Author: staff

The government minister responsible for housing didn’t pay enough tax on her house. Sam and Anne let Angela Rayner’s admission sink in on this episode — as they wonder how much government business is on hold as a result. The independent ethics adviser Laurie Magnus’ view on how she took inaccurate legal advice could be public within days — presumably that means the cabinet reshuffle has to wait until the Deputy Prime Minister knows her fate. Never mind what else it might mean for the early days of Keir Starmer’s “phase two”. But, whatever the outcome, is it safer for…

Nach dem Krisengipfel im Kanzleramt duzen sich Kanzler Friedrich Merz und SPD-Chefin Bärbel Baas plötzlich. Doch ist der Frieden echt? Rasmus Buchsteiner analysiert, was die Angst vor der Arbeitslosigkeit mit der neuen Harmonie zu tun hat und welche Konflikte ungelöst bleiben.Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Christiane Benner. Die IG-Metall-Chefin rechnet mit der Sozialstaatsdebatte der Regierung ab und erklärt, warum die Jagd auf angebliche „Sozialverweigerer“ am eigentlichen Problem vorbeigeht.Außerdem: Während die Hoffnung auf einen Frieden schwindet, schmieden Wolodymyr Selenskyj und Emmanuel Macron in Paris weiter die „Koalition der Willigen“. Rixa Fürsen berichtet, welche Rolle der Kanzler dabei spielt und worum es bei den Sicherheitsgarantien…

More than €4 million of EU funds wrongly spent by the European Parliament’s far-right group Identity and Democracy (ID) during the previous term should be repaid by the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group, according to an opinion drafted by the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) and set to be voted on Thursday. The ID group, which included France’s Rassemblement National and Italy’s The League, wrongly spent at least € 4 333 635.78 of EU funds between 2019 and 2024, according to Parliament’s financial services (DG FINS). The suspected irregularities were first flagged in February and led the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) to…

Climate change made weather that fuelled Portugal and Spain’s deadly wildfires this summer around 40 times more likely, new research has found. Blazes in the Iberian Peninsula broke out at the end of July. Fuelled by temperatures above 40°C and strong winds, the flames spread extremely rapidly. The area burned by these wildfires has now broken records across Spain and Portugal. A new super rapid scientific analysis by World Weather Attribution (WWA) has found that these hot, dry and windy conditions were made more likely and more intense by human-caused climate change. Dr Clair Barnes, researcher for the Centre for…

However, polling from the European Council on Foreign Relations also suggests many Europeans doubt the bloc’s capacity to act sufficiently quickly. Citizens support higher military spending, conscription, independent deterrents and defending Ukraine — even without U.S. backing. But they also question whether their leaders can deliver. Societal resolve requires trust that goes both ways: If political leaders have an overly pessimistic outlook of the future and don’t trust that their citizens will meaningfully contribute, they’ll have a harder time inspiring trust in their ability to lead. Europe’s population is ahead of its politicians here — and it’s not only the…

Bayrou is undaunted by his current poor showing in the polls. As he sees it, the pieces will only start to click in the winter of late 2026. “The criterion,” he believes, “is that in their kitchen, around family meals, at the earliest at Christmas, in February or in March, there are people who say: This one can do it.” For now, Bayrou seems unlikely to be that “one.” He is set to lose a vote of no confidence next week after failing to push through a raft of severe budget cuts he says are vital to stop France, the…

The Google fine, in particular, risks drawing the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has ramped up pressure on the EU after striking a lopsided trade deal in July. Trump threatened to impose severe tariffs on countries that implement “discriminatory” regulations or taxes that target U.S. tech firms. European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič on Monday made an 11th-hour intervention to stop the Commission from issuing a penalty against Google over its search advertising practices, amid Trump’s continuing threats. The intervention came against the wishes of Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera. The CNIL’s move to fine both the American search giant…

Fake weight-loss drugs are increasingly being advertised and sold across the EU, posing a serious public health threat, the bloc’s drugs regulator warned today. The European Medicines Agency said there has been a “sharp rise” in the number of illegal medicines marketed and sold as GLP-1 agonists, such as the popular semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide, in recent months. Authorities have identified hundreds of sham Facebook profiles, advertisements and e-commerce listings promoting the fake drugs. These websites often mislead customers by using official logos and false endorsements, the EMA said.

Fire Point manufactures combat drones and cruise missiles, including the Flamingo FP-5 missile, a 1,150-kilogram warhead. Its Danish facility will primarily produce rocket fuel and is expected to open by December. Poulsen announced the move at a meeting of Nordic and Baltic leaders attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He acknowledged that the Kremlin could retaliate with “sabotage and espionage,” adding that the “threat has of course become greater.” Amid Russia’s grueling war of attrition, Ukraine’s growing domestic arms industry is laboring to keep up. Kyiv announced a plan in July to boost its production of homegrown weapons, setting a…

Linehan was arrested by police at Heathrow Airport this week for posts, also made on X, about trans people. Farage said what happened to Linehan could “happen to any American.” Farage warned the U.K.’s Online Safety Act would “damage trade between our countries” and ended by asking “At what point did we become North Korea?” Neither Connolly nor Linehan were arrested under the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, rather the Public Order Act of 1986. Three hours before Farage’s appearance, U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer used his weekly session in front of the House of Commons to attack Farage. “He’s flown…