Author: staff

London offered up four. And in the end, they settled on 12. The giveaway, pounced on by critics, is a political gamble for Starmer, who appears to be trading a hit to a relatively small by symbolic part of the U.K. economy for wins elsewhere. The decision immediately gave euroskeptics like Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage and embattled Tory chief Kemi Badenoch a clear line of attack. Farage declared the agreement “the end of the fishing industry” while Badenoch branded it a “sell-out.” Euroskeptic parts of the British press are already following their lead, and even Johnson himself re-emerged to…

The first aid trucks have entered Gaza after an almost three-month long blockade of the territory by Israel, the United Nations has confirmed.Five trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including baby food, entered the territory of over two million Palestinians via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Monday, according to the Israeli defence body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, Cogat.The UN called the delivery a “welcome development” but said much more aid is needed to address the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier on Monday that the decision to resume limited deliveries of aid to Gaza…

The Parliament’s legal affairs committee will then decide whether to strip the immunities, in a process that could take as little as four weeks if fast-tracked, or up to a year in sensitive cases. Daniel Attard, a Maltese Socialist MEP, is part of the group, he said on social media on Monday. He said he was being investigated in connection with the Huawei probe for attending a football match in September at the box that Huawei has in the Anderlecht football stadium in Brussels. “I was not made aware that the invitation originated from any company, or that it involved…

Representatives of Brazil’s indigenous peoples travelled to Brussels to set out concerns with the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur countries at recent meetings with MEPs and European Commission officials. A key issue is the likely expansion of agriculture and livestock farming in the lands inhabited by native peoples, which predate Portuguese colonisation in the 16th century.If the agreement is ratified by the European Parliament and EU Member States, many agri-food products will be exported from South America to Europe at zero or reduced duties.Considering that the EU is already the second largest trading partner of the countries…

Die Welt wartet auf das Gespräch zwischen Donald Trump und Wladimir Putin an diesem Nachmittag. Gordon Repinski spricht mit Hans von der Burchard. Er war für POLITICO den ganzen Tag im Regierungsviertel unterwegs und hat sich dort über die neuesten Entwicklungen vor dem Termin informiert. Er berichtet von der ebenso erwartungsvollen wie angespannten Stimmung in diesen Stunden. Johanna Sahlberg fasst die wichtigsten Ergebnisse des EU-UK-Summits zusammen, die soeben vom britischen Premier Keir Starmer und EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen vorgestellt worden sind. Beide Seiten wollen ihre Beziehungen neu starten. Wie das nahezu alle Themen von Verteidigung bis Fischerei betrifft, hört…

Efforts to promote digitisation of the single market underpin a new strategy to breathe life into the project set to be presented by EU Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné on Wednesday, according to a draft seen by Euronews.The plan sets out six pillars for improvement of the single market and refers to the context of a global trade crisis. The Commission wants to remove ten “terrible” market barriers that currently “negatively impact trade and investment”, boost European services markets that bring the highest economic value, relieve the burden on SMEs, digitize administration, and push member states to address administrative barriers on national level. A separate…

Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, said Monday that Lineker had “acknowledged the mistake he made” but had agreed to “step back from further presenting after this season.” Lineker has long been a vocal advocate for Palestinians on social media, while Israel’s military offensive in Gaza triggered a humanitarian crisis. “People say it’s a complex issue, but I don’t think it is,” he told the Telegraph last week. “It’s inevitable that the Israeli occupation was going to cause massive problems, and I just feel for the Palestinians.” The former English captain has landed in hot water over his social media posts…

Over 60,000 visitors are expected to marvel at intricate, gravity-defying creations crafted entirely from sand and clay, all built around this year’s playful “Showtime” theme. Sculptures feature characters from Charlie Chaplin to circus clowns, brought to life by 16 international artists working against the clock.The festival, running until 19 October, uses a special sand mix with added clay to withstand the summer weather. Organisers say the event blends artistry, humour and nostalgia, transforming simple grains into striking, theatrical forms that draw gasps of disbelief from onlookers each year.

Heightened global policy uncertainty and trade tensions are overshadowing the European Union’s economic growth prospects. The European Commission revised its outlook for the eurozone to 0.9% from the previous forecast of 1.3% in November. For 2026, the eurozone is expected to expand by 1.4% instead of the previously expected 1.6%.The EU is forecast to keep growing at a modest rate this year, at 1.1%. The EU’s executive body forecast that growth will pick up in 2026 and reach 1.5%. The Commission said this on Monday in its spring forecast.The sharp slowdown in global trade, fuelled by global tensions, will leave…

Gary Lineker, the England football great-turned-media celebrity, will leave his role as a presenter for the BBC after facing criticism for reposting an Instagram story about Zionism which featured a picture of a rat.The 64-year-old Lineker, who is the British national broadcaster’s highest-paid presenter on about £1.3 million (€1.5 million) a year, was set to leave flagship soccer highlights show “Match of the Day” at the end of this season but remain with the BBC to front other football coverage, including next year’s men’s World Cup.However, the BBC said in a statement today that Lineker will step down entirely from the…