About this Episode
Eleven EU countries — Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Sweden — urged an end to “obstructive” unanimity vetoes that have hampered EU foreign policy. In a letter to High Representative Kaja Kallas they call for measures to prioritise sincere cooperation and enable common action, including wider use of constructive abstentions, stopping the linking of unrelated disputes, and exploring treaty options to shift some foreign-policy decisions from unanimity to qualified majority voting. Signatories argue reform would let the EU respond faster amid growing global instability, while opponents warn it could weaken democratic legitimacy and small states’ protections. The push gains momentum after recent veto-driven crises under Viktor Orbán’s tenure.
Nepal’s death toll from catastrophic floods triggered by a glacial collapse on the Tibet border has topped 1,000, with more than 3,900 people still missing. Rescue teams—led by Nepalese and Chinese military units and supported by experts from India, Korea and Australia—are racing to reach hundreds believed trapped in mud-filled hydropower tunnels along the Trishuli River. Engineers have pumped air into tunnels and used explosives to blast access points, but progress is slow amid massive boulders and devastated terrain. So far about 279 people have been rescued; only a small fraction of recovered bodies have been identified and temporary burials are being used. Prime Minister Balendra Shah warned the disaster underscores growing Himalayan climate risks and called for stronger international attention and aid.
At least 12 people were killed during a sixth consecutive night of Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and surrounding areas, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine says air defences downed dozens of missiles and most drones, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Russia used jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles and is exploiting a shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors. Kyiv has faced chronic air-defence gaps as winter approaches; Ukraine has retaliated with strikes on Russian military and energy targets while frontline gains remain limited.
