Author: staff

LIVERPOOL, England — A wave of “new towns” designed to boost U.K. housing supply might still be awaiting their first residents before the next general election, a Cabinet minister has told POLITICO.  Housing Secretary Steve Reed pledged to get “spades in the ground” on proposed sites in Enfield, Leeds and Bedfordshire by the end of the current parliament — expected to be in 2028 or 2029. Ministers will confirm final locations in spring 2026.  However, when asked if anyone would be living in new homes on these sites before the next election, Reed said: “All I can give you is…

The proposal, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following their White House meeting, is now under review by Hamas, though many of its conditions have previously been rejected. The plan is being framed by Trump and Netanyahu as a final opportunity to halt the conflict, with the U.S. president increasingly frustrated by its continuation. Families of victims and hostages voiced their hopes that the proposal could finally bring change, despite scepticism after months of failed mediation efforts. The Nova festival site, near Kibbutz Be’eri and only a few kilometres from Gaza, remains a stark reminder of the 7 October…

Streeting credited him with “an incredible legacy in Northern Ireland,” adding: “If he can bring that skill set to bear in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the support of Israelis, Palestinians and other regional powers, then so much the better.” And a No. 10 official acknowledged Starmer, whose national security adviser is Blair’s former chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, was “basically positive about any serious effort to map a way out of the war in Gaza,” regardless of the dramatis personae. Kyle, the business secretary, said aspects of the 20-point plan reminded him of the Good Friday Agreement and could provide…

Romanian President Nicușor Dan joined a growing movement of EU leaders on Tuesday by announcing that following Moldova’s decisive pro-European vote in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, “technical negotiations” for EU accession will now begin “even if the negotiations are not officially launched,” given Romania’s special relationship with Moldova. The Romanian president also appears to support an EU challenge to Hungary’s power to veto Ukraine’s EU accession, calling it a question of “loyal EU cooperation”, but he remains hopeful a “middle ground” can be found. “I hope the negotiations will be officially launched, but if not, they will take place in such…

He said that Britain had failed to rebuild following the global financial crisis more than a decade ago, and had stuck with failed policies on globalization, mass immigration, and declining industry and training, creating a country where voters are now seduced by a “tempting path” of so-called easy answers. But to those who have nothing positive to say about the U.K.’s future, Starmer offered a kaleidoscope of positive images. “We will fight you with everything we have because you are the enemy of national renewal,” he said, picking out audience members who have delivered for their communities through recycling school…

Updated: 30/09/2025 – 18:00 GMT+2 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this September 30th, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More

Indeed, the local headlines are being conspicuously dominated by national champions shedding staff. Earlier this week, Lufthansa said it will cut 4,000 administrative jobs by 2030. The news came only days after engineering giant Robert Bosch said it would cut an additional 13,000 positions by 2030, after announcing 5,550 layoffs in November last year. Automaker Volkswagen and Germany’s second-largest lender, Commerzbank, announced significant job cuts earlier this year. Such trends are having knock-on effects further down the supply chain: Insolvencies nationwide were up over 12 percent from a year earlier in the first half of 2025. Last week it was…

Swedish music streaming company Spotify announced that its longtime Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek will step down at the end of this year. Ek will take on the role of executive chairman from January onward. The company’s current two co-presidents, Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström, will take the helm as co-CEOs of one of Europe’s strongest technology brands. Ek co-founded Spotify and grew the company into a cultural behemoth with more than 696 million users and 276 million subscribers worldwide.

The Ukrainian military is sharing its expertise in fighting Russian drones with European countries, sending a mission to Denmark for joint exercises, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday. “Our group of specialists has begun deploying a mission in Denmark to share Ukraine’s experience in countering drones,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. European defence ministers agreed last week to build what they called a “drone wall” along their borders with Russia and Ukraine to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europe’s airspace. Europe’s readiness and technology are lagging far behind Ukraine and Russia as cutting-edge drone warfare has become a…

“People want to have a debate about whether we can be better than we are currently being. If people think everything is going great and swimmingly, don’t vote for me.” Powell went on to say that she wants to see Angela Rayner — Labour’s deputy leader who resigned following a tax scandal earlier this month — return to front-line politics and break her silence following her resignation. She said that it was a “huge, huge loss” that Rayner had to step down and that she can “definately” come back as she is “still a leading figure in the party.” “I’m…