On Thursday, the European Central Bank raised interest rates for the first time since 2023, under pressure from inflation driven up by the oil shock from the war in Iran. Donald Trump threatened Tehran with a “very tough” strike and the seizure of Kharg Island, but backed down within half an hour; the Pentagon was partially evacuated for several hours over a suspicion of hazardous substances, though in the end it turned out to be a false alarm. Meanwhile, the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS next-generation fighter program fell apart, and from Friday the EU as a whole will be subject to a new migration pact. An overview from more than thirty countries.
DE🇩🇪Germany
- End of FCAS — Germany is looking for a new fighter program. After the collapse of the Franco-German-Spanish project, German companies are forming their own alliance for a future fighter jet Spiegel ↗Die Zeit ↗.
- Corporations and associations doubled their EU lobbying spending taz ↗.
- The AfD wants to radically overhaul schools in Saxony-Anhalt — is that even allowed? Tagesspiegel ↗.
- The released portion of Germany's oil reserve is almost depleted Tagesschau ↗.
- Pharmacy reform — what changes for patients taz ↗.
- US NOAA: El Niño has already arrived, extreme weather threatens Die Zeit ↗.
- New EU asylum rules: a center for procedures at the external border at the main airport Tagesspiegel ↗.
PL🇵🇱Poland
- Nawrocki, the veto record-holder: he vetoed a law on doctors without knowledge of Polish, so some medics from Ukraine will lose the right to practice Rzeczpospolita ↗.
- The migration pact takes effect on Friday, Poland will not implement all provisions Wirtualna Polska ↗.
- Tusk attacks Nawrocki — “he is entangled more than everyone thought” Do Rzeczy ↗.
- New party poll: Razem and Konfederacja gain the most, Lewica is catching up with Braun Rzeczpospolita ↗.
- The Sejm has passed the AI law — an AI commission and regulatory sandboxes for companies Rzeczpospolita ↗.
- A Belgian court sentenced the export of 400 tons of goods from the EU to Russia as a “political crime” Onet ↗.
HU🇭🇺Hungary
- The Tisza government is scrapping the interest-rate cap (kamatstop) and pushing through a raft of proposals; analysts warn the country could slide into a constitutional crisis Portfolio ↗.
- Sulyok turns to the Constitutional Court over an amendment aimed at removing him, and Magyar reacted immediately HVG ↗.
- Leadership change at the Emergency Police — the interior minister dismissed its commander HVG ↗.
- The number of Ukrainian refugees in Hungary has fallen dramatically — a clear graph Portfolio ↗.
- Mysterious headless skeletons discovered in Slovakia Magyar Nemzet ↗.
- Momentum bribery case (Zugló) — the arrested suspect was offered a leadership position HVG ↗.
AT🇦🇹Austria
- The ECB raised rates for the first time since 2023 Kurier ↗.
- Budget criticism: no pension reform, “a sickle and hammer in the eye” Die Presse ↗.
- After the end of FCAS — a corporate alliance for a new fighter jet ORF ↗.
- Choosing the ORF chief: tough questioning in the Foundation Council Die Presse ↗.
- Did Brau Union abuse market power? A witness eases the pressure on the brewing group Der Standard ↗.
- A Black Hawk helicopter made an emergency landing in Lower Austria after a cockpit warning Kurier ↗.
UA🇺🇦Ukraine
- Drone commander “Magyar”: Ukraine will isolate Crimea in the near future and gain full control over the route along the Azov Sea Censor.NET ↗Ukrainska Pravda ↗.
- A Neptune missile hit a Russian Black Sea Fleet facility in Sevastopol Interfax Ukraine ↗.
- Bundeswehr commander: Russia could attack NATO in 2029 or earlier Ukrainska Pravda ↗.
- FIDE suspended Russia for three years from chess under national symbols Censor.NET ↗.
- Ukraine's quarterly GDP fell for the first time in three years Censor.NET ↗.
- The European Commission: granting Serbian citizenship to Russians threatens EU security Ukrainska Pravda ↗.
- Estonian customs blocked the import of Russian propaganda into the EU Ukrainska Pravda ↗.
FR🇫🇷France
- The prime minister warns of “serious threats” of foreign interference in the presidential election BFM TV ↗.
- Cyberattack: seven arrested for stealing tens of millions of sensitive records in France Libération ↗.
- MBDA is investing “hundreds of millions of euros” in a new missile factory 20 Minutes ↗.
- Argentine President Milei rejected an invitation from the Medef employers' federation to its summer university BFM TV ↗.
- Swiss sociologist and leftist Jean Ziegler has died at 92 RFI ↗.
- Niger criminalizes homosexuality with penalties of up to 20 years in prison Ouest-France ↗.
- At least 40 new synthetic drugs identified in France in 2024–2025 Libération ↗.
