Author: staff

A House of Commons spokesperson said Friday: “Strangers’ Bar will close from Monday 20 January while security and safety arrangements are reviewed. The safety of everyone on the estate remains a key priority of both Houses.” While the drinking culture at Westminster is a topic of constant debate, the decision to shut one of parliament’s drinking establishments is highly unusual. Another bar, known as the Sports and Social, was closed after an altercation involving two members of parliamentary staff in 2017 and has since reopened. Jenny Symmons, chair of the GMB union’s Branch for Members’ Staff described it as “a…

This article was originally published in Spanish Next Monday Donald Trump takes office as the 47th President of the United States. No one from Pedro Sánchez’s Spanish government will attend the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, which is set to take place in Washington on Monday, the 20th.In line with US tradition, ambassadors typically represent their countries at such significant events, unlike in Latin America, where the attendance of other heads of state is crucial.Spain’s Ambassador to the United States, Ángeles Moreno, will represent Spain at the inauguration. However, the Spanish government will not be…

BRUSSELS — The European Commission greenlighted Hungary’s medium-term fiscal-structural plan on Thursday after Budapest provided the bloc’s executive with updated and previously missing data. Hungary is now forecast to exit the additional surveillance regime for overspending countries in 2026.According to the new document, the country’s deficit — the difference between budget revenues and expenditures — is set to be 3.6 percent of GDP in 2025 and 2.5 percent the following year, below the EU’s 3 percent threshold. The country’s overall debt is expected to amount to 68.2 percent of GDP by 2028.EU envoys decided on Wednesday to postpone until February…

Updated: 17/01/2025 – 16:08 GMT+1 The booster successfully returned to the pad using mechanical arms, but contact with the spacecraft was lost just 8.5 minutes into the flight. … More The booster successfully returned to the pad using mechanical arms, but contact with the spacecraft was lost just 8.5 minutes into the flight. The mission aimed to circle the globe and drop 10 dummy satellites, but the rocket broke apart during ascent. It was Starship’s seventh test flight and the debut of an upgraded model. The mission ended with the spacecraft debris crashing into the Indian Ocean.

BRUSSELS ― The European Commission has endorsed the new French government’s updated spending plan in a boost to Prime Minister François Bayrou, two diplomats told POLITICO. Ambassadors and financial counsellors from the EU’s member countries will discuss the plan in meetings today, the diplomats said.French Finance Minister Eric Lombard publicly promised to keep the commitment to reduce France’s deficit ― the difference between how much a country spends and how much it brings in ― to the EU’s 3 percent of gross domestic product threshold by 2029. Last year it was a whopping 6.2 percent. Michel Barnier, the former European…

Dozens of pet owners gathered outside Saint Anthony Church in central Madrid on Friday to have their animals blessed in honour of St Anthony, the patron saint of animals. Dogs and cats waited patiently as Catholic priests sprinkled them with holy water, a tradition believed to bring health and protection for the year ahead.Father Angel, the church leader, said it’s common to bless not only animals but also homes, gardens, and roads.The event also included a festive mass welcoming pets inside the church, with the Municipal Police band providing music. The celebration, part of Madrid’s calendar since the 1980s, is…

“We are now, what, four and a half years before the next election,” Starmer said, sitting at a table for dinner in a traditional Ukrainian restaurant in Kyiv. “I remind myself that four and a half years ago, Boris Johnson was prime minister with very high ratings and most commentators were saying he’s going to be prime minister for the next 10 years. So I am a great believer in taking each step as it comes, facing each challenge as it comes, keeping my eye on the long term and not getting distracted by the noises off.” Those noises have…

Indeed, Trump was quick to assert he was the crucial force behind the deal, claiming credit before Biden had even opened his mouth: “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” he wrote on his social media site Truth Social. The deal bringing an end to the 15-month conflict in Gaza still may unravel, of course. But with the Israeli cabinet now set to cast…

In an open letter to EU leaders, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has highlighted why Europe should strive to maintain good trade relations with both the US and China. European car giants including Mercedes-Benz and BMW have asked the European Commission to agree to a “grand bargain” with incoming US president Donald Trump, in order to protect the European car industry. The plea comes as tensions worsen between the EU and US, with the risk of an escalating trade war.Trump will be sworn in as the US president on Monday. He has already revealed that he intends to impose substantial…

And he added: “I have been clear that we would like to have discussions about a trade deal with the U.S., that we don’t accept the argument that there’s a binary choice between a reset with the EU and a deal with the U.S. and obviously the time for those decisions will be in the weeks and months to come.” While the incoming Trump administration is still formulating its trade policy, the president-elect has threatened duties of up to 20 percent on all global imports to the U.S. Some trade experts and opposition Conservative MPs argue the U.K. will need…