Deutsche Welle: DW.com - Europe

France: Macron's pro-business agenda hit by budget chaos France's 2026 budget finally passed the country's parliament, putting an end to months of deadlock. But for some, the bill marks the end of President Macron's pro-business policies. 'No regrets.' Belarusian activist talks exile in Germany Maria Kolesnikova was a leading figure in the 2020 protests against Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. After her unexpected release from prison, she came to Germany to rebuild her life. German and UK military chiefs state case for rearming The top military officials of the German and UK militaries say "rearmament is not warmongering." Germany's Carsten Breuer and the UK's Richard Knighton jointly pushed the "moral" case amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Hungary: Magyar launches anti-Orban election campaign Peter Magyar's opposition Tisza party is pledging to combat corruption in one of the European Union's poorest countries and reverse Budapest's pivot towards Russia. Europe looks to shore up own defenses amid US uncertainty NATO remains a vital security umbrella for Europe, but self-reliance and mutual defense was a recurring theme for the continent's leaders during the annual Munich Security Conference. Marco Rubio visits Trump allies in Eastern Europe The US Secretary of State is on a two-day trip to Slovakia and Hungary, whose leaders have close ties with Trump. Both countries are being courted to cut their reliance on Russia for energy in favor of US alternatives. Prague exhibition documents Slovak National Gallery decline A Prague exhibition called "Free National Gallery — Description of a Struggle" details the political dispute over culture in neighboring Slovakia under Robert Fico. It carries an implicit warning for Czech culture, too. France assembles magistrate team to examine 'Epstein files' A team of magistrates will search the so-called "Epstein files" to identify any further possible offenses. The case of French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel is to be thoroughly re-examined. Burglars ransack safe-deposit boxes in German bank heist Police said they had not identified the perpetrators or established what was stolen. Emergency workers found an unknown liquid on the doors of the bank but said it did not pose a health risk. Orban says EU bigger threat to Hungary than Russia Hungarian PM Viktor Orban accused the EU of propping up Peter Magyar's Tisza opposition party. Hungary's longest-serving prime minister is facing his biggest electoral challenge in years.