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Von der Leyen ‘acting outside of competence,’ Araud tells Euronews

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Von der Leyen ‘acting outside of competence,’ Araud tells Euronews

Gérard Araud, the highly connected former French ambassador to the United States, said Ursula von der Leyn is exceeding the powers of her mandate by tapping into foreign policy while pushing a German-like approach in an interview with Euronews.

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From Ukraine peace negotiations to the ongoing war in Iran, von der Leyen has managed to grow her role closer to that of a head of state in a move not without controversy.

Von der Leyen was the first EU official to call for a political transition in Iran in line with the goals of the United States and Israel, who have openly called for regime change in Tehran, and have urged the bloc to seek a more pragmatic approach to foreign policy.

“She’s [acting outside of] her competence,” Araud said on Euronews’ interview programme 12 Minutes With on Tuesday, a day after von der Leyen addressed a conference of EU ambassadors in which she declared the world order conceived after the Second World War to be over and never to return.

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**”**The Treaties of the European Union, which is the basis of the EU, do not give her any special competence in foreign policy,” he added, calling her remarks “surprising.”

In the same conference, von der Leyen made headlines in Brussels after she suggested the EU would always defend the rules-based system, but it can “no longer be a custodian of the old-world order” or assume its rules will shelter Europe in the future.

Araud said her comments are problematic as the EU seeks to cement new partnerships across the world by presenting itself as the last bastion of international rules and respect for fundamental values in a brutal, increasingly chaotic world.

“Europeans are the last flag bearers of international law,” he said. “It’s a bit like someone committing adultery while saying ‘I am in favour of the principles of marital fidelity’.’

In 2019, as von der Leyen assumed her first mandate, she vowed to make the European Commission a geopolitical actor. But her power moves into foreign policy have not gone unnoticed across European capitals, with relations with Israel becoming a point of tension between EU member states, seen as supportive, critics and the Commission.

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Her complicated relationship with Kaja Kallas, the European foreign policy chief and EU High Representative, has also led to a cacophony of views when it comes to foreign policy, an area where the EU historically struggles to unite 27 voices.

Her positioning since the start of the war in Iran “is not in line with Spain, and it’s not in line with France, it’s a German line,” Araud said.

Araud, who made a name for himself in European diplomatic circles after a stint as French ambassador in the US from 2014 to 2019, said Trump has miscalculated the ramifications of attacking Iran, which he described as far more complicated than Venezuela, where the US was easily able to swap the leadership to a more friendly one.

“What is the goal of this operation? At the beginning, it was regime change, then it was the nuclear programme, and now it’s a question of destroying the Iranian military apparatus,” Araud said. “He thought he would encounter a situation closer to Venezuela, but that hasn’t worked…Iran has made the choice of waiting.”

The former French ambassador to Israel said he also worries Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “dragged the US” into a war without a clear plan and cautioned that Israel will not stop in its main objective of becoming the main player in the region, even if that means another round of military escalation and broader conflict in the region.

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“There is a trauma after October 7th. For Israel, it cannot go back to the (scenario) that existed before that, and now it is about a new regime in the Middle East. Until now, they have been successful. But the biggest obstacle remains Iran.”

Asked how the war could end, he said Trump could play the TACO card — an acronym for Trump Always Chickens Out — which could see the US President declaring victory and settling for a half-cooked resolution. Still, Araud said he does not believe Israel will leave its objectives incomplete when it comes to Iran. “I don’t think they will stop,” he said.

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UK prosecutors charge 3, including dual Pakistani citizen, in arson attack on Jewish ambulances in London

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UK prosecutors charge 3, including dual Pakistani citizen, in arson attack on Jewish ambulances in London

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British prosecutors charged three suspects — ages 17, 19 and 20 — in an alleged arson attack targeting Jewish community ambulances in north London.

The March 23 incident unfolded at around 1:45 a.m. in the Golders Green neighborhood, where four ambulances operated by a volunteer emergency service serving the Jewish community were deliberately set ablaze in a synagogue parking lot.

Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, and a 17-year-old boy are accused of arson with intent to damage property while recklessly endangering life, according to the Metropolitan Police. 

Officials said two of the suspects are British citizens, while one holds dual British and Pakistani citizenship.

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GUILTY VERDICTS IN ISIS PLOT POLICE SAY COULD HAVE BEEN ‘THE DEADLIEST TERRORIST ATTACK IN UK HISTORY’

Members of the Jewish community view an alleged antisemitic arson attack in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London March 24, 2026. (Henry Nicholls/AFP)

All three were arrested Wednesday at separate locations across London.

They did not enter pleas and remained in custody after a roughly 45-minute hearing Saturday afternoon at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, according to The Standard.

Prosecutors said a fourth suspect was also arrested and taken into custody at the courthouse where the three charged men were appearing, according to Reuters.

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UK COUNTERTERRORISM POLICE PROBE ANTISEMITIC ARSON ATTACK AS IRAN-LINKED GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY

Firefighters tackle a blaze at Highfield Road in the Golders Green neighborhood of London after an apparent arson attack on four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance Service. (PA/PA Images via Getty Images)

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously condemned the attack as a “horrifying” antisemitic act.

“An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on us all. We will fight the poison that is antisemitism,” Starmer wrote on X March 23.

A report from the SITE Intelligence Group says an Iran-backed network calling itself the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand has claimed responsibility, according to Reuters.

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UK ARRESTS 2 OVER ‘ANTISEMITIC ARSON ATTACK’ AS POLICE INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE IRAN LINK

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel visits the site after four ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization, were set on fire in northwest London March 23, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Reuters)

Despite the claim, officials have not formally classified the case as terrorism. However, counterterrorism police are leading the investigation, Metropolitan Police said.

