Author: staff
“At the European Council in December 2026, there will be blood on the walls,” said a senior EU diplomat, anticipating fierce negotiations. The diplomat, like others quoted in this story, was granted anonymity to speak freely. While French far-right National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for public office after a French court found her guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds, she has challenged the ruling. Even if the decision is confirmed, the party’s second in command, Jordan Bardella, is seen as a serious contender to win the next election. The risk of a far-right…
World leaders are gathering in New York to take part in the High-level Week of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), set to open on Tuesday. The UNGA, which kicked off on 9 September and runs through to this Saturday, will see speeches by representatives, often heads of state, of the 193 member states and the two observer countries, the Holy See and the State of Palestine. Palestinian representatives are however expected to participate in this year’s 80th iteration of the UNGA via video link, after the US Department of State denied visas to officials representing the Palestinian Authority, including…
This year’s season has been very challenging for airlines and passengers in Europe. Strikes by ground staff, pilots and flight controllers thwarted holiday plans for many travellers and exposed carriers to losses. But experts say these aren’t the only challenges airlines have faced this year. “In our industry, strikes are quite common. We run 15 branches of our Aviator ground handling business in Scandinavia, and in fact, there has not been a single year when we have not had major challenges in terms of strikes,” says Gediminas Žiemelis, CEO of Avia Solutions Group. He points out that there are many…
After a year marked by infighting and power plays, growing tensions among the EU’s governing coalition and the Huawei corruption scandal hitting the Parliament’s reputation, lawmakers are heading back from a long holiday to start their second year of political work. But let’s be honest: Out of 720 members of the European Parliament, only a handful actually shape the agenda — those holding high office in political groups, leading the negotiation of bills or stirring the pot behind closed doors. From big-name power brokers to rising stars and emerging power duos, here are the lawmakers to watch, along with key…
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags ahead of France’s expected formal recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. In Malakoff, a suburb of Paris, the Palestinian flag has flown from the town hall since Friday despite government orders to remove it. Mayor Jacqueline Belhomme, who joined the Paris demonstration, said the display was a symbolic gesture of solidarity similar to the Ukrainian flag raised during Russia’s invasion. Other towns have also raised flags, though some have taken them down following legal challenges. Socialist leader Olivier Faure has encouraged more municipalities to join the initiative despite warnings from…
Do you stay up at night wondering what would happen if bats got drunk and decided to carry on with their flight path? Ever lost sleep over whether cows could be shielded from fly bites if they were painted with zebra-like stripes? Are you constantly rattled by the physics of pasta sauce – specifically that annoying phase transition which can lead to clumping in your favourite Italian dish? Well, amid all the bad news right now, at least this year’s Ig Nobel Prizes have provided a soothing balm. We know we’ll be sleeping soundly tonight – especially when it comes…
Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music Sky News Reform UK announce that they would scrap indefinite leave to remain within 100 days of government – but what impact will this have? Sam and Anne discuss the practicalities of the policy and whether Nigel Farage is trying to force the hand of other parties on immigration policy. Elsewhere, the UK follows other nations in formally recognising a Palestinian state, to the dismay of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. Anne has some intel on the whereabouts of Peter Mandelson and whether he got an invite to the state visit last…
European rulemakers in 2009 revised a law called the e-Privacy Directive to require websites to get consent from users before loading cookies on their devices, unless the cookies are “strictly necessary” to provide a service. Fast forward to 2025 and the internet is full of consent banners that users have long learned to click away without thinking twice. “Too much consent basically kills consent. People are used to giving consent for everything, so they might stop reading things in as much detail, and if consent is the default for everything, it’s no longer perceived in the same way by users,”…
From exclusion to opportunity: rewriting the story for people living with schizophrenia – POLITICO Skip to main content
Die UN-Generalversammlung startet – ohne Friedrich Merz. Während Kanzler und Koalition in Berlin mit Haushalt und Richterwahl beschäftigt sind, verschärft sich der Nahostkonflikt: Großbritannien, Kanada, Australien sowie Portugal haben Palästina als Staat anerkannt, weitere westliche Länder wollen folgen. Deutschland steht plötzlich isoliert – zwischen transatlantischer Treue und europäischem Druck. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview erklärt Johannes Volkmann (CDU) die Position der Union zwischen Zweistaatenlösung und dem Wunsch europäisch geeint zu sprechen. Hans von der Burchard berichtet vor seiner Abreise nach New York über die Abwesenheit von Merz dort – und warum es für Deutschland bei der Vollversammlung um Palästina geht, aber auch die…