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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has ordered emergency inspections of 16 Airbus A380 aircraft after cracks were discovered in a structural component inside the wings of one of the superjumbos. Airbus, Europe’s largest aircraft manufacturer, confirmed that 15 of the affected aircraft are operated by Dubai-based Emirates and one by Australia’s Qantas. Five Emirates aircraft have been ordered to undergo inspections before their next flight. The checks will focus on the wing mid-spar, a key structural element inside the wing box that helps distribute the stresses generated during flight. The regulator has not grounded the entire A380 fleet…

However, the official added they thought Starmer would still try to get the plan through before the NATO summit, since it would be difficult for him to reassure allies on the U.K.’s spending commitments without it. Others questioned whether an outgoing prime minister would be able to secure agreement on such a politically sensitive plan. Simon Case, a former Cabinet secretary, told The Times: “Why would the MoD want to agree something with an outgoing prime minister? Anything that an outgoing prime minister announces is unlikely to be taken seriously by anybody.” Defense industry representatives will be invited to Downing…

Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde rolled out the red carpet for Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the Royal Palace of Brussels on Tuesday. The Japanese imperial couple was welcomed with full military honours as they began an official state visit to Belgium. The two royal families inspected an honour guard and posed for photographs before entering the palace. Hundreds of spectators gathered outside the palace, many waving Japanese flags to catch a glimpse of the ceremony. The visit highlights the longstanding ties between Japan and Belgium. Diplomatic relations between the two countries date back to 1866, when…

The EU Transparency Directive is Europe’s latest effort to guarantee equal pay for equal work between men and women using transparency and stronger enforcement. The Commission proposed it in 2023 under the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 to close the ongoing gender pay gap. The directive lifts the secrecy around salaries. In practice, postings and interviews must now include the pay range; workers can request average pay data for colleagues doing the same job broken down by gender. Employers can no longer ask candidates about their salary history. By making pay visible, the directive empowers workers, particularly women, to see unjustified…

Some are battle-hardened veteran politicians who are no longer presidents, as is the case with Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro. Others, by contrast, built their huge popularity almost unexpectedly, like Nayib Bukele in El Salvador. All of them, however, share certain traits: nationalist rhetoric, unabashed populism and, above all, a clear role model — Donald Trump. The latest examples of this rise of the right in Latin America can be found in Colombia and Peru, where Abelardo de la Espriella and Keiko Fujimori look set to bring an end to two of the few left-wing governments still remaining in a region that…

Security-Update: Wie sich die NATO auf die Krisen von morgen vorbereitet – mit Florence Gaub – POLITICO Skip to main content

As the European Union tries to fight its record-high €1 billion deficit per day with China, the bloc’s leaders are increasingly pointing to the problem of currency manipulation, which they say Beijing is using to make products even cheaper on the EU market – which is already flooded with Chinese imports. “An artificially low currency is an advantage for those who want to improve their economic competition positions,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said after the European Council summit on 19 June. The matter of the Chinese currency and its management was also high on the agenda of last week’s G7…

The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) said on Tuesday that it would begin an operation to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf after the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The operation follows a peace agreement between the United States and Iran that ended months of conflict and allowed commercial shipping to resume through one of the world’s most important maritime routes. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the evacuation would be carried out in cooperation with regional countries and the shipping industry. “This large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other…

Pour Bram Vranken, chercheur au sein de l’ONG Corporate Europe Observatory, spécialisée dans la transparence : “Les priorités des Big Tech semblent assez claires : déréglementer davantage et plus rapidement, et veiller à ce que le marché européen [leur] reste aussi ouvert que possible.” Il a ajouté que, même si les entreprises exercent des pressions sur tous les pays assurant la présidence du Conseil, “dans le cas de l’Irlande, elles savent qu’elles ont davantage de levier, et elles pourraient donc supposer ou espérer obtenir davantage de choses”. Les responsables irlandais en poste à Bruxelles soulignent que le gouvernement a rendu…

Good morning Brussels. Angela Skujins here holding the newsletter pen for your Tuesday. Brace yourselves for 32 degrees of heat. On today’s menu: 10-years of Brexit, who pays for return hubs and confirmation of Commissioner Šuica’s trip to the Middle East. A decade on. A day after Britons were told Prime Minister Keir Starmer would be stepping down, ushering in a new — seventh — prime minister since 2016, they have also been reminded of another reality. It has been 10 years since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. After more than four decades of being in…