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Finnish PM grilled by progressive MEPs over far-right alliance

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Finnish PM grilled by progressive MEPs over far-right alliance

Finland’s prime minister addressed on Wednesday the European Parliament and outlined his political priorities for the next legislature.

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“My government is committed to a strong European Union. An EU that acts not only reacts. We want to build a Union that takes care of our common security and works for our economy,” Petteri Orpo told lawmakers.

But the premier’s speech quickly descended into finger-pointing and recriminations over his alliance with the Finns Party, a populist, Eurosceptic party that has been plagued by racism, anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism scandals.

The Finns Party sits with the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR) in the Strasbourg hemicycle, while Orpo’s National Coalition belongs to the European People’s Party (EPP), the centre-right formation that holds the largest share of seats. Orpo’s cabinet also features members from the Swedish People’s Party of Finland (Renew Europe) and Christian Democrats (EPP).

Last year, one of the Finns Party’s ministers, Vilhelm Junnila, resigned after it was revealed he had made jokes about “Heil Hitler” and promoted abortions in Africa as a method to combat climate change. The party’s leader, Riikka Purra, was forced to apologise for making racist remarks about Turkish and Somali immigrants in the past.

Progressive forces see the Helsinki government as evidence of the increasingly blurred line between the traditional right and the extreme right, a phenomenon they say is spreading fast across the bloc and threatens the viability of European integration.

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Iratxe García Pérez, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), led the charge against the guest of honour, telling him: “Your only enemy is the far right.” The Spaniard also name-checked EPP President Manfred Weber, whom she considers to be the mastermind behind the ideological rapprochement.

“Your alliance with the far right is the real threat to our democracy and to the European project. This is why the future of the European Union is at stake,” García Pérez said.

“In times of uncertainty and great transformation, it is not enough to simply try to resist the reactionary wave. We have to move forward,” she went on.

“Mr Orpo, Mr Weber: put an end to your alliance with those who want to destroy Europe.”

Another point of contention was Orpo’s proposal for a Green Deal rethink after the elections to the European Parliament, scheduled to take place between 6 and 9 June. The Finnish PM urged the bloc to “recalibrate our climate policy and shift away from overly detailed regulation to fostering innovation.”

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“We need carrots and incentives, not sticks and bureaucracy,” he said, prompting applause from EPP lawmakers, who have adopted a more critical stance on the Green Deal spearheaded by Ursula von der Leyen, the party’s most prominent politician.

Philippe Lamberts, co-chair of the Greens, took exception to Orpo’s pitch and argued Finland’s frugal stance on public spending was in “contradiction” with the goals of deploying renewable energy, as this entails significant expenses for all member states. 

“Regulation sets ourselves targets and creates markets. So we need regulation,” Lamberts told him. “You cannot at the same time say we need more carrots, but then we don’t want to spend money on it. I mean, what are the carrots if it’s not public money?”

Lamberts also denounced Orpo’s cabinet, saying “people like us should never, never go into alliance with people who de facto consider some human beings as inferior.”

“That’s what you did in Finland. And I’m glad, Manfred (Weber), that your colleagues in Portugal are not going to do that,” he said, referring to the recent outcome of the legislative elections in Portugal, where the victorious conservatives have ruled out entering into a coalition with the far-right Chega party.

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The criticism against Orpo, his political alliances and his economic reforms was extensively echoed by other progressive MEPs during the hour-long debate in Strasbourg, even if occasionally interrupted by expressions of support from right-wing and hard-right lawmakers.

Nicola Procaccini, co-chair of the ECR group, warmly welcomed the Finnish PM and said his electoral victory was “more important than you can ever imagine.”

“And even more significant was your choice to govern alongside the Finns Party. A notable member of our political family. You managed to resist the pressure of those who didn’t want a coalition between the EPP and the ECR,” Procaccini said. “If the centre right is united, it wins everywhere in Europe and the left knows this all too well.”

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The ECR group is considered more ideologically tolerable for the EPP than the other Eurosceptic formation in the parliament, Identity and Democracy (ID), which encompasses the likes of National Rally (France), Alternative für Deutschland (Germany), Flemish Interest (Belgium) and the Freedom Party of Austria.

Von der Leyen and Weber have dismissed ID as “Putin’s friends” and rejected any possible cooperation with them. However, some members of the ECR, like Fratelli d’Italia (Italy), Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic) and Sweden Democrats (Sweden) are seen as more suitable partners for the mainstream conservatives, as demonstrated by Orpo’s working arrangement with the Finns Party.

