Author: staff
For Ursula von der Leyen, the sky might not be the limit. Her proposal for the next seven-year budget of the European Union has taken Brussels by storm with its headline figure: €2 trillion, larger than any number rumoured or leaked in anticipation of the high-stakes announcement. The next budget “will be the most ambitious ever” in the bloc’s history, the president of the European Commission told reporters on Wednesday. “It is more strategic, more flexible, more transparent,” she went on. “We are investing more in our capacity to respond and more in our independence.” But what makes her blueprint…
The government called the move the “biggest change to U.K. democracy in a generation,” highlighting that young people “already contribute to society by working, paying taxes and serving in the military.” While the decision is expected to broadly benefit center-left parties, the precise impacts of the change are less clear. Polling of 16-to-18-year-olds conducted by Merlin Strategy and featured in the Financial Times indicated that about 33 percent of the cohort would vote Labour, followed by 20 percent voting Reform and 18 percent opting for the Green Party. Political scientist John Curtice told POLITICO in an interview that the political…
Published on 17/07/2025 – 14:45 GMT+2 A teacher was stabbed and seriously injured at a musical performance by elementary school pupils on Wednesday night, Dutch police said in a statement Thursday. The 53-year-old teacher was stabbed as he tried to intervene in an argument between three men at a cultural centre in Alblasserdam, police said, adding that several people witnessed the stabbing and were offered counselling in the immediate aftermath. Children at elementary schools in the Netherlands traditionally put on shows for their parents in the last week before the summer holidays. Three suspects have since been arrested, police said.…
By Emma De Ruiter with AP Published on 17/07/2025 – 14:41 GMT+2 •Updated 14:51 At least two people were killed and several others were injured after the Holy Family Church in northern Gaza was hit by an Israeli strike on Thursday morning, Catholic Church officials said. Two people who were in critical condition later succumbed to their injuries, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem told Euronews. “With deep sorrow, the Latin Patriarchate can now confirm that two persons were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family Compound this morning,” the seat of the Latin…
“Our government takes a course to self-sufficiency: military, economic, and social,” Svyrydenko wrote on social media after her confirmation. “War does not give us the right to hesitate. We must act quickly and decisively.” Svyrydenko has been a driving force behind the Ukraine-U.S. mineral deal, a controversial economic partnership that gives America access to profits from the Eastern European country’s vast mineral resources. She is also a familiar face to Brussels officials, having frequently led Ukraine’s talks with the EU and European capitals. “We stand fully behind you as you fight for Ukraine’s survival and work for your country’s recovery…
Published on 17/07/2025 – 13:01 GMT+2 •Updated 13:27 A grieving widow is demanding answers about her husband’s death after his body was found in a toilet at a council building in Scotland six days after he entered the cubicle. 48-year-old Julie Stephen said she believed her husband Sean’s body was lying in the toilet at Edinburgh City Chambers for almost a week. She claimed she had been talking to her husband on the phone when he entered the council buildings on the Royal Mile on 1 July. Stephen contacted the police that evening to report his disappearance after he had reportedly…
Published on 17/07/2025 – 13:42 GMT+2 •Updated 13:56 Russia attacked a shopping centre in the eastern Ukrainian town of Dobropillia with a FAB-type 500-kg aerial bomb, killing at least four people and injuring 27 others, regional officials reported Thursday. Fifty-four retail outlets, 304 apartments, and eight vehicles have been struck, and a fire broke out following the attack, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strike as “simply horrific” and said there was “no military logic” to it. “This is horrendous, dumb Russian terror. Simply an attempt to kill as many as…
Welcome to Vonderland Farmers aren’t convinced. While Hansen tried to calm tempers inside the Parliament, hundreds of farmers rallied outside the EU institutions in Brussels, waving flags and chanting slogans like “Welcome to Vonderland” — a jab at von der Leyen for what they see as the betrayal of Europe’s farm sector. “They’re dismantling 70 years of European history,” fumed Massimiliano Giansanti, the head of Copa, the powerful EU farming lobby, referring to the CAP’s post–World War II origins. For many of Europe’s farmers, the CAP isn’t just a subsidy system, it’s a birthright. “They want to have a declaration of war…
LONDON — Trust in the United States among Britons has dropped sharply over the past 12 months, according to new public opinion research released Thursday. The latest annual survey by think tank the British Foreign Policy Group (BFPG) found that the proportion of Brits who say they trust America to act responsibly in the world has dropped from 53 percent in 2024 to just 38 percent in 2025. Some 41 percent of Brits overall said they now distrust the U.S., compared to 26 percent in 2024. The stark changes follow a tumultuous year in American politics, including the return of…
The prime minister has suspended four Labour MPs for “persistent breaches of discipline” as the fallout from the welfare reforms continues. Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss who they are, why now and what was the point, as the government attempts to restore order on the backbenches. Sir Keir Starmer also welcomes German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to London in the hope of signing a wide-ranging bilateral cooperation treaty. Plus, the PM’s missions are back on the agenda as he makes a speech at the first Civil Society Summit.