Author: staff

Under the previous rule of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which backed Nawrocki, relationships between Brussels and Warsaw became strained over clampdowns on human rights and backsliding on the rule of law, culminating in the suspension of EU funds for Poland.  Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist government, which took power in 2023, attempted to restore relations and repair democratic institutions, but the previous president from PiS, Andrzej Duda, stood in the way with his veto power. Euroskeptic Nawrocki, who hinted strongly that he would fight any EU federalist tendencies, is poised to continue Duda’s efforts. “I’m confident that the…

Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. This time last year, Labour and the Conservatives were in the throes of an era-defining election campaign that would end in Sir Keir Starmer winning an extraordinarily large majority. The Reform Party was little more than a buzzing bee amid the backdrop of the UK political landscape. Spin forward 12 months, and how much things have changed. June 2025 marks the start of a crucial month for Sir Keir’s Labour Party, with decisions due across a number of departments that will…

Macron successfully broke that duopoly in 2017, when the then-37-year-old campaigned for president on a pro-market, socially liberal platform with the ambition of uniting moderates of all walks of life. His victory was followed by an exodus of both leadership and voters from the Socialists and Les Républicains. Centrists gravitated to Macron and his allies, while hardline voters were drawn to more radical voices — Le Pen on the right, and anticapitalist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon on the left. The 2022 presidential election proved humiliating for both parties. The conservatives won less than 5 percent of the vote and the Socialists…

In particular, he pushed both parties to support the Commission’s recommendation for a 90 percent reduction in planet-warming emissions and persuaded a reluctant SPD to consent to the use of international carbon credits — a controversial mechanism that would allow the EU to meet part of its 2040 target by paying for climate projects in poorer countries.  Hoekstra was successful: The final coalition agreement, published in early April, endorsed the 90 percent figure provided that foreign carbon credits were included. The support has proved crucial. Germany’s position now serves as the baseline for EU-level discussions, two of the sources said.  “These…

Das noch recht neue Bundestagspräsidium und seine ebenfalls neue Bundestagspräsidentin wollen strenger durchgreifen und für mehr Disziplin sorgen. Zwischenrufe um der reinen Provokation willen, Fragen nach der angemessenen Kleidung oder auch Aufkleber mit Statements auf Laptops beschäftigen die Leitung des Parlaments. Es sind aber auch Ärgernisse wie eine regelmäßig spärlich oder gar nicht besetzte Regierungsbank, die das Präsidium umtreiben. Wie Klöckner und ihre Stellvertreter für mehr Ordnung sorgen wollen, weiß Rasmus Buchsteiner. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview ist Andrea Lindholz (CSU) zu Gast. Die Bundestagsvizepräsidentin erklärt, warum sie sich im Plenarsaal manchmal an einen Hörsaal erinnert fühlt – und wie sie und ihre…

Nonetheless, Porter predicted: “I think what you’re going to get is a very untidy mix of recognizing changed circumstances while clinging on to the old world order.”  What are the pinch points? The U.K. is heavily reliant on the U.S. for several key aspects of its defense network, including intelligence-sharing, the nuclear deterrent and F-35 fighter planes. Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat MP and former army officer, called for a rethink of the intelligence the U.K. shares with America in the wake of the Signalgate scandal, saying: “When you share intelligence you obviously want to know if these people are…

If a student and part-time model can turn out to be behind a one-off gig for Russia, so could thousands of others in Britain, Germany, Poland, Lithuania — essentially any Western country. The gig model works well for Russia because it allows it to easily recruit freelancers, or “disposable agents” as they’re sometimes called. “The more eye-catching shift this year has been Russian state actors turning to proxies for their dirty work, including private intelligence operatives and criminals from both the U.K. and third countries,” MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said last October. The arrangement works well for the freelancers,…

WARSAW — Centrist Rafał Trzaskowski was very slightly ahead of his populist rival Karol Nawrocki in Poland’s presidential election, according to an exit poll released after voting ended Sunday evening, leading by 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent. However, that is within the exit poll’s 2 percentage point margin of error, so it is impossible to say who the winner is. A clearer picture will emerge when an updated poll by the IPSOS organization is released at 11:30 p.m. The electoral commission says final results of the vote count will be announced on Monday. If the result holds and Trzaskowski is…

In a post on X Sunday evening, the IDF called the allegations against the Israeli military “false reports” and said that an initial inquiry indicated that “the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within” the aid station. The GHF denied the incident had taken place, branding the reports of casualties “untrue and fabricated.” The incident showcases persisting difficulties around delivering aid to Gaza even after Israel agreed to relax an almost three-month blockade against the enclave last month. The GHF, which is backed by the U.S. as well as Israel, has led humanitarian aid efforts…

SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk “personally curated the operation,” the official told POLITICO, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. “Thanks to Malyuk … Russia has now understood the true meaning of the word demilitarization,” the official said. The official showed a video of Russian bombers burning at one of the airfields that could not be independently verified. Russian authorities have not issued any official statements on the drone attacks. Video via SBU “Today will later be called the dark day of Russia’s long-range aviation,” Russian military aviation blogger Ilya Tumanov, known as Fighterbomber, said in a Telegram post.…