EU
UK defence secretary John Healey was expected to confirm today that Britain would double troop numbers in Norway to 2,000 over three years, saying Russia posed the greatest Arctic threat.
The European Parliament approved a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, financed by EU bond issuance with interest covered by the EU budget, to support Kyiv’s defence.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended a preference for European-made components in strategic sectors but cautioned it should not become protectionism, while Nordic states remained wary.
Friedrich Merz and Giorgia Meloni aligned to push industrial and defense priorities within the EU and dismissed Emmanuel Macron’s eurobond and European‑preference proposals ahead of a competition summit.
The European Parliament voted to make deportations to third countries easier and approved an EU-wide list of "safe" origin countries, while lawmakers remained divided.
France urged EU partners to adopt comprehensive industrial protections and a joint investment plan to counter Chinese competition, while German hesitation risked domestic auto jobs.
The European Commission proposed a drone action plan requiring registration of all drones over 100 grams sold in the EU and bolstering airport detection and 5G countermeasures, it said.
Swedish actor Henric Holmberg, known for stage and screen work, died at 80 in Sweden, his family told Göteborgs-Posten, and national papers reported his death.
Hundreds of farmers drove tractors into central Madrid to protest the EU-Mercosur trade deal and proposed cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy, demanding the pact be halted.