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Police in the United Kingdom previously arrested two other men, ages 45 and 47, in the days after the attack. They were later released on bail, according to the Metropolitan Police.

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“I want to reiterate that the support we had from the local community since this attack took place has been incredible, and we will continue to work closely with local policing colleagues to do everything we can to keep the public safe,” Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said in a statement.

The Metropolitan Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and Greg Norman and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Indonesia receives bodies of peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon

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Indonesia receives bodies of peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon

Foreign Minister Sugiono told reporters that Indonesia wants a thorough UN investigation into the deaths of the peacekeepers.

Indonesia has received the bodies of three United Nations peacekeepers who were killed in southern Lebanon during Israel’s invasion of the country, amid the ongoing United States-Israel war on Iran.

The coffins of the killed soldiers arrived in Indonesia on Saturday. They were carried on the shoulders of uniformed officers for a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto.

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After the ceremony, Foreign Minister Sugiono told reporters that Indonesia wants a thorough UN investigation into the deaths of the peacekeepers who were part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

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“This is a peacekeeping mission. Incidents such as this should not happen,” the minister told reporters at the airport.

“There must be a security guarantee for peacekeeping soldiers,” he added.

Last week, peacekeeper Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, was killed after a projectile exploded. A UN security source told the AFP news agency anonymously on Tuesday that fire from an Israeli tank was responsible for the attack.

A day later, two more Indonesian peacekeepers, Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, 33, and Muhammad Nur Ichwan, 26, were killed after an explosion struck a UNIFIL logistics convoy in southern Lebanon.

Iskandar’s father said he was shocked that peacekeepers were losing their lives in the conflict.

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“We were really sad and regretful, because this is a UN troop, a peacekeeping troop, not deployed for war,” Iskandarudin, 60, told reporters at his house in West Java province.

The three men are expected to be laid to rest on Sunday, and the government has promised financial support for the families.

On Friday, UNIFIL announced that three peacekeepers were wounded after a blast at a UN facility near Adeisse and were taken to hospital.

The UN information centre in Jakarta said the “origin of the explosion” was unknown, but identified the injured soldiers as Indonesian.

“Repeated attacks or incidents of this kind are unacceptable,” the Indonesian foreign ministry said in a statement.

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The government urged the UN Security Council “to immediately convene a meeting of troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL to conduct a review and take measures to enhance the protection of personnel serving with UNIFIL”.

The US-Israel war on Iran spread to Lebanon after Iran-aligned Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war on February 28.

Israel has bombarded the country for weeks and launched an invasion, with Israeli officials saying the mission intends to set up a security zone extending 30km (18.6 miles) from the Israeli border.

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Ye attempts a comeback with sold-out LA-area concert, support from Lauryn Hill

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Ye attempts a comeback with sold-out LA-area concert, support from Lauryn Hill

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The artist formerly and possibly again known as Kanye West reveled in support from one of his musical idols, Lauryn Hill, as he staged a sold-out Southern California concert meant to mark a comeback from years of controversy.

Eleven months after releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler” and just over two months after publishing an apology letter for his antisemitism, Ye let two decades of hits — and 70,000 screaming loyal fans — speak the loudest on Friday night at SoFi Stadium.

“I want to thank y’all for sticking by me all these years. Through the hard times, through the low times,” he told the crowd. “I love you for that.”

Hill joined Ye on a stage for the first time ever for an energetic rendition of his 2004 hit “All Falls Down,” which originally sampled her voice. Ye left the stage as she performed “Lost Ones” and “Doo Wop (That Thing)” before rejoining for his 2021 “Doo Wop”-sampling song “Believe What I Say.” They hugged as she exited.

Travis Scott, CeeLo Green and Ye’s tween daughter North West also strapped on safety harnesses to join Ye high above the stadium floor atop a striking half-orb stage, which alternately depicted a moon, a rotating Earth and a smoking sphere throughout the two hours-plus livestreamed performance.

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A loud singalong of “Heartless” midway through the more than 40-song Good Friday show seemed to boost Ye’s spirits: “That’s what 80,000 people sound like, ladies and gentlemen. … They said I’d never be back in the States. Two sold-out concerts, baby!”

The first SoFi show Wednesday, his first major U.S. performance in nearly five years, turned out to be more of a warm-up as Ye was tentative in his rapping and drew attention to technical mishaps.

Fans at that show said they separated the 48-year-old performer’s personal beliefs and public statements from his music — and were ready to forgive after his January apology letter.

“You gotta back your family no matter what,” said Vince Da Prince, a rapper from Downey, Calif. “He’s a part of our fam since we were little kids.”

Added fan Yovani Contreras: “I don’t really bring into politics or the way someone’s personal opinion are. I’m into the music artistry … Like, I just, to me, Ye is always gonna be Ye. Kanye is always gonna be Kanye.”

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Luis Velasquez said he’d been a longtime fan and had been put off by controversies in recent years, but felt the apology was sincere.

“Yeah he did apologize,” he said. “He’s taking the medication I think is what he mentioned. … For me as a fan that’s, like, respect, right? Like I think that’s cool enough to bridge that gap.”

Ye released his latest album, “Bully,” under both the names Ye and Kanye West, at the end of March. He dominated hip-hop and pop charts in the 2000s and early 2010s, winning 24 Grammy Awards despite public outbursts and a polarizing personality. He lost nearly all his major business partnerships and many fans after a string of controversies in the last several years including antisemitic remarks and social media posts.

He closed Friday night’s show with his “toast to the douchebags” hit “Runaway,” and walked out of the stadium behind his wife Bianca Censori and two of his children.

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