Opinion polls project a substantial increase in seats for both the ECR and the ID groups, which would weaken the grand coalition between conservatives, socialists and liberals.

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At the end of the debate, the premier took the floor again to defend his coalition and double down on his political agenda, particularly on support for Ukraine, an issue that the EPP uses as a yardstick to distinguish palatable from unpalatable parties.

“Madame García Pérez and for many others: there (are) no far-right parties in my government,” Orpo told the hemicycle. “(The) Finnish government is pro-rule of law. It’s pro-democracy. It’s pro-equal gender rights. It’s pro-Ukraine. Pro-European Union. “

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EU pushes for end of Iran war in a manner where ‘everybody saves face’

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EU pushes for end of Iran war in a manner where ‘everybody saves face’

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The European Union’s foreign policy chief said Tuesday that the bloc is consulting with Gulf countries to potentially “bring forward proposals for Iran, Israel and the U.S.” to get out of their war in a situation where “everybody saves face.”

Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made the remark to Reuters, adding that “it would be in the interest of everybody if this war stops.”

“We have been consulting with regional countries like ‌the Gulf ⁠countries, Jordan, Egypt, [about] whether we could also bring forward proposals for Iran, Israel and the U.S. to get out of this situation so that everybody saves face,” Kallas was quoted as saying. 

“The problem with wars is that it’s easier to start than to stop them, and it always gets out of hand,” she also reportedly said, noting that the EU is willing to assist “diplomatically to bring the parties together to really stop this war.”

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TRUMP SEEKS WARSHIPS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO HELP SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, left, and President Donald Trump. (Omar Havana/Reuters; Nathan Howard/Reuters)

Kallas also pushed back after President Donald Trump said over the weekend that, “Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.” 

“Nobody is ready to put their people in harm’s way ‌in ⁠the Strait of Hormuz,” Kallas told Reuters on Tuesday. “We have to find diplomatic ways to keep this open ⁠so that we don’t have a food crisis, fertilizers crisis, energy ⁠crisis as well.”

TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN

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Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the new leader of Iran.  (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Trump said on Truth Social on Saturday that, “We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are.” 

U.S. Central Command footage showing strikes on Iranian mobile missile launchers. (@CENTCOM via X)

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“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated,” Trump wrote. “In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!” 

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Ex-Belgian diplomat ordered to stand trial over murder of Congo’s Lumumba

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Ex-Belgian diplomat ordered to stand trial over murder of Congo’s Lumumba

Etienne Davignon, 93, is the only one alive among 10 Belgians accused by the Congolese leader’s family of complicity.

A 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat has been ordered by a Brussels court to stand trial over the assassination of Congo’s first prime minister and anti-colonial icon, Patrice Lumumba, in 1961.

Lumumba, who became the prime minister of the country – now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo – upon its independence from Belgium on June 24, 1960, was ousted in September of the same year and later killed by a Belgian-backed secessionist rebel group just months later on January 16, 1961.

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But in 2002, a parliamentary investigation found that Belgium was “morally responsible” for Lumumba’s death.

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On Tuesday, Etienne Davignon, 93, a former European commissioner who was a junior diplomat at the time, stands trial over his death, marking the first trial related to the murder of Lumumba.

He is also accused of being involved in the murder of Lumumba’s political allies, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito.

According to prosecutors, Davignon, who is accused of war crimes, had participated in the unlawful detention or transfer of Lumumba and deprived him of his right to an impartial trial.

Prosecutors added that Davignon had subjected Lumumba to “humiliating and degrading treatment”.

FILE PHOTO: Guards of honour members carry a coffin that contains the only known remains, a tooth of the murdered Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba, after he was returned to his family by the Belgian government at Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Justin Makangara/File Photo
Guards of honour members carry a coffin that contains the only known remains, a tooth of the murdered Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba, after he was returned to his family by the Belgian government at Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo June 27, 2022 [Justin Makangara/Reuters]

If the trial goes ahead, Davignon would be the first Belgian official to face the courts in 65 years since the prime minister was killed and his body was dissolved in acid.

While 10 people were accused of being complicit in the murder of Lumumba, Davignon is the only suspect alive.

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Lumumba’s family members brought the case, which Belgian federal prosecutors have since taken up.