IT🇮🇹Italy
- The IMF cut eurozone growth to 0.9% for 2026 — more pessimistic about the Middle East ANSA ↗.
- Conte attacks Meloni: she does not attend European summits, “an escape à la Schettino” Il Fatto Quotidiano ↗.
- Stop the reform of general practitioners — a risk to one of the government's key post-COVID measures Il Fatto Quotidiano ↗.
- Israel-US: frozen billions and raids in Lebanon — fronts fueling tension Il Giornale ↗.
- The Meloni “knee-pad” case in the Chamber of Deputies — controversy Open ↗.
CH🇨🇭Switzerland
- The National Council wants to massively strengthen the peacekeeping forces in Kosovo — Serbia is lobbying behind the scenes Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗.
- Referendum on agreements with the EU: supporters of the mandatory majority of cantons (Ständemehr) are celebrating Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗.
- Toronto: a police officer killed during a raid, shots fired at the US consulate, suspect on the run Tages-Anzeiger ↗.
- Confusion over the suspension of Colombia's acting president ahead of the election SRF ↗.
- Disputes over UBS capital rules — banking unions are calling for a compromise Tages-Anzeiger ↗.
LU🇱🇺Luxembourg
- Ukraine urges Philharmonie to cancel Anna Netrebko's concert Luxembourg Times ↗.
- Luxembourg is betting on robotaxis, but the partners are bringing baggage Luxemburger Wort ↗.
ES🇪🇸Spain
- Sánchez's mass regularization of migrants under fire: EU Commissioner Brunner criticizes it while the EU tightens migration policy El Mundo ↗; the new pact takes effect on Friday El País ↗.
- The Congress asks to review the 53 million euro Plus Ultra rescue “immediately” El Mundo ↗.
- The IMF reinforces the austerity prescription for Europe as a response to the impact of the war in Iran eldiario.es ↗.
- Vox calls a demonstration in Barcelona — “the insecurity is unsustainable” ABC ↗.
- Saronic and Castelion are preparing the first launch of a hypersonic vehicle from an unmanned vessel El Español ↗.
BE🇧🇪Belgium
- The head of Russia's central bank has not been seen in public for over a week, and the Kremlin is damping down speculation Het Laatste Nieuws ↗.
- A Belgian man received five years for illegal exports to Russia (a case involving suspected Russian espionage) De Morgen ↗.
- Italy is struggling with the launch of the migration pact — “it's a shame we don't know what will happen” De Morgen ↗.
- The 2026 World Cup is “very secure,” but the risk of a “lone wolf” remains La Libre ↗.
- Canada is considering banning social media for minors (with a back door) De Standaard ↗.
PT🇵🇹Portugal
- OPEC is producing 34% less since the war in Iran Observador ↗.
- The government activates the EU safeguard clause to offset energy costs Expresso ↗.
- Mozambique: Venâncio writes to the president, asking him to stop the “massacre” against Anamola RTP ↗.
- The IMF: the ECB may have to raise rates more than expected Jornal de Negócios ↗.
- The government dismissed the clinical director of primary care at ULS Santa Maria RTP ↗.
IE🇮🇪Ireland
- US tariffs could hit employment in Ireland by 3% The Irish Times ↗.
- The US allegedly hit an Iranian water facility — is that a war crime? The Irish Times ↗.
- Israel before the biggest expansion of settlements on the West Bank in decades The Irish Times ↗.
- The EU must learn to “defend” itself against “MAGA ideologues” — the European Commissioner told the Irish parliament The Irish Times ↗.
- National Children's Hospital: the board and the contractor again failed to agree on an opening date Irish Independent ↗.
NL🇳🇱Netherlands
- Minister Heinen tore apart the compromise on the EU mega-budget: “the only positive thing is that it shows how not to do it” De Telegraaf ↗.
- The right to demonstrate is under fire plus a bill against glorifying terrorism — “we should not still be on a repressive wave” NRC ↗.
- Stricter rules for steel slag from 2027, only with a permit Trouw ↗.
- The obligation to house poultry indoors has been lifted as bird flu cases decline NOS ↗.
- Tragedy in Zeeland: a car slammed into cyclists, killing three people, including two children AD ↗.
🌍 Other Countries
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: the British RAF Tempest fighter may be canceled Daily Mail ↗; Iran warns that Elon Musk's companies are legitimate military targets Daily Mail ↗; a new flu strain poses a trillion-pound risk Daily Mail ↗.
- 🇷🇴 Romania: “A budding illiberalism” — the judiciary is targeting reformist media and NGOs, while the president stays silent G4Media ↗; conflict in the Superior Council of Magistracy between prosecutors and judges Pro TV ↗; judges who raised their own salaries through rulings violated five Constitutional Court decisions G4Media ↗.
