https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Sweden's military intelligence said late Monday that Russia was "manipulating" financial data to hide the real state of its economy yet maintains its political strategic aims. https://www.thelocal.com/20260421/swedish-intelligence-says-russia-manipulates-economic-data Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:26:22 +0200 swedish-intelligence-says-russia-manipulates-economic-data Canadian and Nordic leaders on Sunday announced that they would deepen collaboration, especially in the area of defence and Arctic security, a region where tensions are rising. https://www.thelocal.com/20260315/canada-and-nordics-announce-deepening-of-defence-ties Sun, 15 Mar 2026 13:25:19 +0100 canada-and-nordics-announce-deepening-of-defence-ties Spain's reluctance to allow the US to launch attacks on Iran from American military bases on Spanish soil has reawakened interest in the purpose of these installations, their location and their history. https://www.thelocal.com/20241010/where-are-the-uss-military-bases-in-spain-and-why-are-they-there Thu, 10 Oct 2024 11:53:33 +0200 where-are-the-uss-military-bases-in-spain-and-why-are-they-there Thousands of NATO troops including from Spain and Turkey joined an exercise Wednesday on Germany's Baltic coast that defence officials labelled a show of readiness to deter Russia. https://www.thelocal.com/20260219/in-pictures-nato-troops-storm-germanys-baltic-coast-in-training-exercise Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:02:21 +0100 in-pictures-nato-troops-storm-germanys-baltic-coast-in-training-exercise European leaders, worried about threats from a nuclear-armed Russia and doubts about the future of US security commitments, are increasingly debating whether to bolster nuclear arsenals on the continent. https://www.thelocal.com/20260214/merz-says-in-talks-with-macron-on-european-nuclear-deterrence Sat, 14 Feb 2026 09:11:12 +0100 merz-says-in-talks-with-macron-on-european-nuclear-deterrence Germany's Bundestag on Friday approved a landmark military service law as thousands of school students walked out of classrooms to protest against the return of compulsory assessments for 18-year-olds. https://www.thelocal.com/20251205/german-parliament-passes-military-service-law-as-school-students-protest Fri, 05 Dec 2025 13:48:53 +0100 german-parliament-passes-military-service-law-as-school-students-protest The growing threat from Russia and the risk of renewed conflict in Europe have thrown a spotlight on the continent's varied military service models. https://www.thelocal.com/20251127/threat-of-war-which-countries-in-europe-have-military-service Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:37:47 +0100 threat-of-war-which-countries-in-europe-have-military-service Nordic and Baltic countries on Thursday announced that they would contribute $500 million to a scheme set up to purchase US weapons for Ukraine. https://www.thelocal.com/20251113/nordic-and-baltic-countries-pledge-500-million-ukraine-support-package Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:45:46 +0100 nordic-and-baltic-countries-pledge-500-million-ukraine-support-package As the coalition government wrangles over re-introducing conscription, Brian Melican examines the related debate, what the likeliest outcomes are, and what the looming draft would mean for young Germans and dual-nationals. https://www.thelocal.com/20251020/what-will-germanys-new-conscription-law-mean-for-young-germans-and-dual-nationals Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:43:02 +0200 what-will-germanys-new-conscription-law-mean-for-young-germans-and-dual-nationals President Donald Trump has again threatened Spain, saying on Tuesday he was considering tariffs on the country as a punishment for failing to meet the five percent of GDP defence spending goal he engineered within Nato. https://www.thelocal.com/20251015/trump-says-spain-should-be-punished-in-second-threat-over-nato-spend Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:05:37 +0200 trump-says-spain-should-be-punished-in-second-threat-over-nato-spend Drones flying over airports, commercial sites and other sensitive infrastructure in Europe is a growing phenomenon which EU leaders blame on Russia, and preventing the disruption they cause will prove a tough technical challenge, observers say. https://www.thelocal.com/20251011/how-can-europe-protect-its-skies-against-escalating-drone-menace Sat, 11 Oct 2025 13:22:49 +0200 how-can-europe-protect-its-skies-against-escalating-drone-menace Denmark's support for Ukraine, its lack of anti-drone defences and this week's EU summit in Copenhagen could all explain the unidentified drone sightings over Danish airspace that have been widely blamed on Russia. https://www.thelocal.com/20251001/easy-victim-why-is-denmark-being-targeted-with-mystery-drone-flights Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:03:02 +0200 easy-victim-why-is-denmark-being-targeted-with-mystery-drone-flights Denmark said Friday it had accepted a Swedish offer of anti-drone technology for next week's EU summit in Copenhagen, following several mysterious drone sightings at Danish airports this week. https://www.thelocal.com/20250927/denmark-accepts-swedish-anti-drone-help-for-eu-summit-in-copenhagen Sat, 27 Sep 2025 09:30:14 +0200 denmark-accepts-swedish-anti-drone-help-for-eu-summit-in-copenhagen Denmark said on Thursday drone flights over its airports this week were a "hybrid attack" to create fear, adding it would acquire new capabilities to intercept such aircraft, as Russia denied involvement. No arrests have been made in connection to the flights. https://www.thelocal.com/20250925/hybrid-attack-denmark-says-airport-drone-flights-aimed-to-create-fear Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:06:33 +0200 hybrid-attack-denmark-says-airport-drone-flights-aimed-to-create-fear Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Thursday that she had spoken with NATO chief Mark Rutte after drone flights over several airports caused disruptions this week. https://www.thelocal.com/20250925/danish-pm-frederiksen-speaks-to-nato-chief-after-drone-flights Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:56:02 +0200 danish-pm-frederiksen-speaks-to-nato-chief-after-drone-flights Drones flew over multiple airports across Denmark and caused one of them to close for hours, police said on Thursday morning after a similar incident this week prompted Copenhagen airport to shut. https://www.thelocal.com/20250925/multiple-danish-airports-affected-in-new-round-of-drone-flights Thu, 25 Sep 2025 10:03:32 +0200 multiple-danish-airports-affected-in-new-round-of-drone-flights Large drones that flew over Copenhagen airport for hours and caused it to shut down constituted the "most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure" to date, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.com/20250923/danish-pm-calls-drone-flights-most-serious-attack-on-countrys-infrastructure Tue, 23 Sep 2025 14:59:22 +0200 danish-pm-calls-drone-flights-most-serious-attack-on-countrys-infrastructure Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands have all said they want to participate in US President Donald Trump's plan for Europe to buy American weapons for Ukraine. https://www.thelocal.com/20250716/sweden-will-contribute-to-trumps-ukraine-weapons-plan Wed, 16 Jul 2025 10:46:01 +0200 sweden-will-contribute-to-trumps-ukraine-weapons-plan Sweden is considering calling up former officers as old as 70 to active duty as it seeks to ensure its military is prepared in times of crisis, the defence minister told a press conference. https://www.thelocal.com/20250715/sweden-considers-calling-up-70-year-old-officers-to-active-military-duty Tue, 15 Jul 2025 11:33:49 +0200 sweden-considers-calling-up-70-year-old-officers-to-active-military-duty Germany's defence minister has stated the country will send navy ships to patrol Arctic waters, citing the threat from a Russian military build-up in the region. https://www.thelocal.com/20250701/germany-and-denmark-announce-navy-patrol-in-arctic Tue, 01 Jul 2025 09:56:53 +0200 germany-and-denmark-announce-navy-patrol-in-arctic