His granddaughter Yema Lumumba told the Reuters news agency after the ruling that it was a “step in the right direction”.

“What we want is to search for truth and establish different responsibilities,” she added.

The family’s lawyer, Christophe Marchand, also told the AFP news agency that “It’s a gigantic victory”.

“No one believed when we first brought the case in 2011 that Belgium would prove capable of seriously investigating this,” he said, adding: “It’s very hard for a country to judge its own colonial crimes.”

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Gold-capped tooth

As African countries pushed for independence from their European rulers in the 1960s, Lumumba rose as an anti-colonial hero, though his government lasted only three months.

At just aged 35, Lumumba was executed in the southern region of Katanga, with the support of Belgian-backed mercenaries.

The only known remains of the killed leader, a single gold-capped tooth, were taken from the daughter of a deceased Belgian officer who was involved in the disappearance of his remains.

During a ceremony in 2022, his remains were returned in a coffin to DRC’s authorities.

During the handover, then Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo reiterated the government’s “apologies” for its “moral responsibility” in Lumumba’s disappearance.

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Cuba’s entire electrical grid collapses, leaving whole island without power

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Cuba’s entire electrical grid collapses, leaving whole island without power

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Cuba plunged into an unprecedented blackout after its entire electrical grid suddenly suffered a total collapse on Monday, briefly leaving roughly 10 million residents in total darkness. 

“At 1:54 p.m. local time, there was a disconnection of the national electrical grid resulting in a complete power outage across Cuba which includes the Havana metropolitan area,” the U.S. Embassy in Cuba said. 

The nationwide outage comes just two days after a large crowd of protesters, fed up with the island’s energy crisis, were caught on camera attacking a local Communist Party headquarters in Cuba, ransacking the building and attempting to set it on fire.

Efforts to restore electricity are currently underway across the island, with reports indicating that power is slowly returning to some areas.

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RUSSIAN ‘DARK FLEET’ TANKER BELIEVED TO BE DELIVERING OIL TO CUBA, DETECTED OFF US COAST AMID TRUMP BAN

A woman with her son signals a car on a dark street during a blackout in Bauta municipality, Artemisa province, Cuba, on March 18, 2024.  (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)

“The causes are being investigated and protocols for restoration are beginning to be activated,” the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Cuba said Monday afternoon, referring to the island’s disrupted National Electrical System of Cuba. 

Cuba’s electrical grid has grown increasingly unstable over the years due to aging infrastructure, fuel shortages, and economic restrictions that have limited the country’s access to energy resources – including Washington’s long‑standing oil embargo and recent U.S. actions that disrupted Venezuelan fuel shipments, a key source of the nation’s energy.

Power outages have become a frequent occurrence across the country, disrupting water supply, refrigeration and communications.

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“Officials in the US gov must be feeling very happy by the harm caused to every Cuban family,” Cuban Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Carlos F. de Cossio said in response to Monday’s blackout. 

MILLIONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS

Neya Perez, 86, paints the nails of her neighbor Reyna Maria Rodriguez, 77, during a mass blackout across most of the country, in Havana, March 4, 2026. (Norlys Perez/Reuters)

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday that no fuel has entered the country for the past three months. Since then, electricity generation has relied heavily on a “considerable contribution from renewable energy sources.”

The total collapse of the power grid came just as officials announced updates to their solar panel project in Villa Clara, describing it as a “national security necessity” amid ongoing restrictions on fossil fuel imports under the Trump administration.

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“Amid a context of severe energy constraints and a recurring economic lockdown, #Cuba takes another firm step towards electric sovereignty,” the Villa Clara Electric Company said Monday morning. 

“This connection comes at a critical time: Washington maintains severe restrictions on our country’s access to fossil fuels, funding and technology. Betting on renewables isn’t just environmental — it’s a national security necessity.”

As the island continues to face rolling power outages, residents have been urged to brace for significant disruption and unplug all nonessential equipment, “leaving only essential devices powered on until service stability is restored,” the Villa Clara Electric Company said.

A family has dinner during a blackout in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Havana on Sept. 28, 2022. (Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

Last Saturday, in a rare display of public dissent driven by frustration over widespread blackouts, anti-government protesters in Cuba reportedly targeted a Communist Party office by hurling rocks, shouting “liberty” and igniting large fires at the scene.  

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The rally, caught on video, began peacefully in the city of Morón late Friday but escalated into violence within hours, Reuters reported, citing local sources.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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