DE🇩🇪Germany
The eurozone unexpectedly shrank in the first quarter (-0.2%). (Tagesschau ↗, Welt ↗)The EU approved the creation of deportation centers - migration researchers warn against “returns at any cost". (n-tv ↗)
- The U.S. House of Representatives approved a package of aid for Ukraine including $8 billion in defense loans and reaffirmed commitment under NATO Article 5 - some Republicans voted against Trump. (Tagesspiegel ↗, Welt ↗)
- Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul refuses to cut German contributions to the organization after the failed vote for a seat on the UN Security Council. (Süddeutsche Zeitung ↗, Die Zeit ↗)
- The Pentagon is considering canceling the delivery of Tomahawk missiles to Germany - out of fear of Moscow’s reaction. (Welt ↗, n-tv ↗)
- Anthropic called for a coordinated pause in artificial intelligence development and warned about its next generation. (Spiegel ↗, Tagesspiegel ↗)
- Spiegel: a wartime powers law from the Vietnam era is meant to limit Trump’s ability to wage war against Iran. (Spiegel ↗)
- Chancellor Merz and President Macron are launching a joint initiative for the Western Balkans and its EU enlargement. (Tagesspiegel ↗)
- Shooting in Berlin: investigators have tightened their approach, and around thirty suspects are in custody. (Tagesspiegel ↗)
- Hesse’s interior minister wants to track people under a departure obligation via their mobile phones' location. (Welt ↗)
PL🇵🇱Poland
Tusk is under pressure over advice to Zelenskyy - conflicting signals are coming from the KO coalition, with a dispute in the background over the “Heroes of the UPA" brigade. (Rzeczpospolita ↗)The head of President Zelenskyy’s office is arriving in Warsaw. (Gazeta Wyborcza ↗)
- The anti-corruption office CBA and the prosecutor’s office have gone after people around former Prime Minister Morawiecki and former minister Gliński - over millions of euros in subsidies. (Onet ↗)
- The dispute between Slovakia and Hungary: Slovakia’s top diplomat responds to Hungarian remarks. (Wirtualna Polska ↗)
- Brussels advises Warsaw: deal with debt, pensions, and electricity prices. (Rzeczpospolita ↗)
- Chinese cars already have 12 percent of the Polish market, and there could be even more in 2027. (Rzeczpospolita ↗)
- Thousands of people protested in Tirana, demanding the prime minister’s resignation. (Wirtualna Polska ↗)
HU🇭🇺Hungary
Péter Magyar’s government has issued a decree: from tomorrow, Hungary will not issue any further residence permits for foreign workers. (Népszava ↗, HVG ↗)The opposition is mobilizing for June 7: “let’s show that even the prime minister’s power is not unlimited". (Magyar Nemzet ↗)
- The arrest of three opposition politicians - Gergely Őrsi, Zsolt Láng, and Zsolt Molnár. The opposition says witnesses who had remained silent until now have surfaced. (Népszava ↗)
- The European Commission is demanding the removal of overhead cost reductions and price caps in exchange for EU funds. (Magyar Nemzet ↗)
- Zelenskyy’s open letter to Putin also mentions Orbán; Russia expects the Hungarian government to focus on “national interests". (HVG ↗, Magyar Nemzet ↗)
- Police: the researcher who spoke about irregularities in the HU-rizont science program did not commit a crime. (Telex ↗)
AT🇦🇹Austria
Iran reports warning shots at American warships. (ORF ↗)EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat: “the right momentum," the Union is speeding up enlargement. (Der Standard ↗, Die Presse ↗)
- Slovenia has a new government - Der Standard reports a foreign-policy shift in the neighboring country. (Der Standard ↗)
- The EU and the Western Balkans are negotiating security and billion-euro aid in Montenegrin Tivat. (Der Standard ↗)
- A seat on the UN Security Council gives Austria greater foreign-policy visibility. (Der Standard ↗)
- Due to insufficient wage transparency, Austria is heading toward an EU infringement procedure. (Kleine Zeitung ↗)
- Der Standard: resistance to artificial intelligence is becoming broader and more radical. (Der Standard ↗)
UA🇺🇦Ukraine
Prisoner exchange: 33 Ukrainian defenders were released today, including two defenders of Mariupol. (Censor.NET ↗)- “The first such operation in modern history": Ukraine destroyed a Russian drone base at the occupied Donetsk airport. (Kyiv Independent ↗)
- The U.S. House of Representatives approved a law supporting Ukraine and new sanctions against the Russian Federation despite efforts by Republican leadership to block it. (Kyiv Independent ↗, Kyiv Post ↗)
- According to Politico, the Pentagon may cancel the delivery of Tomahawks to Germany because it fears Moscow’s reaction. (Ukrainska Pravda ↗)
