Author: staff
ATHENS — Kimberly Guilfoyle’s arrival in Greece has triggered a level of attention usually reserved for pop stars or prime ministers. In the month since she exploded onto the scene in Athens, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador has fused tabloid-level fascination with high-stakes geopolitics, championing major U.S.-backed energy projects and touching off a diplomatic confrontation with China over control of one of Greece’s most strategic ports. A former Fox News host and prosecutor who was once married to California Governor Gavin Newsom and dated Donald Trump, Jr., Guilfoyle has dazzled the Greek capital with flashy television showings and unapologetic diplomatic…
‘Fair to all generations’ Lawmakers in France are sparring this week over a highly contentious plan to freeze inflation adjustments on pension payments next year, part of a wide-ranging effort to trim billions of euros from the budget and get the deficit below 5 percent of gross domestic product. The debate in France echoes similar conversations in Germany, where Winkel is among a group of young conservatives who rebelled against a pension reform package put forth by Merz’s government, saying current benefits for older people are too generous and asking for a plan that is “fair to all generations.” A group of leading economists argued…
According to Ushakov, Putin flagged “the destructive actions of the European side” — an indication he may try to pin the blame for any failure to reach a peace deal on the EU, which was notably left out of the meeting. Trump’s latest push to inject new momentum into a ceasefire effort — with a plan that, in its original 28-point leaked version, heavily favored Moscow —has ramped up pressure on Kyiv and alarmed European officials. Among other things, it asks Ukraine to give up territory in the country’s east not yet occupied by Russian forces and to formalize that it…
Published on 02/12/2025 – 11:57 GMT+1 •Updated 15:59 Bulgaria’s government announced on Tuesday that it is withdrawing its controversial budget plan after nationwide protests drew tens of thousands of people — the largest demonstrations the country has seen in decades. An estimated 50,000 people took part in a rally in Sofia on Monday night, with organisers saying that another 50,000 joined demonstrations in other major cities. Protesters opposed the budget proposal, which sought to steeply increase taxes and social security contributions, and said it would mainly affect ordinary workers. It comes as Bulgaria enters its final preparatory stages ahead of…
Published on 02/12/2025 – 17:56 GMT+1 Polish authorities have charged a Russian national in absentia with directing a sabotage and espionage network in Poland on behalf of the Kremlin’s intelligence services. Mikhail Mirgorodsky, 28, is accused of leading an organised criminal group of at least 30 people who carried out sabotage on Polish soil at the behest of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday. While residing in Russia, Mirgorodsky allegedly oversaw “espionage, sabotage, subversion and propaganda activities on behalf of the aforementioned intelligence,” prosecutors said. He used the Telegram messaging app to direct the…
“The pharmaceutical industry in the U.K. has now gained planning security. Such an agreement is still pending for the EU. …The risk of customs duties remains high and uncertainty persists,” he said in a statement. Trump has repeatedly blamed European pharmaceutical companies for higher U.S. drug prices, threatened a 100 percent tariff on pharmaceutical products and demanded drugmakers implement “most favored nation pricing,” which would bring U.S. prices in line with those paid in other wealthy nations. The threats have triggered British and European drugmakers to bolster their defenses on K Street, Washington’s lobbying corridor. Lobbying spending from July to…
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte brushed off fresh concerns about the United States’ commitment to the military organisation on Tuesday on the eve of a meeting of allied foreign ministers focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend Wednesday’s meeting, which will take place during high-stakes negotiations in Moscow and elsewhere in Europe on Ukraine’s future. Rubio’s rare absence at the US-led alliance comes after President Donald Trump’s 28-point proposal to end the almost four-year war dismayed European allies and Canada last month. Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Rutte underlined that…
Chloé Ridel, a Socialist lawmaker working on the file, said the law also includes specific definitions for many corruption offenses that all EU countries now will share, such as “bribery in the public and private sector, misappropriation in the public and private sector, trading and influence, enrichment from corruption offenses, of obstruction of justice, concealment, and incitement.” Center-right European People’s Party negotiator David Casa highlighted that the common definitions will facilitate cross-border cooperation and praised the new reporting requirements for EU countries to the Commission as helping Brussels improve monitoring of how member countries tackle corruption. Not enough However, critics…
Farmers across Greece are tightening road blockades as protests over unpaid subsidies and rising production costs gather pace. Major routes, including the E65 and the Athens–Thessaloniki highway, remain disrupted as tractors line key junctions. In Larissa, livestock farmers drove into the city and threw milk and wheat to show their frustration with government policy. Protesters demand immediate payments from ELGA and OPEKEPE and full compensation for lost crops and livestock. More blockades are planned this week as the movement spreads to ports and border stations.
Three major French unions launched a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations on Tuesday to protest government austerity policies, wage stagnation and looming cuts to public services. But despite weeks of preparation, mobilisation remained weak with turnout being far less than the large rallies seen earlier this autumn. The CGT, FSU and Solidaires called for the action as the National Assembly debates the 2026 Social Security budget, which union leaders describe as carrying “numerous and serious regressions” for workers, pensioners and the public sector. What is driving the anger? At the heart of Tuesday’s mobilisation are demands for wage increases,…