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US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday that could pause hostilities in the country after weeks of Israeli attacks and ground operations, and could boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel. Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group inside the country, who were not formally part of the agreement. Barrages of gunshots rang out across Beirut as residents fired into the air just after midnight to celebrate the beginning of the truce. “I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected…

Defense deals and Thomas Tuchel’s chances: Inside the new Anglo-German bromance – POLITICO Skip to main content

Orbán’s defeat, combined with the fallout from the war in Iran and Trump’s fight with the pope, has accelerated their retreat. While some see advantages in keeping ties with Trump, “in the specific context of elections, that’s not a particularly promising approach,” said Torben Braga, a lawmaker with the far-right Alternative for Germany party, who sits on the foreign policy committee of the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament. For Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo were a breaking point. But siding with the Holy Father was also a matter of political convenience for her given her Catholic support…

Da Costa called the plan “extraordinary.” She said: “Last time round, MPs voted to allow the Lords to do their work. This is a very different vote. There will be no ‘off switch’ once it goes to the Lords. MPs will be asked if they’re happy with the bill — with all its deficiencies and all the evidence that has been heard — to become law.” Opponents of the bill argue that the debates in the Lords have exposed holes in the law that the Commons scrutiny did not. One, Labour peer Luciana Berger, pointed out that the bill has…

BRUXELLES — Le think tank populiste de Bruxelles cher à Viktor Orbán doit lutter pour sa survie, après que le nouveau Premier ministre hongrois, Péter Magyar, a promis de réduire son financement. Mais son travail se poursuivra, affirment ses dirigeants. L’organisation est prête à résister à la pression politique, ont indiqué à POLITICO les partisans et les détracteurs de MCC Brussels. Des sources de financement alternatives, des recours juridiques potentiels et une demande toujours présente pour son programme conservateur eurosceptique devraient lui permettre de se maintenir. “Il ne fait aucun doute qu’ils essaieront de le faire fermer”, a affirmé Frank…

“All we want is the truth,” MP Rachael Maskell told POLITICO. “Now a different account of Mr. Mandelson’s security clearance has been brought to light we need accountability as to why we were provided a different version of events.” A highly loyal MP, granted anonymity to discuss internal party matters, said Thursday night: “This is bad, very, very bad. There are so many factors, I don’t know if it will be the end, but it definitely could be.” Robbins’ rocky path The departure of Robbins is the latest twist in a Whitehall career that has seen the senior official —…

“There are good arguments in favor of it,” Merz said at a press conference in Berlin with regard to a joint European and U.S. effort. This puts Merz on a potential collision course with Macron, who has been sharper in criticizing the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. While France has said it would not partake in U.S. military operations, the country has deployed an aircraft carrier and other vessels to help defend regional allies in the Gulf. “We won’t enter into a coalition with the U.S. and I don’t think Germany will either,” said the French presidency official, who…

Orbán, who has led Hungary for 16 years straight, took a somber tone throughout the interview, describing the aftermath of the election in personal terms. “I felt pain and emptiness,” he said, adding that he has been throwing himself into his work as “occupational therapy” to cope with the shock. “Even I thought we were going to win,” he admitted. Magyar has already begun signaling a break with Orbán’s nationalist-populist rule, pledging to relocate the prime minister’s office from Budapest’s Carmelite Palace. Orbán will also skip next week’s informal European Council meeting in Cyprus, according to an EU official who…

The German group also cited rising costs linked to recent strikes, which on Wednesday overshadowed the airline’s 100th anniversary celebrations. Legacy airline groups aren’t the only ones struggling with the impact of high fuel prices on their balance sheets. Budget airline easyJet said Thursday that its fuel costs had risen by almost €29 million in March alone, and that its before-tax losses were expected to increase to between €620 million and €640 million in the six months to March, up from €450 million a year earlier. Latvian carrier airBaltic is also in a critical situation and is dependent on financial support. Prime…

Published on 16/04/2026 – 17:15 GMT+2 European Commission officials will meet Péter Magyar’s incoming team on Friday, as Brussels races against time to release EU funds that have been frozen during the current Orbán administration. Magyar secured a sweeping victory in last Sunday’s election, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule. A key campaign pledge was to restore Hungary’s ties with the EU and unblock billions in funding that had been withheld over rule-of-law and corruption concerns. Of the €27bn earmarked for Hungary, €17bn remains frozen. “The clock is ticking for several topics, whether we’re talking about the Ukraine loan, whether we’re…