Page 11 - Europe

European defence leaders meet amid outrage over Russian airstrike on Kyiv

European defence ministers are meeting in Copenhagen to discuss the war in Ukraine, the day after a Russian air assault on Kyiv killed 23 people and badly damaged a European diplomatic compound. Outrage over the attack propelled the political leaders of Europe's armed forces to condemn Russia even before Friday's meeting and call for stronger measures on Moscow like seizing frozen assets, further sanctions and increasing support for Ukraine's military and membership in the European Union. They will also discuss European troops' deployment in Ukraine to guarantee security and monitor a peace that seems distant as American efforts to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia appear stalled. Everybody understands that, considering how (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is mocking the peace efforts, the only thing that works is pressure, said Kaja Kallas, foreign policy chief for the European Union. Two missiles landed about 50 metres from an EU diplomatic mission in Kyiv, shattering the

Europe battles record wildfires in 2025 as climate change fuels devastation

More than one million hectares have been destroyed by wildfires in the European Union so far this year, a surface area larger than the entirety of Corsica

Tesla EU sales plunge 40% in July as anger at Musk drives 7th monthly drop

Europeans angry at Elon Musk still aren't buying his cars months after the billionaire predicted a major rebound in Tesla sales, data released Thursday shows. Tesla sales plunged 40 per cent in July in the 27 European Union countries compared with the year earlier even as sales overall of electric vehicle soared, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. Meanwhile sales of Chinese rival BYD continued to climb fast, grabbing 1.1 per cent market share of all car sales in the month versus Tesla's 0.7 per cent. Tesla stock fell 1.5 per cent in afternoon trading Thursday. Musk angered many Europeans by wading into politics there, embracing far-right candidates, calling a British prime minister an evil tyrant who belongs in prison and telling Germans things will get very, very much worse in their country if they didn't vote for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party. Protests broke out in several cities, including a hanging of the billionaire in effigy in

Kremlin disapproves of European proposals on security proposals for Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine as "very important" however, and said Moscow hoped they would continue

Denmark summons US diplomat over alleged 'covert operation' in Greenland

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom (of Denmark) will be unacceptable

European postal services suspend shipment of packages to US over tariffs

The end of an exemption on tariff duties for low-value packages coming into the United States is causing multiple international postal services to pause shipping as they await more clarity on the rule. The exemption, known as the de minimis" exemption, allows packages worth less than $800 to come into the U.S. duty free. A total of 1.36 billion packages were sent in 2024 under this exemption, for goods worth $64.6 billion, according to data from the US Customs and Border Patrol Agency. It is set to expire on Friday. On Saturday, postal services around Europe announced that they are suspending the shipment of many packages to the United States amid confusion over new import duties. Postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Italy said they will stop shipping most merchandise to the U.S. effective immediately. France and Austria will follow on Monday. The U.K.'s Royal Mail said it would halt shipments to the US on Tuesday to allow time for those packages to arrive before duties

Climate change drives rise of 'coolcations' as tourists flee heatwaves

Heatwaves forced closures of sites like the Acropolis and Eiffel Tower, with Europe facing a growing tourism divide as climate change impacts north and south differently

Europe will have to take lion's share of burden for Ukraine security: Vance

European countries have formed a coalition of the willing that would commit forces to guarantee Ukraine's security

India, Eurasian Economic Union ink terms of reference for trade pact talks

India and the five-nation Eurasian Economic Union bloc on Wednesday inked terms of reference to start formal negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement, an official statement said. The five members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The development is important as India is looking to diversify its export markets due to high tariffs imposed by the US. The terms of reference (ToR), the commerce ministry said, provides the framework for negotiations and is expected to unlock untapped trade potential, increase investments and establish a stronger, durable IndiaEAEU economic partnership. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the early conclusion of the agreement and to building a long-term institutional framework for trade cooperation, it said. The two-way trade stood at USD 69 billion in 2024, an increase of 7 per cent over 2023. With a combined GDP of USD 6.5 trillion, the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) is ..

'Great honour' to host European leaders: Trump ahead of Ukraine meeting

US Vice President JD Vance, who attended Trump's meeting with Zelenskiy in February that ended in a remarkable clash, will also participate in today's talks, a source briefed on the matter said

Europe turns to air conditioning as extreme heat becomes new normal

This spring, the owners installed air conditioning - discreet Mitsubishi Compact+ units mounted against the exposed stone walls to preserve the château's traditional charm

Wildfires fanned by heatwave rage across Europe, burning houses, factories

"What does it look like? It looks like doomsday. May God help us and help the people here," said Giorgos Karvanis, a volunteer who had come from Athens to Patras to help.

