EU external relations, diplomacy, and security
FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to create a $20 billion private company to run the World Cup, backed by the Kushner family, has drawn immediate and furious pushback from UEFA. Europe’s soccer body says the tournament simply isn’t FIFA’s to sell.
From a knife-edge vote in the European Parliament to a brutal heatwave gripping southern Europe, Tuesday delivered no shortage of drama. Here’s everything that mattered today.
Ten-year-old Sasha Paskal lost her leg in a Russian missile strike on Kherson — then taught herself to compete again. This week, she performed in the heart of New York City.
Iran’s foreign ministry told Washington it won’t be allowed to set the terms or timeline of any potential negotiations, pushing back hard on Trump’s claim that Tehran had requested talks. The war of words is complicating efforts by mediators to revive a collapsed interim nuclear deal.
Iran and the United States exchanged direct military strikes Tuesday, collapsing a fragile 72-hour ceasefire and pushing the Middle East toward its most dangerous moment in years. US Central Command confirmed intercepting multiple Iranian ballistic missiles as American forces struck back at targets inside Iran.
A NATO intern has been arrested in Belgium on suspicion of conducting espionage on behalf of a foreign intelligence service, Belgian prosecutors confirmed. The arrest comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the alliance as it prepares for a major summit in June 2025.
Moulin Rouge dancers performed the iconic cancan outside their famous Montmartre cabaret as Paris welcomed the Tour de France finale. The surprise street performance drew huge crowds and quickly went viral online.
Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain in Romanian custody as their lawyers battle extradition to the UK, where serious criminal charges are waiting. The court’s ruling this week dealt a sharp blow to a defence strategy built on delays and jurisdictional disputes.
China has placed Rheinmetall on its export ban list, targeting the German defence giant amid rising tensions over European weapons supplies. The move could expose vulnerabilities in Europe’s defence supply chains.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of ‘fomenting hate’ after Mamdani backed away from a threat to arrest him on an ICC warrant. The clash marks the latest flashpoint between Netanyahu and American progressive politicians over the war in Gaza.
