OTTAWA, Ontario, May 5 -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issued the following news release: * * * Prime Minister Carney strengthens trade and security partnerships with European nations In a more dangerous and divided world, Canada's new government is building our strength at home and diversifying our relationships with like-minded partners abroad. Bound by a shared history and common values, Canada and Europe are natural partners. By working more closely together, we can create greater   more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis issued the following commentary on May 4, 2026, by non-resident senior fellow William Echikson: * * * To Save Europe's AI Future, Choose Openness Over Protectionism Europe stands at a crossroads in its quest for "Digital Sovereignty." Tough choices lie ahead. * As global tensions rise and dependence on foreign tech becomes uncomfortable, a tempting cry for complete independence echoes across the continent. Proponents of a "EuroSta  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on May 4, 2026, by Brad Brooks-Rubin, senior associate (non-resident) with the Human Rights Initiative and Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business: * * * Policy of Truth: Reporting Requirements for Critical Minerals Investments In paper after paper, webinar after webinar, forum after forum, experts from around the world, and especially in Washington, are opining on the   more

WASHINGTON, May 4 -- The U.S. Department of War issued the following news: * * * Eerie Company: A New Threat at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center * Soldiers assigned to the newly established Eerie Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, used first-person-view drone systems to enhance reconnaissance capabilities during Joint Multinational Readiness Center exercises in Hohenfels, Germany. Acting as the opposing force during the exercise, the company replicated a modern battlefi  more

BEAUMONT, Texas, May 5 -- Lamar University issued the following news: * * * Global scholars gather at LU conference on justice, resilience and rule of law By April Thompson Scholars and criminal justice professionals from around the world gathered Tuesday, April 21 at Wayne A. Reaud Building at Lamar University for the Fourth International Conference on Justice, Resilience, and the Rule of Law, an event that brought global legal and policy discussions to Southeast Texas. Hosted by the Cente  more

NEW YORK, May 4 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * Hungary's Orban Is Gone. Now the EU Unanimity Rule Should Go Too * In power for 16 years, Hungary's outgoing prime minister Viktor Orban was notorious for abusing his government's veto power to taint the European Union's foreign policy with the same anti-rights, illiberal agenda he implemented at home. But while his government was the most vocal and frequent spoiler of principled EU external ac  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on May 4, 2026, by Alex Horobets, a PhD candidate at the Institute of History of Ukraine National Academy of Sciences, in the foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Kremlin Uses Corruption Charges to Militarize Frontline Regions Executive Summary: * Criminal cases related to embezzlement in defensive fortification construction in Russia's Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk oblasts are systematically targeting contrac  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on May 4, 2026, by Pavel K. Baev, senior researcher at the International Peace Research Institute Oslo, in the foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Putin Missed Another Potential Chance to Work Toward Peace Executive Summary: * Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump in a 90-minute conversation on April 29 that could have provided an opportunity to revive stalled peace negotiation  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on May 4, 2026, by Vasif Huseynov, senior fellow at the Center of Analysis of International Relations and an adjunct lecturer at Khazar University in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Zelenskyy's Gabala Visit Upgrades Ukraine-Azerbaijan Bilateral Relations Executive Summary: * Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid his first wartime visit to Azerbaijan on April 25, signing six  more

OTTAWA, Ontario, May 4 -- The Department of Finance Canada issued the following news release: * * * Minister Champagne highlights Spring Economic Update measures to defend Canada's sovereignty * The world is becoming more challenging and divided, and the assumptions that shaped decades of Canadian defence and security are being upended. The threats Canada faces are numerous and growing, ranging from incursions into our Arctic waters to attacks targeting our cyberspace. In this context, Canad  more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 4 -- NATO issued the following news: * * * NATO Secretary General attends the European Political Community Summit in Armenia * On Monday (4 May 2026), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte joined European leaders and partners for the European Political Community Summit in Yerevan to discuss shared security challenges. Mr Rutte participated in the plenary session, as well as a roundtable discussion on addressing challenges posed by hybrid threats. The Secretary General al  more

STEPHENVILLE, Texas, May 5 -- Tarleton State University issued the following news: * * * Commencement Speaker Challenges Others To Be Their Own Hero Ukraine-born George Yefymenko is no stranger to adversity and navigating unfamiliar territory. However, for this accounting major and student leader, learning to "be comfortable with being uncomfortable" has propelled his academic and professional journey. Yefymenko will discuss his educational journey as the student commencement speaker at the   more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, May 4 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland issued the following news: * * * U.S. Army North, Task Force 51 welcome new general officer * Brig. Gen. Jerry E. Baird, Jr. officially assumed command of Task Force 51 (TF-51) in a ceremony at the historic Fort Sam Houston Quadrangle on April 10, 2026.  Lt. Gen. Allan M. Pepin, commanding general of U.S. Army North, presided over the ceremony, which signifies the passing of leadership from   more

WASHINGTON, May 4 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11436) on May 1, 2026, by foreign assistance analyst Nick M. Brown and international trade and finance specialist Shayerah I. Akhtar. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) DFC, a federal agency, uses financial tools to promote private investment overseas. Its purpose is to advance U.S. development and foreign policy interests, accounti  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee released the following testimony by Darrell Owens, President Trump's nominee to be U.S. representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, from an April 28, 2026, confirmation hearing: * * * Chairman Daines, Ranking Member Kaine, and distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as the President's nominee to serve as the United States Permanent Representative t  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development released the following testimony by Brandon M. Williams, under secretary of Energy for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, from an April 29, 2026, hearing on the fiscal 2027 budget request: * * * Chairman Kennedy, Ranking Member Murray, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget Re  more

VIENNA, Austria, May 5 -- The International Press Institute issued the following news: * * * World Press Freedom Day: Six years of monitoring reveals emerging threats against media freedom in Europe IPI and MFRR partners publish analysis of six years of press freedom data * To mark World Press Freedom Day, IPI joins Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in publishing an analysis of six years of monitoring data which reveals in granular detail the most serious challenges and trends th  more