Be open to foreigners, Pope Francis tells Hungarians

Be open to foreigners, Pope Francis tells Hungarians

[ad_1] Pope Francis called for open doors and inclusivity during a visit to Hungary on Sunday.  The Hungarian government has long faced criticism over anti-immigration policies and rhetoric that has stoked xenophobia at home. Concerns about Budapest’s treatment of minorities were exacerbated on the eve of the pope’s three-day visit when Hungarian President Katalin Novák unexpectedly … Read more

Eastern Europeans face Brussels backlash over Ukraine grain bans

Eastern Europeans face Brussels backlash over Ukraine grain bans

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. European Union politicians and officials have rounded on the front-line Eastern states of Poland, Hungary and Slovakia for imposing import bans on Ukrainian farm produce, denouncing the curbs as illegal and counterproductive. The three countries banned imports of Ukrainian grain and other food … Read more

Hungary joins Poland in banning grain from Ukraine to protect local farmers

Hungary joins Poland in banning grain from Ukraine to protect local farmers

[ad_1] Budapest: Hungary has joined Poland in banning the import of grain and other food products from Ukraine, in an effort to protect its domestic farming industry, according to official sources. The ban, which was announced by the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture late Saturday night, is temporary and will last until June 30. Ukrainian grain … Read more

Ukraine’s bumper grain exports rile allies in eastern EU

Ukraine’s bumper grain exports rile allies in eastern EU

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Ukraine’s farmers played an iconic role in the first weeks of Russia’s invasion, towing away abandoned enemy tanks with their tractors. Now, though, their prodigious grain output is causing some of Ukraine’s staunchest allies to waver, as disrupted shipments are redirected onto neighboring … Read more

Finland is now officially a NATO member

Finland is now officially a NATO member

[ad_1] BRUSSELS — Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Tuesday, becoming its 31st member on the same day as NATO’s 74th anniversary. The country applied to join NATO last May in a foreign policy U-turn prompted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finland’s entry brings to the alliance a new 1,340-kilometer border with … Read more

Finland to join NATO on Tuesday 

Finland to join NATO on Tuesday 

[ad_1] Finland will formally become a full-fledged NATO ally on Tuesday, the alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.  “This is an historic week,” the NATO chief told reporters. “Tomorrow, we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO, making Finland safer and our alliance stronger.”  A ceremony marking Finland’s accession is set to take … Read more

Finland cleared to join NATO following Turkish vote

Finland cleared to join NATO following Turkish vote

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. The Turkish parliament on Thursday unanimously ratified Finland’s accession to NATO, effectively allowing Helsinki to join the military alliance but leaving Sweden out in the cold. Finland could now become a formal member of NATO within days.  “All 30 NATO members have now … Read more

Finland on course for NATO membership after Hungarian vote

Finland on course for NATO membership after Hungarian vote

[ad_1] The Hungarian parliament ratified Finland’s NATO membership on Monday, putting Helsinki one step closer to joining the alliance but leaving Sweden waiting in the wings.  Members of Hungary’s parliament voted by a margin of 182 to 6 in favor of Finnish accession. Helsinki now only needs the Turkish parliament’s approval — expected soon — … Read more

Baltics and Poland push to make sanctioning oligarchs’ associates easier

Baltics and Poland push to make sanctioning oligarchs’ associates easier

[ad_1] The Baltic states and Poland want to make it easier to sanction the family members and entourage of Russia’s richest men and women but are facing resistance from Hungary, several EU diplomats told POLITICO. Under its current rules, the EU can freeze the assets and impose visa bans on “leading businesspersons operating in Russia.” … Read more

Russian nuclear fuel: The habit Europe just can’t break

Russian nuclear fuel: The habit Europe just can’t break

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Europe is on track to kick its addiction to Russian fossil fuels, but can’t seem to replicate that success with nuclear energy a year into the Ukraine war. The EU’s economic sanctions on Russian coal and oil permanently reshaped trade and left Moscow … Read more