Brussels, my love? Israel-Iran war creates new layers of anxiety for EU
The panel reflect on the ongoing Israel-Iran war that has dominated the news this week. An emergency debate was held in Strasbourg in the presence of EU High Representative Kaja Kallas. She warned MEPs that the US should not get involved in the conflict, as it could drag the entire Middle East into a wider more dangerous predicament.
"Our role is to de-escalate the conflict."
Kaja Kallas also told MEPs this week that the ongoing Israel-Iran war should not overshadow the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. Virginijus Sinkevičius fears the war could drag on.
"I see that the situation is not going to be resolved easily, because I think Israel has taken a decision. The big question now is what could be the consequences."
As MEPs were gathered in Strasbourg, an EU foreign ministers meeting took place in Brussels this week and 17 of the 27 member states backed a move to review the EU-Israel association agreement—pushing a process that began with the Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland. The deal was sealed in 1995 and came into force in 2000.
Herbert Dorfmann said his group is against suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
"I think this doesn't make sense in this moment. We need to further work on a diplomatic basis," he said.
The panel also discussed the EU China summit that will take place at the end of July. Brussels hopes the occasion will provide better access to Chinese rare earths and critical minerals.
All MEPs agreed the EU and China should be friends but that a level playing field was a necessity.
"Access to our market is a privilege."
"Access to our market is a privilege," Virginijus Sinkevičius said adding that China should play by the same rules.
"We need to be intelligent and have leadership," said Hana Jalloul Muro.
Finally, MEPs chewed over French President Macron's calls to ban social media for under-15's in France. Greece and Spain are also trying to push for more EU action on this topic.
However, all three politicians agreed that education was key and an outright ban may not have desired effects.
"Well, good luck!! Is it really up to the state to do that?" Herbert Dorfmann quipped.
Watch "Brussels, my love?" in the player above.
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2 hours ago
25 countries sign statement calling for end of war in Gaza
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Throughout the conflict, Israel has maintained they are sending enough aid into Gaza but international aid organizations have repeatedly said there is not enough aid, and the United Nations has reported conditions of malnutrition inside of Gaza. The statement is signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K. The call to action was released Monday following an incident Sunday in which at least 81 Palestinians were killed and another 150 were injured while trying to gain access to food, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, which said the majority of those killed were gathered near the Zikim border between Gaza and Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that its troops fired near crowds "in order to remove an immediate threat posed to them," though it wasn't specific. A review is ongoing, but "preliminary review indicates that the reported number of casualties does not align with existing information," according to the IDF. Oren Marmorstein, a spokesperson for the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on X Monday that the country "rejects" the 25-nation joint statement "as it is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas." "All statements and all claims should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it," Marmorstein's statement said. The statement further said that while there is a "concrete proposal for a ceasefire deal," Hamas "stubbornly refuses to accept it." 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"The hostages cruelly held captive by Hamas since 7 October 2023 continue to suffer terribly. We condemn their continued detention and call for their immediate and unconditional release," the statement said. "A negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing them home and ending the agony of their families." United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Monday that he is "appalled by the accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions in Gaza." The "last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing," Guterres said in part, adding that he "condemns the ongoing violence, including the shooting, killing, and injuring of people attempting to get food for their families." "Civilians must be protected and respected, and they must never be targeted. The population in Gaza remains gravely undersupplied with the basic necessities of life," Guterres' statement said. The 25 signatory countries further called on the Israeli government to "immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs to do their life saving work safely and effectively," and for "all parties to protect civilians and uphold the obligations of international humanitarian law." "We urge the parties and the international community to unite in a common effort to bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," the statement continued. "Further bloodshed serves no purpose. We reaffirm our complete support to the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to achieve this." "We are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region," the statement concluded. On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV also renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. "I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict," the pope said during Sunday Angelus prayer from his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, according to the Associated Press.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Notice on the General Meeting of Shareholders of the AUGA group, AB entity under restructuring on 12 August 2025 to approve the Company's draft restructuring plan
