Author: staff

This is not an isolated act. Rather, it’s part of a broader authoritarian playbook — one that treats democracy, civil society and free speech as threats to be neutralized. For example, just last week, the regime also amended the constitution — for the 15th time in just as many years — to severely limit citizens’ freedom to peacefully protest, escalating its campaign against LGBTQ+ communities by effectively banning Pride marches. Leveraging a deeply problematic “Child Protection Act,” the regime now has carte blanche to criminalize assemblies it deems inappropriate, and use invasive surveillance technologies like facial recognition in its enforcement.…

The IMF slashed its 2025 U.K. growth forecast by 0.5 percent earlier on Tuesday. The revised figure puts Britain’s GDP growth above Japan, France, Italy, Germany, and the Euro area, but behind the U.S. and Canada. In meetings with G20 and European finance ministers Wednesday, and in an address to the world economy summit, “the chancellor will underline the importance of tackling barriers to trade to kickstart economic growth,” according to a U.K. government release. Reeves said she will continue to make the case for “open trade that provides stability for businesses and security for working people.” “We need a world…

Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed readiness last week to engage in a direct dialogue with Ukraine, considering Zelenskyy’s proposal to halt strikes on civilian infrastructure.   The new openness comes after United States President Donald Trump threatened to walk away from negotiations to end the war if “either side” continued to block the ceasefire process. On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials and European allies will meet with U.S. representatives in London to discuss a Washington-backed ceasefire plan. “Tomorrow in London, our team has a mandate to officially discuss an unconditional ceasefire or a partial one. We are ready for this stage.…

The Met Police earlier said in an email to MPs’ offices, seen by POLITICO, that they were “investigating offences related to a series of letters that have been received by MPs in the post in the past few months.” “The letters in question are believed to have been sent by a single sender,” the email stated, adding that the correspondence was “distinctive because, as well as containing offensive content, the letters appear to be smeared with excrement.”  Investigating officers urged any MPs affected to report it to the police. The House of Commons declined to comment while police are carrying…

Arnault has been an outspoken fan of Trump’s plans to woo manufacturers and has slammed the French government and the European Union for, respectively, raising taxes and enacting regulations that, in his words, “penalize our economic sectors.” French President Emmanuel Macron had urged European business to freeze investments in the U.S. in response to Trump’s tariffs. The French luxury sector is particularly exposed to the ongoing trade war as it is heavily reliant on exports. But while LVMH registered a decline in sales in the first quarter of 2025, Hermes’ sales went up in the same period, according to earnings…

Police in India say gunmen have killed at least 20 tourists at a resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir.Two senior police officers said at least four gunmen, whom they described as militants, fired at dozens of tourists from close range.The officers said at least three dozen others were injured, with many in serious condition.Officials collected at least 20 bodies in Baisaran meadow, around five kilometres from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam.Police described the incident as a “terror attack” and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule.It appeared to be a major shift in the regional conflict in which tourists have largely been…

The latest figures put Britain’s GDP growth this year lower than Canada (1.4 percent) and the U.S. (1.8 percent), but above Japan (0.6 percent), France (0.6 percent), Italy (0.4 percent), Germany (0 percent), and the Euro area (0.8 percent).  The international body said the U.K.’s downgrade from January’s forecast is due to “a smaller carryover from 2024,” the impact of recent U.S. tariffs, an increase in government bond yields, and weaker private consumption amid higher inflation. The U.K.’s inflation forecast was hiked by 0.7 percentage points, compared to 0.4 percentage points in other advanced economies. The IMF pointed to the U.K.…

Spain will invest an additional €10.4 billion in defence to meet NATO’s 2% target by 2025, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez officially announced after Tuesday’s ministerial meeting in Madrid.The centre-left leader emphasised that Spain remains a “pacifist” country and said the new investments are intended as a deterrent to “those who might think of attacking Europe”.Less than a fifth of the plan’s funds will be allocated to the “purchase of arms in the traditional sense of the word”, the Socialist leader added.Under the proposed defence and security plan, 35% of the new investments will go toward improving the working conditions of…

The Central Apennine ridge, the middle section of Italy’s mountainous backbone, is a wilderness of limestone peaks, ancient beech forests and plunging canyons. The untamed idyll hides half a dozen wolf packs – likely the highest population density of any area in Europe – who have teetered back from the brink of extinction in the last few decades. Visitors to the mountainous national park in the region of Abruzzo can now take trekking trips to track these free-ranging wolves. In the French Alps, Sweden and Romania’s Transylvania, operators offer similar hiking excursions to observe the animals. Organisers say these wildlife experiences…

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