Author: staff
Article 5 is the cornerstone of the alliance’s collective defense: It states that an attack on one member will be treated as an attack on all. “In my view, this is a really big step forward. And, as I said, the American side has also committed itself politically and, in perspective, legally to do this,” Merz added. Zelenskyy also, for the first time, suggested a solution could be in sight. “Before we take any steps on the battlefield, we need to see very clearly what security guarantees are in place,” he said. “It is important that the U.S. is considering…
Such a move would stop short of a formal Green-Labour deal, instead tapping into tactical voting. Green officials are discussing the prospect of informal, local prioritizations of resources so the best-placed progressive challenger can win, as seen in elections past with Labour and the centrist Liberal Democrats. At the same time, Green advisers are keen to lean into the deep divisions within Labour about whether Starmer should be replaced with another leader to prevent electoral oblivion. Starmer appears deeply unpopular with Green supporters. One YouGov study has him rated just as unfavorably as Conservative chief Badenoch with backers of Polanski’s…
New details are emerging, however, about what powertrains will be allowed after 2035. In the current plan, range extenders — small combustion engines that give batteries more range — will count for a further emissions reduction than plug-in hybrids, which have both a combustion engine and an electric motor. Essentially, the scheme would give automakers more emission credits for range extenders than plug-in hybrids because they emit less CO2 than the hybrids, two officials said. The 2035 reform is part of a broader automotive package being put forward by the Commission on Tuesday that will include a new regulation on…
People were seen laying flowers at a growing pile of floral tributes, while long lines formed at a Sydney blood centre after a call for donations. At least 38 people were being treated in hospitals after the massacre on Sunday, when the two shooters fired indiscriminately on the beachfront festivities. Those killed included a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor. Australian authorities declared the incident a terrorist attack. One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second arrested.
The EU is working to agree on a plan to use frozen Russian assets to underwrite a €210 billion loan to support Kyiv’s state budget and help repair the damage done by Russia’s full-scale invasion. However, Belgium — which hosts the bulk of the funds — has been joined by Italy, Malta and Bulgaria in raising legal questions over the proposals, which are already opposed on principle by Kremlin-friendly countries Hungary and Slovakia. “A number of member states have said we need to ensure there is legal certainty; I think safeguards are being put in place in this regard. And…
Published on 15/12/2025 – 20:50 GMT+1 European leaders have formally committed to come to Ukraine’s aid in any future attack launched by Russia, emulating the collective defence of NATO’s Article 5, marking a major development in the fast-moving efforts to end the war. These assistance measures, they said, should be broad, including “armed force, intelligence and logistical assistance, economic and diplomatic actions.” In a joint statement released on Monday after high-level talks in Berlin, European leaders provided their most detailed outline yet of the security guarantees they are willing to provide to Ukraine, with the endorsement of the United States.…
Croatia’s parliament approved a radioactive waste disposal facility on Monday at a site less than a kilometre from Bosnia and Herzegovina, defying years of protests from neighbours who say the project threatens a quarter of a million people. The law provides the regulatory basis for building a facility at Čerkezovac on Trgovska Gora to store waste from the Krško Nuclear Power Plant, which Croatia co-owns with Slovenia, as well as radioactive waste from Croatian hospitals and industry. Under a bilateral agreement with Slovenia, Croatia must take responsibility for disposing of half the low and intermediate-level radioactive waste generated by Krško,…
LONDON — The U.K. government is “dragging its heels” on whether to classify China as a major threat to Britain’s national security, the parliament’s intelligence watchdog warned on Monday. Lawmakers on the Intelligence and Security Committee — which has access to classified briefings as part of its work overseeing Britain’s intelligence services — said they are “concerned” by apparent inaction over whether to designate Beijing as a top-level threat when it comes to influencing Britain. Ministers have been under pressure to put China on the “enhanced tier” of Britain’s Foreign Influence Registration Scheme — a tool to protect the economy…
Soaring housing costs are fast becoming the Grinch of Europe, dampening people’s desires to make social plans for Christmas. Around 75% of Europeans say they’ve had to cut back on spending just to keep up with mortgage payments in the past 12 months, according to a survey among more than 20,000 people in 23 countries. Ireland and Hungary are feeling the squeeze especially hard, as a striking 90% of homebuyers there report having tightened their belts, says the 2025 Housing Trend Report. Romanians and Malteses are faring even worse, with 93% saying they’ve had to cut back, while Italy leads…
Published on 15/12/2025 – 19:18 GMT+1 The new head of the UK’s foreign intelligence service, MI6, warned on Monday of how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s determination to export chaos around the world is rewriting the rules of conflict and creating new security challenges. Blaise Metreweli used her first public speech to say that Britain faces increasingly unpredictable and interconnected threats, with emphasis on an “aggressive, expansionist” Russia. “The export of chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach to international engagement and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his…