- Russians attacked Konotop with drones overnight - five people were injured, including three children; in Kherson, a drone killed a 75-year-old man. (Ukrainska Pravda ↗)
- Sweden is leading pressure in the EU to restrict tourist visas for Russians. (Kyiv Post ↗)
- Britain and France, according to media reports, have aligned their plan for a demining mission in the Strait of Hormuz. (Ukrainska Pravda ↗)
FR🇫🇷France
The Lyhanna case: a call for nationwide mobilization before the courts on Monday, Macron speaks of an “unacceptable failure of justice". (Ouest-France ↗)Japan wants to restart nuclear power - it plans to replace up to 14 aging reactors and double the atom’s share in the energy mix. (BFM TV ↗)
- Mikhail Khodorkovsky to Le Figaro: “No one in Putin’s inner circle supports the war, only he does." (Le Figaro ↗)
- Anthropic proposes a coordinated global moratorium on artificial intelligence development. (Le Monde ↗)
- Washington has toughened sanctions against Cuba’s leadership - President Díaz-Canel and the Castro family. (Le Monde ↗)
- In Niger, 49 people died of thirst in the desert near Agadez after their truck broke down. (Le Monde ↗, RFI ↗)
- Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected in North Korea on Monday and Tuesday. (Le Figaro ↗)
- In Romania, pro-European Eugen Tomac has been appointed prime minister. (RFI ↗)
- Palestinians at the UN are appealing to Trump to stop Israeli annexation plans. (RFI ↗)
IT🇮🇹Italy
The U.S. presented a plan for a military withdrawal from Europe. (Il Sole 24 Ore ↗)Putin at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum: “European elites are provoking chaos". (ANSA ↗)
- The first yes to nuclear power: the law opening power plants within ten years passed - the opposition attacks over the waste issue. (La Repubblica ↗)
- In southern Lebanon, a UN peacekeeper was killed; Hezbollah rejects the agreement and the U.S. House orders a withdrawal from Iran. (Corriere della Sera ↗)
- Khamenei told Trump: “America lost, you did not divide us." (La Repubblica ↗)
- The Minetti case: journalist Travaglio announces “proof of parties" and a lawsuit against the prosecutor’s office, while President Mattarella rejects any privileges. (Open ↗, Corriere della Sera ↗)
- The Picierno case is shaking the PD; Chairwoman Schlein: I regret it, I am moving on. (La Repubblica ↗)
CH🇨🇭Switzerland
- NZZ with a sharp comment: “The next world war has already begun." (Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗)- European carmakers are opening their factories to China - a risky pact with rivals. (Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗)
- Profile of Albin Kurti: strong personality, or stubbornness? Who is the most powerful man in Kosovo. (Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗)
- The Swiss are consuming more and more cocaine - which cities, groups, and professions are most affected. (Tages-Anzeiger ↗)
ES🇪🇸Spain
Visit of Pope Leo XIV to Spain - program in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands. (ABC ↗)The “cloacas de Ferraz" case: Anti-Corruption is asking the Prosecutor General’s Office to report on meetings with Leire Díez. (El Mundo ↗)
- PSOE case: Leire Díez before the judge - the newspaper counted twelve lies, and she denies party pay and meetings with Cerdán. (El Español ↗)
- Pope Leo XIV in Catalonia and Madrid - a trip focused on migration and social issues. (El País ↗)
- The U.S. Congress is pressing Trump to withdraw from Iran, while Netanyahu is eroding the ceasefire with an offensive in Lebanon. (El Español ↗)
- Armenia as the new “battlefield" between the EU and Putin’s Russia, which is trying to maintain an impossible balance. (El Español ↗)
BE🇧🇪Belgium
- Beijing is targeting the arms manufacturer FN Herstal: without Chinese “gun cotton," ammunition is hard to produce. (De Morgen ↗)- De Morgen investigates doctors’ salaries: every third doctor examined earns more than the prime minister. (De Morgen ↗)
- How the Kremlin is trying to influence the elections in Armenia - through disinformation, “fake" votes, and trade blockades. (De Morgen ↗)
- CNN: the March fire on the largest American aircraft carrier was bigger and more damaging than reported. (De Morgen ↗)
NL🇳🇱Netherlands
A leak in the Russian part of the International Space Station - the astronauts are to prepare for evacuation. (De Telegraaf ↗)- The new operator of the DigiD system may now be only European. (NU.nl ↗)
- ABN Amro is lowering its estimate for economic growth because of the Iran war. (AD ↗)
- Chinese President Xi Jinping will go on a state visit to North Korea next week. (Trouw ↗)
- The Kennedy Center ordered staff to remove Trump’s name. (NOS ↗)