AUGA group, AB entity under restructuring (code 126264360, registered office at Konstitucijos pr. 21C, Vilnius, hereinafter referred to as the 'Company'), by the initiative and decision of the Board, is convening a General meeting of shareholders on August 12, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., where the Company's shareholders will vote on the approval of the Company's draft restructuring plan, hereinafter referred to as the 'Meeting'. The Meeting will be held at the conference room at the business center QUADRUM NORTH, address Konstitucijos ave. 21C, Vilnius. The registration of the shareholders begins at 10.00 a.m. Only those persons who will be shareholders of the Company at the close of the record date of the Meeting may participate and vote at the Meeting. The record date of the Meeting shall be 5th August 2025. Agenda of the Meeting: 1. Approval of the Company's draft restructuring plan Attached to this announcement is the restructuring plan prepared by the Company, which outlines economic, technical, organisational, and other measures to overcome the Company's financial difficulties. The goals of the restructuring plan (i.e. the settlement with creditors and the improvement of financial results at the group level) will be achieved through the following strategic actions: Separation, development and sale of the dairy segment through the establishment of a Sustainable Diary Farming Fund initiated by the Group Sale of Land-Holding Companies Separation of 11.5 thousand ha of consolidated crop farming agricultural business into the Raseiniai Region Crop Growing Fund Sale of Baltic Champs, UAB shares Following the implementation of these strategic actions, it is anticipated that the Company and its controlled entities (hereinafter referred to as the 'Group') will fulfil all financial obligations to external creditors by 2029. The new business model will not only ensure the preservation of the Group's activities but also enhance its financial results, safeguarding the interests of creditors, shareholders, and the Company itself. Proposed draft decisions of the Meeting are the following: 1. Approval of the Company's draft restructuring plan 1. To approve the Company's draft restructuring plan in accordance with the attached draft. 2. To authorise the CEO and the Board of the Company (with the right to sub-delegate) to execute the accompanying documents and annexes necessary to prepare and attach to the Company's draft restructuring plan, and to take any other actions and execute any other documents necessary for the filing of the Company's draft restructuring plan with the Court. Shareholders of the Company shall have a right to participate and vote at the Meeting personally or by power of attorney or represented by the person with whom an agreement on the transfer of voting rights is concluded. The total number of the Company's shares of EUR 0.29 par value each and the number of shares granting voting rights during the Meeting is the same and amounts to 233,803,368. ISIN code of the Company's shares is LT0000127466. A person attending the general meeting of shareholders and having a voting right must provide a person's identification document. A person who is not a shareholder must additionally provide a document confirming his/her right to vote at the general meeting of shareholders. Each shareholder shall have a right in the manner established by the laws to authorise other (natural or legal) person to attend and vote at the general meeting of shareholders on his/her behalf. At the general meeting of shareholders an authorised person shall have the same rights as would be held by the shareholder represented by him/her, unless the authorized person's rights are limited by the power of attorney or by laws. The authorized person must provide a power of attorney certified in the manner established by laws. A power of attorney issued in a foreign state must be translated into Lithuanian and legalised in the manner established by laws. The Company does not establish special form of power of attorney. Shareholder shall have the right to authorize through electronic communication channels another person (natural or legal) to participate and vote in the meeting on shareholder's behalf. Such authorization shall not be approved by the notary public. The power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels must be confirmed by the shareholder with a safe electronic signature developed by safe signature equipment and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the Company on the power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels by e-mail info@ no later than until the last business day before the meeting. The power of attorney and notification shall be issued in writing. The power of attorney and notification to the Company shall be signed with the electronic signature but not the letter sent via e-mail. By submitting the notification to the Company, the shareholder shall include the internet address from which it would be possible to download free of charge software to verify an electronic signature of the shareholder. A shareholder or a person authorised by him/her shall have a right to vote in writing in advance by filling in the general ballot paper. Form of the general ballot paper to vote in this meeting shall be provided together with publishing the last update to the notice not later than by 10 days prior to the general meeting date. Upon a shareholder's request, the Company, not later than 10 days before the general meeting, shall send the general ballot paper by registered mail free of charge. The general ballot paper shall also be provided on the Company's website at not later than by 10 days prior to the general meeting date. The filled-in general ballot paper and the document confirming the voting right (if any) must be submitted to the Company sending by registered mail or providing them against signature at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice and received by the Company not later than on the last business day until the meeting. The Company is not providing the possibility to attend and vote at the general meeting of shareholders through electronic means of