Author: staff
“Our objective is to develop a wide-ranging draft simplification decree, which will be published at the start of our term, to liberate the French economy and help boost production,” they said. Leading the polls ahead of the 2027 deadline, National Rally has been seeking to woo the business community. Bardella is meeting top officials from France’s main business lobby MEDEF on Monday, and Le Pen met the country’s richest man Bernard Arnault and other major CEOs at a dinner in Paris earlier this month. However, business leaders are yet to be won over. According to an executive for one of…
Bulgaria’s former President Rumen Radev, an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia, hailed a “victory of hope” on Monday after his Progressive Bulgaria (PB) coalition topped the polls in Sunday’s election, the eighth such parliamentary vote in five years. Many voters see Radev, a former fighter pilot, as the only person capable of giving the corruption-plagued Balkan nation a fresh start. The 62-year-old has presented himself as a defender of the lowest earners in the EU’s poorest country as he walks a tightrope on European issues. He has hailed the benefits Bulgaria has reaped from EU…
By Theo Farrant & AP Published on 20/04/2026 – 11:58 GMT+2 A humanoid robot has beaten the human half marathon world record, in a landmark moment for robotics at a race designed to push machines to their limits in real-world conditions. The robot, developed by Chinese smartphone company Honor, completed the 21-kilometre course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds at the Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon on Sunday – faster than the human record set by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who ran the distance in around 57 minutes earlier this year. According to Honor engineer Du Xiaodi, the robot’s design was inspired by elite…
Earlier this month, Janša’s party backed the pro-Russian Resni.ca party’s bid to have its leader, Zoran Stevanović, elected speaker of Slovenia’s parliament. The move was widely interpreted as signaling an alliance between the two populist parties, but following his own meeting with Pirc Musar on Monday, Janša acknowledged his party had not yet secured the support required to return to power. The populist leader, who has already served as Slovenia’s prime minister on three separate occasions, added his party was comfortable forming a government, remaining in the opposition, or participating in repeat elections. “All three options are good for us,”…
By Lucy Davalou with AFP Published on 20/04/2026 – 12:36 GMT+2 Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, whose party secured a razor-thin majority in parliamentary elections last month, said on Monday he had failed to form a ruling coalition. His announcement opened the door for runner-up Janez Janša to seek to form his own government in the Alpine EU member of 2 million. “We are looking forward to our work in the opposition,” the liberal Golob, 59, told reporters after meeting the president, adding that he had not found a partner among centre-right parties for a governing coalition. Golob’s party won 29 seats last…
Manfred Weber, president of the center-right European People’s Party and leader of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, congratulated the candidate and said the “course has been set to unite the party and prepare for the future.” Les Républicains, the historic home of French conservatism, has been locked out of power since 2012, when former President Nicolas Sarkozy lost his reelection bid to the Socialist François Hollande. Since then, the party has lost hundreds of elected officials and tens of thousands of party members. A former interior minister and hard-liner on topics such as immigration and policing, Retailleau saw…
Published on 20/04/2026 – 6:13 GMT+2 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a video address released on Sunday that his country’s strong economic ties to the United States were once a strength but are now a “weakness that must be corrected.” In the 10-minute address, Carney spoke about his government’s efforts to strengthen the Canadian economy by attracting new investments and signing trade deals with other countries. “The world is more dangerous and divided,” Carney said. “The US has fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression. “Many of our…
Published on 20/04/2026 – 10:07 GMT+2 Kneecap, The Mary Wallopers, Fontaines D.C. and Annie Mac are amongst the artists who are backing the Stop The Game campaign – which aims to boycott an upcoming Ireland vs Israel football match. Many public figures and football fans have argued for Ireland to boycott the UEFA champions league match against Israel set to take place at the Aviva stadium in October. In protest of the controversial match, many have reposted a video featuring footage from previous football matches spliced with clips of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. “In the last 30 months, Israel…
While admitting the current situation is “tense,” Merz said the country had sufficient access to the key fuels at the moment. But, he added, “if conditions worsen, we are prepared to act,” and insisted “all available instruments” would be used to ensure security of supply. Germany’s National Security Council, which is composed of key government ministers and sectoral experts, was set up last year to coordinate rapid responses to major threats. The decision to convene the group signals Berlin believes the jet fuel shortage could become a significant problem. Economy Minister Katherina Reiche last week unveiled contingency plans and is…
If you’re looking to fully immerse yourself in nature this summer, exploring landscapes barely touched by humans and home to hundreds of different bird species, this ranking might be for you. It lists Europe’s 75 most unspoilt national parks based on criteria such as the number of protected areas, biodiversity, and the amount of artificial light. Bulgaria’s Rila National Park, with its 28 protected areas, at 1,400 metres above sea level, tops the list, according to British cycling tour website Love Velo. The main attraction of this park is the Seven Lakes, glacial basins immersed in a dense emerald-green pine…