- 🇷🇸 Serbia: the Pentagon put 188 Chinese companies (Alibaba, BYD, Baidu) on a military blacklist Kurir ↗; threats to the N1 journalist from Maribor Nova ↗; the OSCE is calling for the murder of journalist Pantić to be solved N1 ↗.
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia: the new government revoked measures against Israel — including bans on Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, as well as the arms export ban RTV Slovenija ↗; Slovenia is abolishing border controls with Croatia and Hungary N1 Croatia ↗.
- 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: the EU agreed to approve new military factories within 42 days Dnevnik ↗; a Bulgarian car carrying migrants crashed in Croatia — one dead and nine injured 24 Chasa ↗.
- 🇹🇷 Turkey: Israel announced the occupation of the Wadi Saluki valley in Lebanon Milliyet ↗; Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon raised the death toll to nine TRT Haber ↗; according to Haaretz, Israel is using archaeology to annex the West Bank TRT Haber ↗.
- 🇩🇰 Denmark: Novo Nordisk fell victim to a cyberattack and shut down its IT systems DR ↗; it became the first European country to approve the Wegovy pill DR ↗.
- 🇪🇪 Estonia / 🇱🇹 Lithuania: NATO commander Grynkewich — a Russian attack on the Baltics would fail Postimees ↗; France is considering strengthening the role of Kaja Kallas Postimees ↗; WHO — heat killed more than 200,000 people in Europe since 2022 Lietuvos Rytas ↗.
- 🇫🇮 Finland: the Indian foreign minister “reprimanded” Europe at the Kultaranta forum Ilta-Sanomat ↗; Stubb does not consider himself the best negotiator with Putin Helsingin Sanomat ↗.
- 🇸🇪 Sweden: Trump's unpredictability dominates the new security analysis Dagens Nyheter ↗; the Riksdag is debating a municipal veto against uranium mining SVT ↗.
- 🇮🇸 Iceland: during an international police operation, it emerged that Icelandic infrastructure had been abused for laundering cryptocurrency RÚV ↗.
- 🇲🇩 Moldova: Parliament approved a new media law in the first reading Ziarul de Gardă ↗.
- 🇲🇹 Malta: Ryanair is being investigated over a mandatory fee for a parent to sit next to their children Newsbook ↗.
🔁 Cross-country Themes
- Iran–US: Trump threatens a strike “tonight,” the seizure of Kharg Island, but backed down within half an hour — 🇩🇪 DE n-tv ↗ · 🇭🇷 HR Index.hr ↗ · 🇮🇪 IE Irish Examiner ↗ · 🇺🇦 UA Ukrainska Pravda ↗
- Pentagon evacuation — later confirmed to be a false alarm — 🇩🇪 DE Tagesspiegel ↗ · 🇫🇮 FI Ilta-Sanomat ↗
- The ECB raised rates for the first time since 2023 — 🇦🇹 AT Kurier ↗ · 🇨🇭 CH NZZ ↗
- The EU migration pact takes effect on Friday — 🇵🇱 PL Wirtualna Polska ↗ · 🇪🇸 ES El País ↗ · 🇧🇪 BE De Morgen ↗
- The dispute over the long-term EU budget — richer states want bigger cuts — 🇳🇱 NL De Telegraaf ↗ · 🇬🇷 GR Naftemporiki ↗
- Pope Leo XIV — the consecration of the Sagrada Família tower and an appeal for migrants — 🇮🇪 IE RTÉ ↗ · 🇵🇹 PT CM Jornal ↗
- El Niño and the climate shock — 200,000 heat-wave victims in Europe since 2022 — 🇩🇪 DE Die Zeit ↗ · 🇱🇹 LT Lietuvos Rytas ↗
- The start of the 2026 World Cup — the “most geopolitical” in history — 🇫🇷 FR BFM TV ↗ · 🇭🇷 HR Index.hr ↗
🔎 Another View
- Where did Nabiullina disappear to? The head of Russia's central bank, a symbol of the regime's “rational” face, has not been seen in public or at key forums for over a week; the Kremlin is damping down speculation Het Laatste Nieuws ↗. SK/CZ media are not covering the topic.
- Serbian “golden passports” as a hole in Schengen: the European Commission warns that granting Serbian citizenship to Russians threatens EU security Ukrainska Pravda ↗.
- Romania's “budding illiberalism”: a local outlet describes how the judiciary is attacking reformist media and NGOs while the president stays silent G4Media ↗.
What Hotinfo Is Watching
Whether the ECB will keep raising rates (the IMF warns another move may be coming), where the Iraqi-American escalation goes after Trump's Kharg threat, and how European governments will launch the new migration pact taking effect on Friday. We are also tracking the fate of the European fighter program after the collapse of FCAS and Slovenia's change in stance toward Israel.
