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Diplomats or disruptors — when Trump’s ambassadors get ‘rude’ – POLITICO Skip to main content

On top of that, Rome may have overestimated the effect the measure will have on household bills, the former executive said. Renewable energy prices are largely determined outside the market through fixed, bilateral contracts — meaning bills are only marginally exposed to the ETS price. Renewable energy producers, on the other hand, base their long-term investment strategies on those higher, ETS-linked prices, and the new law could derail those plans, while favoring gas, the person added. The CEO of energy company Edison, for example, said last week that the government’s plans could slow down the green transition.  Growing pressure on…

Europe enters a more contested decade than any since the end of the Cold War. Yet the frontline shaping its security is no longer limited to land, sea, air or even space.   It runs directly through the digital backbone that powers modern life: the networks, data infrastructures and connectivity systems on which governments, economies and armed forces depend.  But Europe will not be secure until it takes this digital backbone’s security seriously, and governs its openness through risk-based, verifiable sovereignty rather than isolationism or complacency.   Europe will not be secure until it takes this digital backbone’s security seriously, and governs its openness through risk-based,…

The Commission proposed the new sanctions package, which broadens restrictions on Russian energy, banks, goods and services, on Feb. 6. The EU had hoped to get final approval on both measures — the sanctions package, which requires unanimity to pass, and the €90 billion loan — before this past Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With Kyiv set to run out of cash in April, the same month Hungarians head to the polls for a national election, EU leaders are scrambling for ways to get Budapest to drop its opposition while avoiding a legal blowup with Orbán that…

Greek political parties have clashed over the affair for years, as an expanding list of cases revealed the highly invasive surveillance tool on the phones of opposition politicians, government ministers, military officials, journalists and business executives. The Greek government has denied using the illegal spyware. On Thursday, the court found four defendants guilty of “breaching the confidentiality of telephone communications,” “tampering with a personal-data filing system … on a repeated basis,” and “illegal access to an information system or data.” Those convicted include Tal Dilian, a former Israeli military officer and founder of Intellexa; his business partner Sara Aleksandra Fayssal…

Published on 26/02/2026 – 13:22 GMT+1•Updated 18:48 The head of the World Economic Forum (WEF) stepped down on Thursday after the organisation opened an internal probe into his past contacts with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Børge Brende, the WEF’s president and chief executive, announced he was stepping down after more than eight years in the role, saying the decision followed “careful consideration”. “I am grateful for the incredible collaboration with my colleagues, partners, and constituents, and I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions,” Brende said in…

“We can confirm that we are currently looking into the matter. We cannot comment further at this stage,” OLAF said in a statement to POLITICO. “The fact that OLAF is examining the matter does not mean that OLAF has opened an investigation. As a general rule, OLAF analyses all incoming information of potential investigative interest according to standard procedures. “It is only after such an initial assessment that OLAF decides whether or not to open an investigation. “OLAF fully respects the presumption of innocence and the rights of defence of the persons/entities concerned.” Mandelson’s lawyers did not immediately respond to…

Several prominent techno DJs were pulled from festival lineups and had concert dates cancelled after a series of screenshots and text messages released last week accused them of sexual misconduct, Flemish public broadcaster VRT reported. The accusations concern several artists, including French DJs Shlømo and Basswell, the US-French DJ Fantasm, the Belgian techno DJ Odymel and German DJ CARV, most of whom are tied to Paris-based management and booking agency STEER. “When allegations multiply and concern artists on our roster, inaction is not an option,” the agency wrote in a statement, announcing it would suspend its collaboration with the artists…

The South Carolina senator began the meeting by repeatedly cursing, according to a Congressional aide briefed on the matter, who recounted how he told Frederiksen: “Who gives a fuck who owns Greenland?”  Graham then reportedly branded the Danish premier a “little lady.” The exchange was enough to prompt Slotkin to walk out of the meeting within the first 10 minutes, said the Congressional aide, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. It was “appalling” and “wildly inappropriate,” the aide added. Details of the meeting were first reported by Puck. In response to the letter, Graham doubled down, telling POLITICO: “I’ll…

Afghan military forces have attacked Pakistan at the border between the two countries on Thursday, the country’s Taliban government has said. The “large-scale offensive operations” were in response to deadly air strikes on Afganistan earlier this week, military and government officials said. A military spokesperson said that “heavy attacks on Pakistani outposts” were underway, with “no casualties on Afghan side”. A separate Taliban government spokesperson said that 15 Pakistani army outposts were captured in the operations. The Pakistani government did not provide an immediate reaction to the Afghan claim. Deadly air strikes earlier in the week The military operation follows…