Deutsche Welle: DW.com - Europe

European NATO defense spending rose by almost 20% in 2025 European NATO members and Canada increased their defense spending by an aggregate of 19.6% in 2025, the second consecutive year at that rate. German defense spending, famously sluggish to rise, reached 2.4% of GDP. UN recognizes slave trade as gravest crime against humanity The UN General Assembly has passed the resolution on transatlantic slavery despite opposition from the US and European countries. Hungarian election: Will Europe's far-right help Orban win? Leading European populists are throwing their weight behind Viktor Orban's reelection campaign. But the Hungarian prime minister lags behind the opposition due to talk of corruption, scandal and his Russian ties. Iran war: Tehran sets own terms to end war, rejects US plan Tehran has set out its conditions to end the war in response to a 15-point proposal from the US, Iranian state media reported. Ukraine updates: Hungary threatens gas stop amid oil dispute Prime Minister Viktor Orban says Hungary will gradually stop the flow of gas to Ukraine until Russian Druzhba pipeline oil deliveries restart. Meanwhile, Russia reports widespread overnight drone strikes. French municipal vote: What do results mean for 2027 ballot? France's far-right National Rally did not do as well as it hoped in recent local elections. But, experts say, mainstream parties can't afford to relax ahead of the 2027 presidential elections. Who wins what in the EU's new trade deal with Australia? Squeezed by Trump's tariffs and China's industrial muscle, the EU and Australia bury old trade disputes to finalize a long-delayed free trade deal. Lithuanian PM: Stray crashed drone hailed from Ukraine Lithuania's prime minister has said that a military drone that crashed near the border to Belarus hailed from Ukraine and was aimed at Russian energy infrastructure. She said it was "part of a wider security picture." Anger in Cyprus as Iran war spotlights 'colonial' UK bases Cyprus wants a "frank discussion" about the future of UK bases. A drone incident in early March has blown open old debates across this de facto divided island. Australia and EU strike free trade deal The European Union and Australia have agreed on a sweeping new trade deal, compromising to boost exports in the face of global uncertainty over trade.