RS🇷🇸Serbia
EU media: Podgorica is close to membership, Serbia is the most problematic. (Danas ↗)- Putin: the constitution allows me to run in 2030, but I am not considering it. (Politika ↗)
- Péter Magyar’s statement that Hungary “borders itself" only increases tensions, according to Belgrade. (Politika ↗)
- Zelenskyy: Russia has killed more than 700 children in Ukraine since the start of the war. (Kurir ↗)
- Former Israeli prime minister: Netanyahu will try to steal another election. (Kurir ↗)
RO🇷🇴Romania
A Ukrainian sea drone exploded in the port of Constanța, Ukraine admitted loss of control, and traffic was disrupted for hours. (Libertatea ↗) — details in our article- Tomac appointed prime minister; commentator CTP says the president “set a trap" for the PNL and USR parties. (HotNews ↗)
- Exclusive: Nvidia is interested in opening a data center in Romania, but its executives arrived in the country at the wrong time. (HotNews ↗)
- Exclusive: the presidential administration’s contract with an American company for more than half a million dollars a month is secret. (G4Media ↗)
IE🇮🇪Ireland
- Malcolm Byrne resigned as chair of the parliamentary committee on artificial intelligence after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. (Irish Independent ↗)- Nursing homes face permit refusals because of the “strict" EU/non-EU staff ratio rule. (The Journal ↗)
- The prime minister will negotiate the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU. (RTÉ ↗)
FI🇫🇮Finland
- A man living in Finland is accused of leading an Islamic State terrorist cell. (Ilta-Sanomat ↗)- More than half of Finns Party voters approve Trump’s attack on Iran. (Helsingin Sanomat ↗)
- A researcher warns: what will happen if the Strait of Hormuz is closed for the entire summer. (Ilta-Sanomat ↗)
GR🇬🇷Greece
- The EU is considering limiting temporary protection for Ukrainian men of military age - under the slogan “let more Ukrainians stay and fight". (Naftemporiki ↗)- The European Parliament recognizes worldwide persecution of Christians. (Protothema ↗)
- Markets: tech stocks bleed after Broadcom shock, Kospi index falls sharply. (Naftemporiki ↗)
TR🇹🇷Turkey
- A survey in 36 countries: negative views of Israel prevail in most of them. (TRT Haber ↗)- A global first: artificial intelligence developed a vaccine. (TRT Haber ↗)
- Corruption investigation in Istanbul’s Buca district: 54 suspects were brought before the court. (Milliyet ↗)
PT🇵🇹Portugal
- A strike in the public administration may close schools and social services. (RTP ↗)- Six people detained after clashes with police were brought before a judge. (RTP ↗)
🔁 Topics Resonating Across Multiple Countries
- The U.S. House approved aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia despite Trump - 🇩🇪 DE · 🇵🇱 PL · 🇬🇧 UK · 🇺🇦 UA · 🇫🇷 FR · 🇮🇹 IT · 🇬🇷 GR · 🇧🇪 BE · 🇳🇱 NL · 🇷🇴 RO · 🇹🇷 TR
- Zelenskyy’s letter to Putin, the Kremlin says “come to Moscow," Trump says it would be great - 🇺🇦 UA · 🇵🇱 PL · 🇮🇹 IT · 🇫🇷 FR · 🇩🇪 DE · 🇷🇸 RS · 🇷🇴 RO · 🇬🇷 GR · 🇹🇷 TR · 🇭🇷 HR · 🇮🇪 IE
- U.S. sanctions on Díaz-Canel and people around the Castro family - 🇩🇪 DE · 🇦🇹 AT · 🇫🇷 FR · 🇮🇹 IT · 🇳🇱 NL · 🇪🇸 ES · 🇬🇷 GR · 🇹🇷 TR
- Anthropic calls for a pause in AI development - 🇩🇪 DE · 🇫🇷 FR · 🇦🇹 AT · 🇹🇷 TR
- The Pentagon is considering canceling the Tomahawk delivery to Germany (fear of a Russian reaction) - 🇩🇪 DE · 🇺🇦 UA · 🇷🇸 RS · 🇦🇹 AT · 🇹🇷 TR
- Pope Leo XIV travels to Spain (migration and social issues) - 🇪🇸 ES · 🇫🇷 FR · 🇨🇭 CH
- Lebanon–Israel: the ceasefire rejected by Hezbollah, a peacekeeper killed - 🇮🇹 IT · 🇫🇷 FR · 🇪🇸 ES · 🇩🇪 DE · 🇹🇷 TR
- Xi Jinping will visit North Korea (Monday and Tuesday) - 🇫🇷 FR · 🇳🇱 NL · 🇫🇮 FI
- Chinese cars are growing in the EU market, carmakers are opening factories in China - 🇵🇱 PL · 🇷🇴 RO · 🇨🇭 CH · 🇸🇮 SI
- The EU and the Western Balkans: the summit in Tivat, the Merz-Macron initiative - 🇦🇹 AT · 🇩🇪 DE · 🇮🇪 IE · 🇺🇦 UA
What hotinfo is Watching
Three angles from this overview that we are likely to return to:- The Slovakia-Hungary dispute through neighboring eyes. Polish and Serbian media both noticed the sharp exchange between Bratislava and Budapest - the outside perspective shows how the tension is perceived in the region, not just by the domestic sides of the dispute.
- The EU proposal to limit protection for Ukrainian men of military age. A sensitive topic that so far has been opened mainly by Greek media. If the proposal moves forward, it will also affect the debate in Slovakia.
- The Pentagon and Tomahawks for Germany. A decision shaped by fear of Moscow’s reaction is a test of how far Washington is willing to go in arming European allies.
