Author: staff
Published on 08/05/2026 – 20:52 GMT+2•Updated 23:28 Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a presidential decree on Friday night, confirming he would “permit” Russia to hold the Victory Day parade on Saturday. “Taking into account numerous requests, and for humanitarian purposes outlined during negotiations with the American side on 8 May 2026, I hereby decree: to permit the holding of a parade in the city of Moscow (Russian Federation) on May 9, 2026.” US President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire for 9, 10 and 11 May in his post on Truth Social. “This ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic…
According to Italian media, Rubio said he had not raised the issue of troop withdrawals directly with Meloni, but added that “some European countries … have refused to allow us to use those bases in a very serious emergency,” which “has created some unnecessary risks” for the United States. Ultimately, though, removing American soldiers from European bases is “a decision for the president to make,” he concluded. Tajani stressed the importance of maintaining a strong American presence in Europe. “For us, an American presence in Europe is important to strengthen NATO,” he said, adding that “a strong commitment from Europeans…
Yet his words show that Starmer is caught in a dilemma of his own making. Dismissed by many on his own side as a weak leader, he is determined to signal to the country – and his party – that things will improve, while declining to make big adjustments to his overall policy direction. Next week, he will set out Britain’s legislative agenda for the coming year via the King’s Speech, including tighter settlement rules for migrants, a rollout of digital ID, and votes for 16-year-olds. Yet all these plans were known to MPs already and locked down two weeks…
4. A trickle of calls for Starmer to go … but the dam hasn’t broken (yet) As of Friday evening, more than 10 Labour MPs had either called for Starmer to either outright go, or demand his departure unless there’s urgent overhaul of the government. Louise Haigh, the influential co-chair of the soft-left Tribune caucus, was first to make the veiled call for Starmer to go. That was couched in the language of being necessary unless there is “significant and urgent change,” a phrasing echoed by Anneliese Midgley to POLITICO. So far no ministers have publicly called for a change…
Published on 08/05/2026 – 10:25 GMT+2 It was a bold move by Giorgia Meloni. This week, the Italian Prime Minister posted an AI-generated image of herself in underwear, a picture that had already been circulating on social media. It was intended as a warning: if this can happen to a head of government, it can happen to anyone. However, the European Union has already been working to tackle deep fakes. So what exactly is changing? On Thursday, the EU reached a deal to ban so-called “nudification” apps — the tools used to create non-consensual sexually explicit images and videos through…
The aim is “to ensure a science-based response,” the spokesperson added. “Safeguarding public health is our absolute priority.” One of the key decisions countries and disease experts are working on is “defining quarantine guidelines and protocols,” the Commission spokesperson continued. They are also establishing support measures for EU countries and their citizens, assessing transport and medical evacuation needs to help Spain, and ensuring cooperation between health, civil protection, and international partners to protect citizens, the spokesperson added. There are around 150 people, including passengers and staff, aboard the ship at the moment, and none of them is displaying any symptoms,…
Published on 08/05/2026 – 15:33 GMT+2•Updated 16:01 German MEP Bernd Lange (S&D), the European Parliament’s lead negotiator on the EU-US trade deal, defended on Friday the EU legislative process aimed at implementing the agreement, pushing back against US criticism that Europe is moving too slowly. The comments came after US President Donald Trump gave the EU until 4 July to cut tariffs on US goods to zero, as agreed under the deal signed last year in Turnberry with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, warning otherwise of new tariffs on European products. Washington has stepped up pressure on Brussels…
Published on 08/05/2026 – 16:34 GMT+2 The European Commission has cleared Hungarian Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi of allegations linked to a reported spying network that targeted Commission staff, closing an internal investigation without finding evidence of individual wrongdoing. The announcement came a day before Hungary’s incoming Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, is due to take office following his landslide election victory last month. The decision means Várhelyi can remain in his role as EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare. In October, several media outlets reported that Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels had run a network of intelligence officers…
Ceasefire duel In a last-ditch effort to shield its flagship national holiday, Russia’s defense ministry announced a two-day ceasefire starting May 8. Ukraine countered it with its own open-ended ceasefire two days earlier, testing Russia’s real commitment to peace. But after Moscow responded with yet another wave of deadly strikes on Ukrainian cities, Zelenskyy threatened to “respond symmetrically.” Russia, in turn, has vowed to hit central Kyiv if it targets the celebrations. Tellingly, for the first time in years, no foreign journalists will be allowed to attend the Moscow parade, presumably to ensure control of the narrative should anything go…
“I’m not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos,” British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday after local election results showed millions of voters had abandoned his Labour Party. It is a far cry from the general election less than two years ago that saw Labour win one of the largest majorities in British parliamentary history. Starmer admitted that the elections — which saw hundreds of Labour councillors lose seats amid massive gains for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party — were painful. “The results are tough, they are very tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it,”…