s newly signed free trade agreement with South America’s Mercosur, a move that could delay the pact by about two years and potentially derail it. The parliamentary vote is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The EU finalized its largest-ever trade pact last weekend with Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The agreement still requires approval before it can take effect, setting off a fresh political fight over…

Saturday January 17, 2026 European troops land in Greenland as transatlantic rift deepens over Trump’s acquisition push NUUK, Greenland — Soldiers from France, Germany and other European nations have begun arriving in Greenland to bolster the Arctic island’s security, a rapid show of force that underscores widening disagreement between the United States and its European allies over President Donald Trump’s stated desire to acquire the semiautonomous Danish territory. France has sent 15 soldiers and Germany 13, with Norway…

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — European allies began sending small military teams to Greenland as Denmark and NATO partners prepared Arctic exercises aimed at reassuring the United States about the island’s security while President Donald Trump presses a bid to take over the territory. A meeting in Washington among U.S., Danish and Greenland officials produced no rapid resolution to the standoff, but the sides agreed to form a working group to address a broad set of concerns. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and…