Author: staff
Lucy Powell became the first minister to be sacked, with a key figure on Labour’s soft-left faction losing her post as the leader of the House of Commons. Powell said in a statement confirming her exit that it had “been an honour to serve,” but she acknowledged it had not “been an easy time for the government.” Starmer’s Labour swept to power on a landslide just last year, but is now consistently below the insurgent right-win Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, in the polls. Rayner, who also served as Britain’s housing secretary, was subject of an investigation by the…
Starting this autumn, some travellers heading to the US will have to pay an increased fee for their visa waiver. Citizens of 41 countries, including those in the EU, have to apply for the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) for visits up to 90 days. The fee for the ESTA is set to almost double at the end of September. The price hike comes as the US is experiencing a steep decline in foreign tourists, and could potentially further dissuade visitors. ESTA fee to almost double at the end of September The ESTA fee will rise from $21 (€18)…
LONDON — Poppy Gustafsson has resigned as Britain’s investment minister. The tech entrepreneur was brought in by Prime Minister Keir Starmer last year. She is one of the co-founders of Darktrace, a leading British cybersecurity firm. Earlier this year, Gustafsson faced scrutiny after POLITICO reported on her rapid-fire appointment to the House of Lords to take on the gig. It’s the second exit from Starmer’s embattled government in a single day, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner also leaving following a probe into her tax affairs. This developing story is being updated.
Despite concerns of a backlash from Israel and the US, Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot told Euronews the country had no option but to commit to recognise Palestine given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “We have concerns, but frankly speaking it’s quite difficult to refuse to act according to our legal obligation when we face the current situation in Gaza,” Prévot told Euronews’ the Europe Conversation. Belgium announced on Monday it would join France and the UK in a commitment to recognising Palestine in New York later this month. The five-party coalition government also announced plans to discontinue imports of…
LONDON — Angela Rayner resigned as Britain’s deputy prime minister Friday after an investigation into her controversial property arrangements. Rayner was subject of an investigation by the government’s ethics watchdog after admitting she failed to pay the correct amount of tax — known as stamp duty — on the purchase of a second property. Her exit is the latest blow for Britain’s center-left Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is floundering in the polls and tried to reset his administration with a backroom shake-up just this week. Rayner, who has served as housing secretary and deputy PM since Labour entered government…
There’s a Norwegian proverb, brent barn skyr ilden, that translates as: “A burned child avoids the fire.” This is at the heart of Joachim Trier’s latest seriocomedy, Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value), as the character Nora (Renate Reinsve) has been burned by her father, Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård). A famed director, he abandoned both Nora and her younger sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) when they were young, to better prioritise his career. He comes back into their lives at their mother’s wake, and instead of emotional support, presents his eldest with a proposition. In a bid to revive his career and secure his artistic legacy,…
Putin was commenting on the readiness of the West’s so-called coalition of the willing to provide postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, which could include the deployment of troops and air patrols to the country, as well securing maritime traffic in the Black Sea. Crucially, the precondition for that to happen is a ceasefire or peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. However, Putin repeated he doesn’t see the point in meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “it will be almost impossible to agree with the Ukrainian side on key issues.” He also ruled out that unlikely meeting taking place in any…
It was a scene that might have provoked outrage in Brussels. Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, joyfully holding hands with Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia and chief promoter of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while attending the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The two-day meeting in Tianjin, China, was carefully choreographed to portray an alternative to the Western rules-based order – a declaration of intent that its host, President Xi Jinping, underlined when he joined in the Modi-Putin handshake. But instead of condemnations and recriminations, Brussels chose conciliation. On Thursday, just a few days…
The first trailer for Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 classic novel “Wuthering Heights” came out this week and it’s proving to be divisive, shocking fans of the source material and getting many online to call it out for being “soft porn”. Fennell, whose film Promising Young Woman won her an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2021, also directed the 2023 thriller Saltburn, which went viral due to scenes involving graveyards and bathtubs. If you know, you know. For her third feature film, she’s adapting a literary classic, starring Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi and Adolescence star Owen…
The strike on the 18th, however, could paralyze French transportation networks as it will involve unions representing railway workers, air traffic controllers and staff at Air France. Civil servants, including teachers, are also expected on the picket lines. “The real problem [for Emmanuel Macron’s staff] is whether it will continue on the 19th, the 20th,” said one of the individuals. “They’re freaking out, they’re calling everywhere to find out.” One minister told POLITICO that the government needs a new prime minister in place by those strikes so “someone can face the unions on Sept. 18.” Bayrou’s minority government looks certain…