Deutsche Welle: DW.com - Europe

Sweden eases mining permits to cut China minerals reliance Sweden has declared the mining of critical minerals and rare earths a national security interest. This will ease and expedite the permit process. The government said the step was needed to counter dependence on China. ECB keeps interest rates unchanged amid Iran war inflation The European Central Bank has kept its base interest rates steady but said it was "closely monitoring" the energy price shock. The impact of the war against Iran on energy costs has pushed inflation over ECB targets. Canada-EU: Closer trade ties to counter Trump? Given they share the world's longest land border, Canada and the US have historically enjoyed fruitful trade relations. But with Donald Trump escalating his tariff war, Canada is looking to the EU and further afield. EU fines Google €890 million over competition rules The European Commission said it found that Google had preferenced its search engine and app store in ways that unfairly harmed competition. Who is Ukraine's new military chief? Mykhailo Drapatyi has been made commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces. His appointment follows a cabinet reshuffle that ousted defense minister Fedorov. Hungary: Ex-PM Orban pledges resistance to Magyar 'tyranny' Hungary's former prime minister alleges that his successor has "dismantled the rule of law and eliminated checks and balances." Peter Magyar has pursued Viktor Orban and his allies since winning April's elections. How Russia is luring foreign nationals to fight in Ukraine More and more, Russia is recruiting men from the world’s poorest countries to send them to the front in the Ukraine war. Why are people joining up? Turkey-PKK talks: Is peace finally possible? A year ago, the Kurdish militant group PKK announced an end to its armed struggle. Since then, peace talks with Turkey have progressed slowly, but some observers believe they could succeed. AliExpress hit with record EU fine The Chinese retailer has become the latest major online marketplace to face penalties under the EU’s Digital Services Act. Russia says bus strike kills 5 in border region with Ukraine The strike comes as Ukraine launched more than hundreds of drones at Moscow after a Russian missile barrage on Kyiv, as President Zelenskyy sought to calm growing tensions over Ukraine’s military leadership.