Welcome to a new edition of our Brief, a roundup of today’s top stories.
Trump attacks NATO
The transatlantic alliance faces an existential rift after Donald Trump preemptively lifted his push for allies to back the US and Israel’s campaign in Iran. In a flurry of posts and statements on social media from the president and other government officials, the White House predicted European allies and pulled out of the alliance.
The implications of such a move would be grave for Europe, analysts warn, destroying the most important military alliance in modern history.
Relations with the US have been strained by the refusal of some countries to allow US access to bases in Europe. “If NATO just means that we defend Europe in the event of an attack, but it denies us stationing rights when we need them, then that’s not a very good deal,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Al Jazeera.
US forces have historically used 31 permanent bases and 19 other military locations dotted across the continent. But Washington is dependent on its allies for permission to use them – which for Iran’s war purposes has in some cases been denied, notably with the British base at Diego Garcia and the Spanish base at Morón.
Briefing
Iran accused of tampering with victims’ identities – The Iranian authorities are deliberate misidentification, mixing or premature release of human waste for families without verification, according to officials within the country’s medical system. Critics say the practice is a systematic tampering of evidence designed to obscure the causes of death, erase the identities of victims and prevent accountability.
MPs agree to scrap high-risk chemicals in everyday cosmetics – After several months of criticism that the Parliament was weakening the protection against potentially toxic substances in cosmeticslawmakers have now reached an agreement on a new system to phase them out. The final text marks a shift from both the Commission’s proposal and Parliament’s earlier, more industry-friendly drafts.
Russia claims to have fully occupied the Luhansk region of Ukraine – Moscow has claimed that its forces have take over Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, apparently seizing a small chunk of land not previously under its full control since the all-out invasion in 2022. The vast majority of Luhansk – over 99% of the territory – has for years been under Russian control, which Kiev and Western countries dispute as illegal.
All over Europe
The leader of the Hungarian opposition accuses the foreign minister of treason Peter Magyar, the leader of Hungary’s Tisza opposition party, which is leading in the polls ahead of this month’s election, has accused Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, of betraying his country for Russia. Newly released transcripts and audio recordings appear to show Szijjártó’s extremely close relationship with Moscow, including exchanges where he appears to take orders.
The EU prosecutor requests the lifting of the immunity of 11 Greek MPs in the fraud investigation – The EU Chief Prosecutor requested this removing the immunity of 11 Greek MPs on alleged fraud involving agricultural funds. The case is part of a wider investigation launched into alleged fraud involving farmers, politicians and the Greek payments agency OPEKEPE.
Brussels imposes overnight business curfew near North Station – The Brabant district has implemented one prohibiting the opening of businesses at nightincluding cafes, nightclubs and brothels, in a bid to curb drug-related crime in the area. The curfew is between 01:00 and 06:00 and will last until June 30.
(jp)
