Author: staff

PARIS — Quatre Premiers ministres en une seule année, il y a de quoi ne plus savoir où donner de la tête. Ou la perdre, entre la chasse aux économies, l’afflux de propositions de loi et la fracturation de l’Assemblée nationale, jusqu’au sein même du bloc central. Plusieurs cabinets racontent, amusés ou déconfits, être plus que jamais en veille constante sur la moindre proposition de loi, voire sur le moindre amendement. “La plupart de nos sujets sont en défensive”, commente un lobbyiste d’un des plus importants cabinets d’affaires publiques. “Le jeu est en permanence ouvert. Il ne suffit pas d’avoir le…

The European Commission is equipping staff travelling to the US with burner phones and stripped-down laptops over surveillance concerns, the Financial Times reported last week. The country has been added to a list that includes Ukraine and China and other countries where electronic surveillance is expected.  With geopolitical tensions rising, we look at which tech tools and online platforms can be used by politicians across Europe, and which ones are black-listed. TikTokBack in 2023, the European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the EU banned TikTok on EU officials’ professional devices. This was followed across various EU agencies and consultative bodies, including…

As Catholics gather in Rome to mourn Pope Francis, those hoping to succeed him are preparing to engage in one of the world’s oldest and most intriguing electoral contests. This week’s guest knows the inner workings of the Vatican and the key players involved as cardinals gather for the next conclave. Host Anne McElvoy talks to Francis Campbell, who served as Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2011. Campbell became ambassador not long after the death of Pope John Paul II and a few months into Benedict’s pontificate, which preceded that of Francis. He believes that the…

As a result, the officials added, it is possible that Rome will be forced to eat into other budgets to drum up fresh funds for defense. It might also initially hit the 2 percent target and then gradually trim that amount to focus on the “maintenance” of its armed forces.  But the official quoted above also emphasized that the creative accounting had been carefully designed to withstand legal scrutiny. While pressure will be “unavoidable,” the official added, Rome might be able to get away with spending only a small amount that is more in a “way the Americans like,” such…

It was a week when penguins, bonds, the new German coalition, Louisiana soybeans, fossil fuels, the EU’s Digital Markets Act, France’s creaking politics and American bourbon all became one news story. POLITICO explains what got us all yippy. Apr 11 11 mins read

He added that it’s now up to Virkkunen, who hails from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), to wrap up EU investigations and crack down on U.S. tech behemoths through the DSA. “We want to see the same approach from … Virkkunen, when it comes to the Digital Services Act, and the conclusion of the investigation into breaches by X, TikTok and Meta of the rules that protect our citizens online,” Saliba said. Ribera and Virkkunen jointly oversee DMA enforcement, while Virkkunen has sole responsibility for DSA enforcement. Brussels has opened content-moderation probes into companies such as X, Meta, and…

Campaigns of this type often pop up around major news events, when hackers elicit curiosity and emotional reactions to try to lure unsuspecting users to fraudulent websites.  “Cybercriminals thrive on chaos and curiosity,” said Rafa Lopez, a security engineer at Check Point. “Whenever a major news event occurs, we see a sharp rise in scams designed to exploit public interest.” Researchers have called this “cyber threat opportunism,” a phenomenon that spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Google identified 18 million malware and phishing Gmail messages per day related to the pandemic.  Instagram’s parent company Meta and TikTok did not immediately…

It was a week when penguins, bonds, the new German coalition, Louisiana soybeans, fossil fuels, the EU’s Digital Markets Act, France’s creaking politics and American bourbon all became one news story. POLITICO explains what got us all yippy. Apr 11 11 mins read

Ukraine has struggled to make itself heard in international talks about its own future, initially being frozen out by Russia and the U.S. Kyiv is more involved now, but is under huge pressure from Washington and Moscow to make galling concessions regarding its land and mineral wealth. American Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that Ukraine will have to agree to give up territory or the U.S. will walk away from mediating negotiations, adding that the conflict needs to be frozen on the current front lines. The Americans have proposed recognizing Crimea — which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 — as…

According to the ministry, the MPs targeted had made “hostile statements and unfounded accusations” against Moscow. “Being targeted by this thuggish, criminal regime is a compliment,” Labour MP Blair McDougall, among those sanctioned, told POLITICO. “That amongst the reasons is that I have been rude to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin shows how brittle and pathetic his regime is. This won’t stop British MPs from speaking up for the people of Ukraine.” Labour MP Phil Brickell said Putin “has another thing coming” if he thinks the ban will silence them. Liberal Democrat defense spokesperson Helen Maguire, also on the list, said…