Author: staff
Published on 09/10/2025 – 20:35 GMT+2 •Updated 10/10/2025 – 6:42 GMT+2 Austrian officials have said the country will refuse to host the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is boycotted from the event. Chancellor Christian Stocker and secretary general of the ruling Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Alexander Pröll made the announcement on Wednesday, the website Eurovision Fun reported. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body responsible for the annual music competition, said that its general assembly will vote in November on whether Israel can participate. There has been pressure to freeze Israel out of the contest because of the war in…
Three years into her premiership, Giorgia Meloni has defied expectations when she was elected by holding together one of Italy’s most stable governments in recent memory. Over roughly the past decade, Italy has had six governments, meaning about one every 1.7 years on average — an extraordinary rate of turnover even by Italian standards. Yet while political calm has returned to Rome, the same cannot be said for Italy’s sluggish economy. Growth forecasts continue to underwhelm, and waves of frustrated business leaders are pressing Meloni to move faster on reforms she promised, which pledge to bring Italy to the heights…
Drone sightings in Germany earlier this month brought Munich Airport to a standstill, leading politicians to announce new measures against unidentified aerial vehicles. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that the country’s cabinet had approved a reform which would include the creation of a dedicated drone defence unit within the federal police. The police will now be authorised to shoot down unmanned aircraft if necessary. However, not all drones are dangerous, with many used for civilian purposes, particularly in logistics and healthcare. In these sectors, supplies such as medicine, vaccines and blood samples are transported from one hospital to…
Heute wird’s persönlich: keine Analyse, kein Interview, sondern Antworten auf euer Feedback. In dieser Sonderfolge spricht Gordon Repinski über Themenauswahl, die Idee hinter den 200-Sekunden-Interviews, kreative Erzählformen und einen umstrittenen Moment jeder Folge: den Geburtstag des Tages. Er erzählt, wie spontane Aufnahmen zwischen Brüssel, Berlin und Besenkammern entstehen, warum der Podcast manchmal mitten in der Nacht weiterläuft – und wieso Journalismus immer auch Dialog ist. Ein Blick in den Maschinenraum des Berlin Playbook Podcasts. Mit Anekdoten, über Haltung und Humor. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum…
Israel’s cabinet approved early on Friday US President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, after a deal was brokered by negotiators on Thursday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said that, according to the agreement, the ceasefire should begin immediately after government…
The diplomats and officials told POLITICO that the Commission does not intend to act on the criticism in the document, which was drawn up after Trump agreed a handshake trade deal with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in July at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. Instead, the EU executive intends to act in line with the terms of a subsequent joint statement that does not foresee those concessions. “We have always said — we are not negotiating on these issues,” said one European Commission official, while an envoy from one EU country insisted the broadside against the…
Trump suggests booting ‘laggard’ Spain from NATO over defense spending – POLITICO Skip to main content
“The Chinese have remote access to all these devices. And remote access means they can completely control the device remotely from China, and they can shut it down,” Erika Langerová, the head of cybersecurity research at the Prague-based UCEEB energy institute with the Czech Technical University, said in a media briefing hosted by the U.S. Mission to the EU in September. By introducing malicious firmware, a company could disable safety protections or cooling fans and other measures, Langerová said. New sector, old tricks Huawei was a regular fixture in Brussels’ lobbying circles for over a decade, throwing lavish parties, and…
The Rome Tribunal of Ministers, the judicial body responsible for overseeing charges against ministers for acts committed in office, had petitioned parliament in August to lift the trio’s immunity and allow prosecutors to move forward with charges over Al-Masri’s release in January — but the bid was rejected Thursday. The plenary result — 251, 256 and 252 votes in favor of denying the tribunal’s request for Nordio, Piantedosi and Mantovano, respectively — confirmed expectations that the governing coalition would close ranks. The secret ballot, however, and a handful of votes from opposition deputies meant the final totals slightly exceeded the government’s formal majority. Meloni…
“A day after the highly controversial ban, it seems like the chefs in the canteen have decided upon some civil disobedience,” quipped Dutch Green MEP Anna Strolenberg. “Let’s see what daredevils still order a veggie b***r.” By early afternoon, the burgers were sold out. “They hid them,” joked one Parliament official. A second official said the canteen had simply run out and insisted menus are “established in advance by the contractors in full respect with legislations in place.” Staffers were split on quality. “Wait, is this just veggies on a bun? If they’re taking the piss, then I think it’s…