Author: staff
Duarte wants to use tax breaks to goad the owners of the city’s 20,000 vacant homes to rent them out at affordable prices, but Pizarro argues his own plan to build 5,000 affordable homes on municipal land could be implemented much faster. Duarte also has a radical proposal to raise the tourist tax to make public transport free for all city residents — but Pizarro’s counterplan to slash the speed limit on Porto’s innermost ring road could prove more controversial. With neither candidate expected to secure a governing majority, Chega may ultimately determine the winning vision. Beyond the biggest cities…
Once home to ruler and astronomer Mirzo Ulugbek’s legendary observatory — a beacon of science in the 15th century — the Uzbek city of Samarkand is set to reclaim its place among the stars. In 2028, the Silk Road city will host the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), the world’s largest space industry gathering. It reflects Uzbekistan’s goal to become an important player in the modern “space age”. Uzbekistan’s space ambitions have accelerated since the establishment of the Uzbekcosmos Agency in 2019. The agency is reshaping how the nation uses space technologies for governance, environment, and development. “In early 2025, Uzbekistan…
The gnome-painting was part of a celebration of new EU protection of quality labels, one of which has been given to handcrafted gnomes from the German village of Gräfenroda, now officially protected as “Original Thuringian Garden Gnomes.” Alas, this column’s application for a protection of quality label was rejected on the grounds of, er, quality. Incidentally, this writer’s favorite gnome available from the shop of the company behind the painting workshop is Johannes der “Ruhende–Holzhacker” (the resting woodcutter), who is adopting a vaguely sexual pose (are you sure about that? — ed) while smoking a pipe and holding an ax (neither…
Published on 09/10/2025 – 20:35 GMT+2 •Updated 10/10/2025 – 6:42 GMT+2 Austrian officials have said the country will refuse to host the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is boycotted from the event. Chancellor Christian Stocker and secretary general of the ruling Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Alexander Pröll made the announcement on Wednesday, the website Eurovision Fun reported. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body responsible for the annual music competition, said that its general assembly will vote in November on whether Israel can participate. There has been pressure to freeze Israel out of the contest because of the war in…
Three years into her premiership, Giorgia Meloni has defied expectations when she was elected by holding together one of Italy’s most stable governments in recent memory. Over roughly the past decade, Italy has had six governments, meaning about one every 1.7 years on average — an extraordinary rate of turnover even by Italian standards. Yet while political calm has returned to Rome, the same cannot be said for Italy’s sluggish economy. Growth forecasts continue to underwhelm, and waves of frustrated business leaders are pressing Meloni to move faster on reforms she promised, which pledge to bring Italy to the heights…
Drone sightings in Germany earlier this month brought Munich Airport to a standstill, leading politicians to announce new measures against unidentified aerial vehicles. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that the country’s cabinet had approved a reform which would include the creation of a dedicated drone defence unit within the federal police. The police will now be authorised to shoot down unmanned aircraft if necessary. However, not all drones are dangerous, with many used for civilian purposes, particularly in logistics and healthcare. In these sectors, supplies such as medicine, vaccines and blood samples are transported from one hospital to…
Heute wird’s persönlich: keine Analyse, kein Interview, sondern Antworten auf euer Feedback. In dieser Sonderfolge spricht Gordon Repinski über Themenauswahl, die Idee hinter den 200-Sekunden-Interviews, kreative Erzählformen und einen umstrittenen Moment jeder Folge: den Geburtstag des Tages. Er erzählt, wie spontane Aufnahmen zwischen Brüssel, Berlin und Besenkammern entstehen, warum der Podcast manchmal mitten in der Nacht weiterläuft – und wieso Journalismus immer auch Dialog ist. Ein Blick in den Maschinenraum des Berlin Playbook Podcasts. Mit Anekdoten, über Haltung und Humor. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum…
Israel’s cabinet approved early on Friday US President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, after a deal was brokered by negotiators on Thursday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said that, according to the agreement, the ceasefire should begin immediately after government…
The diplomats and officials told POLITICO that the Commission does not intend to act on the criticism in the document, which was drawn up after Trump agreed a handshake trade deal with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in July at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. Instead, the EU executive intends to act in line with the terms of a subsequent joint statement that does not foresee those concessions. “We have always said — we are not negotiating on these issues,” said one European Commission official, while an envoy from one EU country insisted the broadside against the…
Trump suggests booting ‘laggard’ Spain from NATO over defense spending – POLITICO Skip to main content