Author: staff

Campaigners believe such a fundamental change to how NICE functions should have required primary legislation, rather than secondary legislation pushed through with limited scrutiny.  Some MPs have already tried to push back on the legislative changes.  Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell led a cross-party intervention, writing to former Health Secretary Wes Streeting to publish the government’s impact assessment of the deal and allow MPs to debate it in parliament.  The letter, seen by POLITICO, was signed by more than 20 MPs, including former Green party leaders Siân Berry, Carla Denyer, Adrian Ramsay, Green MP Hannah Spencer, Labour MP Andy McDonald…

Published on 18/05/2026 – 6:23 GMT+2 Chelsea hired Xabi Alonso as manager on Sunday on a four-year deal starting with the beginning of next season, with the Spaniard returning to coaching after a short, rocky spell at Real Madrid and tasked with bringing stability to a club that has become dysfunctional under its new American ownership. Alonso will formally take charge on 1 July as the replacement for Liam Rosenior, who was fired last month, and will become the fifth permanent coach appointed by Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital since they bought the Premier League team in 2022.…

The European Commission is preparing to take a much tougher line on China, we hear on this episode of the Brussels Playbook Podcast, with Zoya Sheftalovich joined by Nick Vinocur. Brussels is growing increasingly worried about cheap imports, industrial decline and dependence on Chinese critical raw materials. Then: Despite more than 20 EU sanctions packages against Russia, a major investigation reveals how Russian networks still manage to get hold of European technology through shell companies and third countries including Turkey. And finally, the European Parliament heads to Strasbourg — where MEPs are once again arguing over parliamentary immunity, prosecutorial overreach…

US President Donald Trump warned late on Sunday that “there won’t be anything left of Iran” if it doesn’t quickly agree to the United States’ demands and enter into a deal to secure a permanent ceasefire, threatening a resumption of hostilities with increased intensity. “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” wrote Trump on his own social media platform, Truth Social. Washington, locked in conflict with Tehran since US and Israeli forces launched major strikes on the Islamic republic beginning 28 February,…

Adding insult to injury, instead of approving the deal as negotiated, the European Parliament is now trying to rewrite it by tacking on four new amendments. These changes would include sunrise and sunset clauses, suspension mechanisms and safeguards that were never part of the original Turnberry deal. In plain English, Brussels is trying to move the goalposts while the game is underway. That’s not how reciprocal trade deals work. Reciprocity means both sides deliver what they promise. It does not mean one side delivers, while the other stalls, delays and reserves the right to add new demands whenever it suits.…

The debate over Niebler’s immunity reveals the tensions between the Parliament and prosecutors, including EPPO, over who gets to decide whether lawmakers should be investigated. If the full Parliament backs the JURI decision — which seems likely given Niebler is a member of the EPP, the Parliament’s largest political group — it would prevent the prosecutors from pursuing certain investigative steps, including questioning her, searching her home or bringing her before a court. Parliamentary immunity is a legal safeguard that protects MEPs from political persecution. According to the Parliament’s rulebook, reviewed by POLITICO, the JURI committee must lift the immunity of an…

The PP is in opposition at the national level in Spain, and polling ahead of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party ahead of next year’s national vote. With the PP well ahead in polls throughout the Andalusian campaign, the main question ahead of the election was whether Moreno would be able to secure his second consecutive majority in the region, the most populous in Spain. With 99.8 percent of votes counted, the PP is on track to secure 53 seats in the 109-seat parliament, a loss of five seats. Moreno is the leading figure of the PP’s moderate wing. The loss…

A drone strike caused a fire on the perimeter at the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi officials said Sunday. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), responded to the incident with a statement saying “military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable.” Grossi called for “maximum military restraint near any [nuclear power plant] to avoid the danger of a nuclear accident.” There have been no reports of injuries or radiological release. No one has claimed responsibility for the strike and the UAE has not blamed anyone. The country’s defense ministry…

Published on 17/05/2026 – 16:35 GMT+2 Israel’s Noam Bettan secured second place at Eurovision 2026 despite a number of countries boycotting the event over Israel’s inclusion, citing the Gaza war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has congratulated Bettan for his efforts and told him he had the “gratitude of the entire nation,” while also commending him for standing “tall against those hollow verbal potshots.” The buildup to this year’s competition had largely focused on the controversy surrounding Israel’s entry, with five nations – Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland – pulling out in protest. It marked the biggest political…

Leaders of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) have announced at a summit in Kazakhstan that they are advancing their joint Eurasian forces towards the alliance’s strategic political and economic coordination amid rapid global geopolitical and technological developments, while emphasising that their alliance is not intended for military or geopolitical purposes. The leaders of Kazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and others gathered in the historic Kazakh city of Turkistan, the spiritual capital of the Turkic world, to work together on designing joint AI and digital developments and integration for the member states and the wider region, but also for the…