Author: staff

“I’m getting ready,” Hollande told the weekly magazine Marianne, which splashed the quote across its front page last month. “What’s at stake in the [2027] presidential election is major, historic. For France, but not just for France,” Hollande said last month in a clip posted to social media. “How the French vote will decide the future of Europe, and maybe even global stability.” He faces a steep climb. Two polls have explored the possibility of a 2027 comeback — and in both, the former president was projected to receive less than 10 percent of the vote, far below the current…

PARIS — Le bureau du Sénat doit se pencher le 28 mai prochain sur la levée de l’immunité parlementaire du sénateur Les Républicains Francis Szpiner, a appris POLITICO auprès de deux responsables parlementaires au fait des tractations. L’ancien maire du XVIe arrondissement de Paris fait l’objet d’une information judiciaire depuis plus d’un an. Celle-ci porte sur des chefs de corruption active et passive, selon les éléments communiqués par le parquet de Paris dans la foulée d’une perquisition, en avril 2025, du domicile de Francis Szpiner. L’enquête vise l’avocat de profession, qui s’était déclaré candidat à la mairie de Paris en…

Published on 20/05/2026 – 2:31 GMT+2•Updated 2:36 Diplomats and MEPs reached an agreement late on Tuesday to implement the contentious EU-US agreement, which eliminates duties on most US industrial goods imported into Europe. The negotiations concluded two weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on EU cars if Europeans did not implement the agreement — clinched by Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry, Scotland, last summer — by 4 July. The so-called “Turnberry Agreement,” criticised by MEPs as unbalanced, raises US tariffs on EU goods to as much as 15%. “The…

How political parties took control of the EU Parliament’s bureaucracy — and sparked a staff rebellion – POLITICO Skip to main content

“It’s not only the Europeans who think that. We all think that it must end as soon as possible,” French Finance Minister Roland Lescure, who chaired the meeting, told reporters during a press conference after discussions concluded Tuesday. “We all know that the sooner we reopen the Hormuz Strait, the sooner the economic aspect of this geopolitical conflict will be resolved, the better off we will all be,” he added. But the U.S. laid blame for Europe’s economic predicament on national governments.  “It’s [a] tired old tactic to try and blame their government’s abysmal approval ratings on external forces, rather…

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day state visit to China. Images showed Putin descending from his presidential plane before greeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the airport tarmac. Young Chinese supporters waving Russian and Chinese flags lined the arrival area as a military band and guard of honor welcomed the Russian leader. Footage also showed Putin walking along a red carpet before departing in a motorcade from the airport. The visit comes days after US President Donald Trump’s trip to China and marks the 25th anniversary of the China-Russia friendship treaty.

Tuesday’s drone entered Estonian airspace at noon local time, the Estonian Defense Forces wrote on X. Soon after, a Romanian F-16 training with NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission downed the drone with an air-to-air missile, under the leadership of the Latvian Control and Reporting Center. Earlier in May, a Ukrainian drone crashed into an oil depot in Latvia, leading to the resignation of Latvia’s defense minister Andris Sprūds and ultimately the collapse of the Latvian government. Tuesday’s shootdown appears to be the first time a drone has been downed in Estonia. The Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman apologized for the incursion…

Workers used a crane to install a massive bronze statue of Pelé outside Estadio Jalisco in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Aerial and ground images showed crews lifting and positioning the nine-meter-high sculpture beside the stadium as onlookers gathered to watch. Created by Mexican artist Alejandro Velazco, the monument titled “La Canarinha” depicts Pele celebrating during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, where Brazil won the tournament. Estadio Jalisco is one of the venues set to host matches during the 2026 World Cup.

“The process of redeploying U.S. military forces and assets in Europe is ongoing, but no decision has been made to reduce U.S. military capabilities in Poland,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said in a post on X. “The decisions being made are in no way directed against our strategic partnership. The Pentagon is currently preparing a new plan for the deployment of its forces across Europe.” ‘Blurred’ picture  In practice, the two U.S. announcements will be part of the same drawdown, according to two people familiar with the matter, with the ultimate aim of reducing troop numbers in Germany.  The 4,000-strong 2nd Armored Brigade Combat…

Published on 19/05/2026 – 19:07 GMT+2 A palpable sense of embarrassment was noticeable when the Anthem of Europe resounded in the Strasbourg European Parliament on Tuesday, with a clutch of grey heads at the centre of the stage symbolised the Old Continent getting older. The conferral ceremony of the European Order of Merit was meant to celebrate the European Union with an assortment of heavyweights who helped build it and fresh faces who can shape its future. But of the 20 laureates chosen this year, almost all the 13 laureates who actually attended the ceremony belong to the emeritus cohort,…