Indian-origin taxi driver attacked in Ireland, police probe violent assault

An Indian-origin taxi driver based in Ireland for over 23 years has become the latest to be targeted in an unprovoked attack in the capital Dublin, with local police (Gardai) launching an investigation into the violent assault. Lakhvir Singh, in his 40s, told local media that he picked up two young men in their 20s on Friday night and dropped them at Poppintree, in the Ballymun suburb of Dublin. Upon arriving at the destination, the men are said to have opened the vehicle door and struck him twice on the head with a bottle. As the suspects fled, they reportedly shouted: "Go back to your own country". "In 10 years I've never seen anything like this happen," Singh told Dublin Live'. "I'm really scared now and I'm off the road at the moment. It will be very hard to go back. My children are really scared," he said. A Dublin police spokesperson said Singh was taken to the city's Beaumont Hospital with injuries determined as not life-threatening. "Garda are investigating an assault rep

Putin says hypersonic missile enters service, to be deployed in Belarus

President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia has started production of its newest hypersonic missiles and reaffirmed its plans to deploy them to ally Belarus later this year. Sitting alongside Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Valaam Island near St Petersburg, Putin said the military already has selected deployment sites in Belarus for the Oreshnik intermediate range ballistic missile. Preparatory work is ongoing, and most likely we will be done with it before the year's end, Putin said, adding that the first series of Oreshniks and their systems have been produced and entered military service. Russia first used the Oreshnik, which is Russian for hazelnut tree, against Ukraine in November, when it fired the experimental weapon at a factory in Dnipro that built missiles when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Putin has praised the Oreshnik's capabilities, saying its multiple warheads that plunge to a target at speeds up to Mach 10 are immune to being intercepted and a

Key things to know about how Elon Musk boosted hard-right figures in Europe

Elon Musk may have tumbled from political grace in Washington, DC, but as he seeks to build a new political party, his power on X where he commands the most popular account remains unchecked. Musk is a kingmaker on the platform he acquired in 2022 for USD 44 billion. He has used his influence to cultivate hard-right politicians and insurgent activists across Europe. A retweet or reply from Musk can lead to millions of views and tens of thousands of new followers, according to an Associated Press analysis of public data. That fact has not been lost on influencers who have tagged Musk persistently, seeking a reply or a retweet. It has also fuelled concerns in Europe about foreign meddling -- not from Russia or China, but from the United States. Every alarm bell needs to ring, Christel Schaldemose, a vice president of the European Parliament who works on electoral interference and digital regulation, told AP. The Associated Press analysed more than 20,000 posts, which were compiled

Heading to Europe? ₹2,000 travel permit required for each adult soon

Europe is raising the fee for its upcoming ETIAS travel authorisation from €7 to €20, sparking pushback from tourism bodies even before the system launches

Europeans, Iranians meet as return of sanctions looms over nuclear deadlock

Iranian and European diplomats are set to meet in Istanbul Friday to embark on the latest drive to unpick the deadlock over Tehran's nuclear programme. Representatives from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3 nations, will gather at the Iranian consulate building for the first talks since Iran's 12-day war with Israel in June, which involved US bombers striking nuclear-related facilities. The talks are centred on the possibility of reimposing sanctions on Iran that were lifted in 2015 in exchange for Iran accepting restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear programme. The return of sanctions, known as a snapback mechanism, remains on the table, according to a European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. A possible delay in triggering snapback has been floated to the Iranians on the condition that there is credible diplomatic engagement by Iran, that they resume full cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),

Europe, China agree to take action on climate change during Beijing summit

China and the European Union have issued a joint call to action on climate change during an otherwise tense bilateral summit in Beijing on Thursday riven with major disagreements over trade and the war in Ukraine. The two economic juggernauts issued a joint statement on climate change, urging more emission cuts and greater use of green technology and affirming their support for the Paris Climate Agreement as well as calling for strong action at the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil. In the fluid and turbulent international situation today, it is crucial that all countries, notably the major economies, maintain policy continuity and stability and step up efforts to address climate change, the joint statement said. Their climate agreement was a silver lining on a stormy day where European leaders demanded a more balanced relationship with China in talks with President Xi Jinping. They highlighted trade in their opening remarks, calling for concrete progress to address Europe's

Europe and China to hold trade talks; low expectations for major agreements

European leaders are meeting with top Chinese officials in Beijing on Thursday to discuss trade, climate change and global conflicts, with observers saying expectations were low for any solid agreements. The talks, initially supposed to last two days but scaled back to one, come amid financial uncertainty around the world, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the threat of U.S. tariffs. Neither the EU nor China is likely to budge on key issues dividing the two economic juggernauts. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antnio Costa will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to mark 50 years of relations between Brussels and Beijing. Von der Leyen and Costa were expected to challenge China's strategies on a number of issues during the talks. They include Beijing's position on Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine; and China's trade imbalance with the EU, persistent cyberattacks and ...

Want to freelance in Europe? Germany's ₹1.9L/month visa route may suit you

Germany's Freelance Visa lets Indians work independently across fields like IT, media and teaching. Here's how to qualify, apply, and what it costs