Author: staff

PARIS — Il faudra encore attendre un peu pour connaître le coût financier de l’accord franco-algérien de 1968. La commission des Finances de l’Assemblée nationale devait se pencher mercredi après-midi sur le rapport des députés EPR Charles Rodwell et Mathieu Lefèvre, censé évaluer les conséquences de l’accord bilatéral — en matière de circulation, de santé et d’emploi — sur nos finances publiques. Or, son examen a mystérieusement disparu de l’agenda de l’Assemblée mardi, a repéré POLITICO. La mise sur pause de la présentation de leur travail, décidée de concert par le duo, n’est en réalité pas la première. L’examen du rapport…

Published on 09/07/2025 – 11:37 GMT+2•Updated 12:19French authorities raided the headquarters of the far-right National Rally (RN) on Wednesday as part of a probe into alleged campaign finance violations, with the party’s president Jordan Bardella calling the action “a new harassment campaign”.The Paris prosecutor’s office said the investigation is examining whether the RN financed its campaigns in part through illegal loans between 2020 and 2024.The probe relates to possible money laundering and the use of forged documents during the RN’s 2022 French presidential campaign, the country’s legislative elections that year and the European elections in 2024, according to the office.…

Fuelled by winds, the blaze forced evacuations and confined thousands indoors in France’s second-largest city. Marseille’s mayor, Benoît Payan, said the situation had improved by Wednesday, calling the fire “in net regression”.More than 1,000 firefighters were deployed after the fire began near Les Pennes-Mirabeau, burning 720 hectares.Smoke filled the skies over the city’s historic port as aircraft continued to drop water. Travel remained disrupted, with trains and flights still affected.

Merz is under enormous pressure from German industry, particularly from automakers, to push the EU to seal a rapid deal as its export-oriented economy is behing hit hard by Trump’s sectoral tariffs. The U.S. currently levies 25 percent tariffs on cars and 50 percent on steel and aluminum. “There is a lot at stake here,” said Merz. “Jobs are at stake here. The prosperity of our country is also at stake here.” While pushing the EU to act quickly, Merz also said Germany would “achieve nothing” if it were to act on its own, underscoring the need for unity among…

Ukraine shot down most of the drones, and Iskander ballistic missiles launched at its territory. But all six of Russia’s newest aeroballistic Kinzhal made it past air defenses, as Ukraine faces an acute shortage of the U.S. Patriot missile systems it needs to stop them. “Only Patriots can shoot down” Kinzhals, said Yurii Ihnat, a Ukrainian air force spokesperson. The Patriot shortfall, caused by the increasing number of drones and missiles Russia has been deploying against Ukraine over the summer, was exacerbated by the Pentagon’s decision last week to halt shipments of some air defense missiles to Kyiv. U.S. President…

Published on 09/07/2025 – 10:43 GMT+2Swedish secret service bodyguards who uploaded details of their running and cycling routes on the fitness app Strava have been accused of exposing sensitive information about the prime minister’s location and risking his safety. On at least 35 occasions, bodyguards for Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson shared their workouts on the app and revealed his location, routes and movements — including details of hotels and his private residences — Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reported.The newspaper tracked more than 1,400 workouts uploaded to Strava by seven bodyguards who have protected individuals in the Swedish government over the…

After yesterday’s royal welcome from the King, French President Emmanuel Macron will get down to business today, meeting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for lunch, after PMQs. But, as Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss on this episode, away from the pomp, Sir Keir’s in-tray doesn’t look any less challenging. It includes a headache for Health Secretary Wes Streeting as resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, announce a new strike – and there is as a punchy warning from the OBR on making financial promises to the public. Also today, the welfare bill returns to the…

Dan’s choice of political home is significant as it has the potential to influence the dynamic among leaders around the summit table in Brussels. While Dan will remain free to follow his own priorities, members of European political parties regularly meet before leaders’ summits to coordinate their positions ahead of the top-level talks and to set long-term strategies; as well as to build networks and make social connections. At this month’s European Council in Brussels, Dan was invited to the pre-summit meetings of both Renew and the EPP. He had said he would attend them both, but later changed his…

Published on 08/07/2025 – 17:33 GMT+2Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Monday allowing foreigners to serve in the Russian army not only during a state of emergency or martial law, but also during the period of mobilisation. In an effort to expand Moscow’s military recruitment efforts, the Kremlin will also now allow qualified specialists who have reached the age limit to sign contracts with Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Federal Security Service (FSB), or other state security agencies.Until Monday, foreigners were allowed to serve in the Russian army only during states of emergency or under martial law, which Moscow has…

There are many reasons why drones no longer dominate today. | Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images Yes, rates of significant drone kills have dropped measurably because of counter-drone technology, but they’ve also done so because of changes in tactics, techniques and procedures. Next, with urgent demand and increased budgets for new technology significantly escalating, market forces took over. Today, there are few large defense companies that don’t have a C-UAS system under development, and the diversity of solutions is breathtaking. To that end, the further development and use of overlapping technologies to detect and defend units are significantly increasing the…