communication. The shareholders holding shares that grant at least 1/20 of all votes shall have the right of proposing to supplement the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders. Draft decisions on the proposed issues shall be submitted together with the proposal or, if the decisions do not need to be approved, explanations on each proposed issue of the general meeting of shareholders shall be presented. Proposal to supplement the agenda must be presented to the Company sending them by registered mail or providing it against signature at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. The agenda will be supplemented, if the proposal is received not later than 14 days before the general meeting of shareholders. Each shareholder holding shares that grant at least 1/20 of all votes at any time before the general meeting of shareholders or during the meeting shall have the right of proposing draft resolutions on the issues already included or to be included in the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders. The proposed draft decisions must be presented in writing sending them by registered mail or providing them against signature at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. The shareholders shall have the right to present questions related to the agenda issues of the general meeting of shareholders to the Company in advance in writing, by providing the shareholder's personal identification number and consent to process personal data – personal identification number in the letter which should be sent to the Company by registered mail or delivered against signature. The Company undertakes to respond if questions are received not later than 3 business days before the general meeting of shareholders. Responses of a general character shall be posted on the Company's website The Company will not respond personally to the shareholder, if the respective information is posted on the Company's website. The shareholders could get familiarised with the documents possessed by the Company related to the agenda of the meeting, including notification on convocation of the meeting, information about the total number of the Company's shares and the number of shares granting voting rights during the general meeting of shareholders, draft resolutions, and other documents to be submitted to the general meeting of shareholders as well as to get information regarding execution of the shareholders' rights at AUGA group, RAB, at the address Konstitucijos ave. 21C, Vilnius, or on the Company's website at Contacts: CEO of AUGA group, AB under restructuring Elina Chodzkaitė – Barauskienė+370 5 233 5340 Attachment AUGA group restructuring plan with annexes (2025-06-20)(EN) (3)Sign in to access your portfolio


New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Hostage families ‘alarmed' as Israeli troops push into area where loved ones are believed to be held
The families of the remaining hostages in Gaza said they were 'shocked and alarmed' to learn Monday that the Israeli military has expanded its operation to a city where their loved ones are believed to be held. The Israel Defense Forces launched mass air raids and a ground operation in central Gaza targeting Deir al-Balah for the first time, the only remaining area of the Strip that has not suffered significant damage from the 21-month-old war. Its exclusion from Israel's previous bombing campaign is believed to be because Hamas may be holding some of the remaining 50 hostages in that area, with the captives' loved ones fearing that the new military operation may put them in danger. 3 The Israeli military began firing airstrikes and tank shells in Deir Al-Balah, where some of the remaining 50 hostages are believed to be held. REUTERS Advertisement 3 The families of the hostages demanded answers from Israeli lawmakers about the operation that could risk the lives of the 20 hostages believed to be alive. Instagram/@amitfrid1 'The families demand that the prime minister, defense minister, chief of staff, and IDF spokesperson appear before them and the Israeli public this evening to clearly explain why the offensive in the Deir al-Balah area does not put the hostages at serious risk,' the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. 'The people of Israel will not forgive anyone who knowingly endangered the hostages — both the living and the deceased. No one will be able to claim they didn't know what was at stake,' the forum added. Advertisement At least 20 of the 50 hostages are believed to be alive, with no word yet on when they would be freed as the cease-fire talks between Hamas and Israel have yet to yield any results. The Israeli military put out an order for all Palestinians to evacuate the city on Sunday, dropping thousands of leaflets into the area. 3 Protests have carried on in Tel Aviv demanding a cease-fire deal to free the hostages. REUTERS The air raids began early Monday, with Israeli tanks seen pushing into the city later as shells reportedly hit several houses and mosques in Deir al-Balah, according to medics operating in Gaza. Advertisement The Israeli military has yet to comment on the ongoing operation in the city. The United Nations condemned the fighting in Deir al-Balah as it would force Palestinians to lose one of its last safe harbors from a war that has devastated the rest of the enclave. 'With this latest order, the area of Gaza under displacement orders or within Israeli-militarized zones has risen to 87.8%, leaving 2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12% of the strip, where essential services have collapsed,' the UN said in a statement released by its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Advertisement The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza has complicated the cease-fire talks, with a Hamas official telling Reuters that the group was outraged over the constant wave of deaths at food distribution centers. At least 67 were killed on Sunday after Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd of people waiting for a UN aid truck to enter Gaza, with the military claiming it was under 'an immediate threat.' With Post wires