World
Orbán-style vetoes undermine EU democracy, Kallas tells Euronews
The instrumentalisation of vetoes undermines the democratic principles of the European Union as it hijacks the interests of 26 in the name of one single holdout, High Representative Kaja Kallas told Euronews in an exclusive interview.
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Kallas was reflecting on the end of Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in uninterrupted power, during which the Hungarian prime minister frequently frustrated his fellow leaders with his near-constant, overlapping vetoes.
“We have to be clear that, actually, the EU treaties do not foresee the veto. The treaties are based on unanimity — that everybody agrees,” Kallas told Euronews in an interview recorded on the sidelines of an informal summit of EU leaders in Cyprus.
“We have seen recently that when 26 countries want something, and one does not, then we end up doing what that one country wants, not what the 26 want. So it is not really democracy.”
EU treaties provide a legal pathway to move from unanimity to qualified majority voting. However, in a significant Catch-22, such a shift itself requires unanimous consent.
“We definitely also have to look at our working methods to be more effective, because in this geopolitical world we need to be credible — and for that we need to be united and able to take decisions,” she added.
As the EU’s foreign policy chief — an area where unanimity is required — Kallas has dealt first-hand with many of Orbán’s vetoes. At times, she had to issue statements in her own name after joint communiqués proved impossible.
Following this difficult period, the High Representative said she was “very hopeful” about having “good cooperation” with the incoming government of Péter Magyar, who won Hungary’s elections on a pledge to restore ties between Budapest and Brussels, currently at an all-time low.
Magyar has said the veto remains a “valid option”, provided it is used constructively.
“We cannot run ahead of events. First, we need to have the new Hungarian government in place, which will probably happen in mid-May,” Kallas said.
“Then we will see whether we can revisit the decisions that have been blocked before.”
‘A geopolitical choice’
This week saw the lifting of two Hungarian vetoes: one on the €90 billion loan to Ukraine and another on the 20th package of sanctions against Russia.
Orbán, though, seems intent on leaving his veto on Ukraine’s accession process, in place for almost two years, as an inheritance for Magyar. As a result, Kyiv has yet to open a single cluster of negotiations.
The incoming prime minister has expressed opposition to fast-tracking talks with Kyiv, a view shared by other member states, who worry any shortcuts will undermine the credibility and integrity of the enlargement policy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, keeps pushing for a “clear date” for his country’s admission under an accelerated timetable. He has also rejected overtures for half-baked membership as an alternative to fully-fledged rights.
“Ukraine does not need symbolic membership in the EU. Ukraine is defending itself — and it is also defending Europe. And it is not doing so symbolically — people are really dying,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week before joining EU leaders in Cyprus.
“We are defending shared European values. I believe we deserve full membership.”
Kaja Kallas, who has been a strong supporter of Kyiv’s ambitions, said it was important to “work on both sides” — public opinion in member states and legal reforms in Ukraine — and to shift the narrative around candidate countries to highlight their potential contributions to the bloc.
“We need to talk about what we gain from these countries joining,” she said.
“A bigger Europe, a stronger Europe in terms of defence, and also a larger single market that benefits our companies — all of this makes us a more credible geopolitical power in the world,” she added. “It is always a geopolitical choice.”
Ukraine, Kallas noted, has by far the largest army in Europe, meaning that “Europe would be stronger if Ukraine were with us.”
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.
“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “And that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”
The White House said in a statement that the legal challenge was “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight and that the event was “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”
UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Crews are erecting an octagon-shaped cage on the South Lawn. Trump has said the finished UFC project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.” Additional large screens broadcasting the fights will be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, and the UFC has said it plans to issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both locations.
The octagon and surrounding structures are the latest project in the White House building boom Trump is leading.
World
Suspected Hamas terrorist arrested in Greece for allegedly plotting attack on Israeli cruise ship
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A suspected Hamas terrorist, reportedly granted asylum a year from the Gaza war, was arrested by Greek police for allegedly plotting an attack on an Israeli cruise line.
