🕌 Saudi Crown Prince Asks Trump for Military Help Against Houthis
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman contacted President Donald Trump on Thursday to request US military assistance in fighting Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The appeal comes as the Houthis have stepped up their threat to Red Sea shipping lanes, intensifying pressure on Riyadh to secure external support.
🇪🇺 Von der Leyen May Drop Child Social Media Restrictions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appears to be retreating from expected social media restrictions for children, despite the measures being widely anticipated in this year's State of the Union address.
Victims of online harm and advocacy groups fear the Commission will backtrack on pledges to better protect minors online — restrictions that gained urgency following documented cases of serious harm and deaths linked to children's social media use.
The apparent shift marks a significant change in tone from von der Leyen, raising questions about the EU's direction on digital child safety at a moment when pressure for stronger regulation has been mounting across member states.
🌍 Sweden Election Could Cement Far-Right Power-Sharing in Europe
Sweden's upcoming election is too close to call, with two rival blocs running neck-and-neck — and the outcome could set a precedent for how mainstream conservative parties across Europe engage with the far right.
If the right-wing bloc prevails, it would consolidate a governance model in which established conservative parties openly share power with far-right movements — a shift already visible in Italy, Finland and the Netherlands. The arrangement could amplify pressure within the EU on migration restrictions, energy policy and security posture.
Analysts warn the Swedish result may accelerate normalisation of such coalitions across the continent, reshaping the boundaries of mainstream European politics.
Yemen's Houthi rebels are advancing along the southern Red Sea coast, targeting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in a campaign that mirrors Iran's strategy of threatening to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
The offensive includes the capture of a Red Sea port city, with coastal towns and islands in the strategic waterway listed as next military objectives. Control of Bab el-Mandeb would give the Houthis significant leverage over one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, through which a large share of global trade passes.
Spanish and Moroccan authorities received advance intelligence warning of a planned mass migrant crossing at Ceuta, declassified documents reveal.
Intelligence services were alerted to social media calls for the surge the day before tens of thousands of people entered the Spanish enclave. The documents indicate both governments had prior knowledge but the crossing proceeded at scale regardless.
The disclosure raises questions about the coordination of the response to one of the largest single migration events at Europe's borders.
🏛 Fourteen Men on Trial Over 2019 Channel Disaster That Killed 31
Fourteen defendants have gone on trial in Paris on charges including involuntary homicide over the sinking of an inflatable dinghy in the English Channel that killed 31 migrants — the deadliest small-boat crossing disaster on record.
The vessel was bound for the UK when it sank approximately five years ago. The trial marks a significant moment of legal accountability for the people-smuggling networks that organise such crossings.