Author: staff
Even small-town alliances were enough to provoke nationwide outrage. A country haunted by its history of Nazi collaboration wasn’t going to accept candidates working with Jean-Marie Le Pen, the National Front founder infamous for belittling the significance of the Holocaust. But the elder Le Pen is dead. His daughter and political heir rebranded the party as the National Rally and has, in little more than a decade, dragged it from the fringes of French politics to the top of most opinion polls. A country haunted by its history of Nazi collaboration wasn’t going to accept candidates working with Jean-Marie Le Pen, the National Front founder infamous for belittling the significance of the Holocaust. | Alain Nogues/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images…
Ein turbulentes politisches Jahr 2025 neigt sich dem Ende zu. Von der vorgezogenen Neuwahl im Februar über die Zitterpartie bei der Kanzlerwahl von Friedrich Merz bis hin zu den ersten Auslandsreisen der neuen Regierung: In dieser Sonderfolge blickt ein Teil des POLITICO-Teams zurück. Rixa Fürsen, Pauline von Pezold, Gordon Repinski, Hans von der Burchard und Rasmus Buchsteiner erinnern sich an die Wahlpartys, die dramatischen Stunden vor der Kanzler-Vereidigung und warum der erste Trip nach Kiew fast an einer Taxifahrt gescheitert wäre.Sie erzählen, was es mit dem internen „Floskel-Schwein“ für die Siebträgermaschine auf sich hat, warum Hans von der Burchard die…
The felling of the “reparations loan” proposal, which would have recycled Russian assets that are mostly frozen in a clearing bank in Belgium, deprives Ukraine of guaranteed funding for the next two years. It was Belgium’s legal anxieties over the loan, along with French President Emmanuel Macron’s and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s reluctance to join German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in championing the proposal, that doomed it. And all that, despite weeks of wrangling and overblown expectations by the plan’s advocates, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Fortunately, the EU will still provide a sizable funding package for…
Even animals joined in the festive mood at Berlin Zoo this month. Pandas, porcupines, lions and camels were all treated to Advent-style sacks and St. Nicholas boots filled with Christmas snacks and tree-shaped surprises. Keepers said the treats encouraged natural foraging while adding a spark of seasonal fun to the animals’ routines. Visitors watched as the zoo’s resident stars pawed, nudged and unwrapped their gifts, each in their own curious way. For the keepers, it was less about decoration and more about enrichment.
By Euronews Elves Published on 22/12/2025 – 18:16 GMT+1 Ho! Ho! Ho! Meteorologists might predict a snow-free Christmas in southern Finland, but that’s not the case up north! As Finnish public broadcaster YLE reports, once again Santa Claus has taken off from his headquarters in Korvatunturi, Lapland, to deliver a happy Christmas to all, and presents to all boys and girls who have been nice for the past twelve months. According to YLE, who call themselves Santa’s official TV station, his sleigh, now made from the most advanced technology, cannot be deterred by GPS spoofing, jamming or any malicious AI-assisted software.…
By Euronews Published on 22/12/2025 – 11:38 GMT+1 •Updated 14:14 President Emmanuel Macron confirmed Sunday that France will proceed with the construction of a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a major addition to the country’s naval capabilities despite strained public finances. Speaking to French troops in Abu Dhabi, Macron said the decision to launch construction of the Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération (PA-NG) was taken this week. “In an age of predators, we must be strong in order to be feared, and especially strong at sea,” Macron said. “This is why, in line with the last two military programming laws, and after a thorough…
Landry, a Republican who has been in office since early 2024, called the “volunteer position” an “honor” in a post on social media and said he would work to “make Greenland a part of the U.S.” “This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!” he added. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen posted a statement about the appointment on social media, saying “it may seem like a lot” but urging calm and reiterating Greenland’s right to self-determination. “We will shape our own future,” he added. “Greenland is ours, and our borders will be respected.” Copenhagen, which retains some authority on matters of foreign policy and security for Greenland, reacted with fury to…
By Euronews Published on 22/12/2025 – 16:46 GMT+1 France’s national postal operator and its banking division suffered a suspected cyberattack on Monday, disrupting package deliveries and online payments during the peak Christmas period. La Poste said in a statement that a distributed denial of service (DDoS) incident made its online services unavailable. The postal service said customer data remained secure but deliveries of packages and mail were affected. At a Paris post office decorated with Christmas garlands, staff turned away customers queuing to send or collect parcels, including holiday gifts. Users of the company’s banking subsidiary, La Banque Postale, were unable…
LONDON — Chancellor Rachel Reeves will make a statement responding to new assessments of the U.K.’s finances on March 3, the U.K. Treasury said on Monday. In a statement, the Treasury said it had asked the U.K.’s independent fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), to prepare an economic and fiscal forecast for that date. However, it said the forecast will “not make an assessment of the government’s performance against the fiscal mandate and will instead provide an interim update on the economy and public finances.”
By Anil Can Tuncer & Euronews Published on 22/12/2025 – 15:53 GMT+1 Turkish lawmakers exchanged punches during a heated debate over the 2026 budget proposal on Sunday, though both the budget and a 2024 financial accounts bill were ultimately approved. The fight broke out after ruling AK Party MP Mustafa Varank made remarks targeting opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel during budget discussions in the Grand National Assembly. After Varank slammed Özel over images taken at the grave of former Tunceli MP Kamer Genç, CHP Group Deputy Chairman Gökhan Günaydın responded from the podium, accusing the AK Party of deliberately creating…