EU still lacks unanimity to sanction Itamar Ben-Gvir, Kaja Kallas says
The European Union still does not have unanimous backing to impose sanctions on Israel's security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, according to the bloc's foreign policy chief. Kaja Kallas made the comments on arrival at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, where the issue was due to be discussed. The talks come amid growing pressure from some member states over Ben-Gvir's treatment of Gaza-bound flotilla detainees.Ms Kallas said the proposal had been raised by several member states, but that consultations had not yet produced the unanimity required for EU sanctions on an individual. She said there was broad condemnation of... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 15 Jun 2026 11:36 LONDON
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Ireland probe into Aughinish Alumina shipments to Russia to conclude within weeks
Ireland's government says its investigation into the Aughinish Alumina refinery will conclude within weeks, after allegations that alumina shipments from the plant may be ending up in Russian weapons systems used against Ukraine. Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said the review, ordered after media reports, is being carried out by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Foreign Affairs. She said the government wants to establish all the facts and ensure it is not playing any part in material that can be used as a weapon by Russia.McEntee made the comments on arrival at a meeting... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 15 Jun 2026 10:32 LONDON
EU to open first accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova after Hungary lifts veto
The European Union is set to formally open the first part of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on Monday evening, after Hungary lifted its veto on the process. The move will be marked by an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg following a meeting of EU foreign ministers. It is the first step in a long accession path that both countries have been seeking since the start of the war in Ukraine and Moldova's parallel push to move closer to the bloc.The opening concerns the first of six thematic clusters in the accession process, known as the fundamentals. These cover economic... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 15 Jun 2026 07:32 LONDON
Hungary's Fidesz re-elects Viktor Orban as party leader after April election defeat
Hungary's Fidesz party has re-elected Viktor Orban as its leader for another year, despite the party's defeat in April's parliamentary election. Orban ran unopposed at the party congress and won a near-unanimous vote, with 729 of 737 delegates backing him. The result keeps the former prime minister at the head of the governing party as it tries to regroup after losing power to the centre-right Tisza party.Orban told delegates he took full responsibility for Fidesz's election defeat and said he did not intend to step aside. He also said the party needed to change if it was to function as... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 13 Jun 2026 20:29 LONDON
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EU agrees to launch membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova
European Union member states have agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, in a move that formally launches the next stage of the two countries' long path towards possible EU membership. The decision was taken by ambassadors from the bloc's 27 nations at a meeting in Brussels, with an intergovernmental conference due to be held on Monday in Luxembourg. That meeting is expected to open key negotiation clusters, marking the start of detailed talks on the conditions for joining the bloc.EU Council president Antonio Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the decision recognised the... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 12 Jun 2026 20:32 LONDON
Hundreds of former European officials urge EU to suspend Israel trade access
More than 460 former European political figures have called on the European Union to take tougher action against Israel over its military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. The appeal was set out in an editorial published ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg next week and an EU summit in Brussels. The signatories include former Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, former tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox.The group said the EU should suspend Israel's preferential trade access under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It argued that such a move would affect... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 10 Jun 2026 06:33 LONDON