The Gaza man, 37, was arrested on the Greek island of Crete on Sunday for his alleged ties to one of four suspected Hamas terrorists previously arrested in Cyprus, having traveled with him to Malaysia, where they allegedly received training in making explosives from commercially available chemical agents.
The Israeli cruise ship MS Crown Iris was the believed target of the attack before it was scheduled to arrive in Crete on Tuesday. Police did not publicly identify the man or name a target in their initial statement.
Searches in homes in both Crete and the Greek capital, Athens, turned up a number of mobile phones, a laptop, external hard drives and bank cards, The Associated Press reported.
3 ALLEGED HAMAS MEMBERS ACCUSED OF PLOTTING AGAINST JEWISH INSTITUTIONS IN GERMANY
A Wednesday protest at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Greece, opposing the arrival of the Crown Iris cruise ship was a prelude to the arrest of a suspected Hamas terrorist who is alleged to have plotted an attack. (Costas Baltas/Anadolu)
The suspect, an electrician who has been reportedly living in Crete for the past year and working at a hotel there after being granted asylum, will appear before a magistrate later Sunday.
The suspected terrorist had placed an online order for what police said were “chemical agents” that could be used in the manufacture of explosives, according to the report.
State broadcaster ERT, cited by Israeli and Greek media, reported that police also found laboratory equipment.
TWO CONVICTED OF TERRORISM IN DENMARK FOR GRENADE ATTACK NEAR ISRAELI EMBASSY
The case appears to be part of a broader regional counterterrorism probe. Cypriot authorities arrested two Palestinians on May 22 after intelligence led investigators to materials in two residences that police said could be used to manufacture explosives. Two more Palestinian men were detained May 29 as part of the same investigation, according to Greek police.
The Crown Iris has become a recurring flashpoint at Greek ports amid anger over the war in Gaza. Protesters gathered near the ship when it docked in Piraeus on Wednesday, June 3, and demonstrations against the vessel have followed it at Greek ports since last year.
Protesters allege that Mano Maritime, the owner of the MS Crown Iris, is profiting from the Hamas-Israel war by selling tourist services to Israel Defense Forces soldiers during breaks from active duty.
In July 2025, Greek police used tear gas and made arrests as demonstrators tried to block the ship at Agios Nikolaos on Crete.
Greek security forces were forced to protect Israeli tourists traveling on buses to board the Israeli-owned cruise ship MS Crown Iris at the port of Piraeus in Athens on June 3, 2026. (Aggelos Nakkas/AFP)
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The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not announced formal charges against the suspect.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Two cups of ice cream, costing 44 euros. That is what happened to an American tourist couple on 3 June during a visit to the centre of Rome, just a few metres away from Piazza Navona.
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The episode, recounted on social media by Nicole Ann from Florida, quickly drew users’ attention, sparking a heated online debate about the relationship between tourism and price transparency in one of Rome’s most visited areas.
The woman explained that she and her husband had stopped at the “Don Nino” ice cream parlour in Via di Tor Millina to order two cups, each with three flavours. While the ice creams were being prepared, staff are said to have added other products, including macarons and pistachio cannoli, without it being immediately clear that these were chargeable extras. When it was time to pay, a surprise was awaiting.
“I thought they had said 14 euros,” Nicole wrote in a Facebook group offering travel tips for people visiting Rome, explaining that she only realised the actual amount after checking the receipt.
The receipt posted online shows that the two portions, listed as maxi, cost twelve euros each. On top of this came supplements for whipped cream, macarons and pistachio cannoli, bringing the total to 44 euros for an order consumed without table service.
In her post, the tourist described the experience as a “tourist trap”. Responding to the many comments she received, she nevertheless made it clear that she does not intend to contest the payment, admitting that she should have checked the price more carefully before buying. She also said she had travelled to other parts of Italy without ever encountering similar prices for an ice cream.
The post quickly went viral, attracting hundreds of reactions. Hundreds of people commented on the episode, which was shared across the web and picked up by several online newspapers.
Many users expressed solidarity with the American couple, while others pointed out that in areas with the highest concentration of tourists, prices can be significantly higher than in other parts of the city.
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