Author: staff

Here are four key questions hanging over Le Pen’s political resurrection and her upcoming presidential campaign.  What are the legal next steps? One key challenge for Le Pen is to avoid having to campaign while her movement is restricted by a court order. In principle, when an appeal decision is challenged before the Cour de cassation, the sentence is suspended. So by appealing Tuesday’s ruling, Le Pen can make good on her promise not to campaign while wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. But there is a catch: The president of the highest court has already said the judges would do their…

Published on 07/07/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 EU hopeful members that struggle to carry out necessary reforms need support, not punishment, Obrad Kesić, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ambassador to the EU, told Euronews. Last week, Euronews revealed that the European Commission was set to redirect funding from Western Balkan candidate countries that failed to deliver required reforms towards better-performing ones, with Bosnia and Herzegovina set to be the biggest loser. “If students are struggling, punishment is not the best method to get them back on track,” Kesić said, adding that the move would be unfortunate for his country’s citizens. He noted that…

Democrats in Washington and Maine, many of whom stood by the scandal-plagued Platner during previous controversies, have since revoked their endorsements and called for him to exit the race.  The scandal blows up the map for Democrats, who bet on Maine as a key state in their road to retaking control of Congress’ upper chamber. Democrats need to flip four seats to gain a majority in the 100-member body. Maine was long seen as one of their best opportunities, as the only state Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris won in 2024 that is currently represented by a Republican U.S. senator. …

Published on 07/07/2026 – 9:00 GMT+2•Updated 15:46 As the holiday season peaks, the grand vision of smart EU borders has collided with a physical breakdown, risking the travel plans of millions. Welcome to the premium queuing experience. The automated network is now live across 29 European nations. And since the rollout, the digital net caught 40,000 border refusals and identified 1,000 security risks. To Brussels, these figures prove the database works by instantly flagging visa overstayers and fake documents. But here goes a problem: biometric collection is triggering a systemic operational crisis. Industry lobbies report waiting times at border control…

PARIS — Marine Le Pen’s muted legal victory Tuesday leaves the far-right leader battered and bruised, but it also burnishes her reputation as France’s ultimate political survivor. In an unexpected verdict, a three-judge panel upheld her conviction for embezzlement but reduced her five-year ban on running for office. The judges also sentenced her to a year of house arrest, which she said on Tuesday evening she would appeal. Le Pen’s announcement Tuesday that she will stand as her party’s candidate in next year’s presidential election anyway means Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old protégé she had said would replace her, will now…

Uruguay’s Foreign Minister, Mario Lubetkin, has urged the European Union to seize what he calls a historic opportunity by completing the ratification of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, warning that Europe risks ceding influence in Latin America to China and other global powers if the deal stalls. Speaking to Euronews during a visit to Brussels, Lubetkin, whose country has just assumed the rotating presidency of Mercosur, described the agreement as a “quality change” in relations between Europe and South America and insisted that the bloc has already fulfilled its part of the bargain. “The four Mercosur countries ratified the agreement in…

Published on 07/07/2026 – 9:00 GMT+2•Updated 15:17 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said there can be no lasting peace or stability in the Middle East without an independent Palestinian state as he inaugurated Egypt’s new Strategic Command Headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. Speaking at the ceremony, el-Sisi said on Saturday that normalising Egypt’s ties with Israel depends on Israel ending the occupation of Palestinian territories. According to el-Sisi, a comprehensive and just peace remained the only way to end decades of conflict, calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line…

The IOC stressed that its position on Russia’s invasion “remains unchanged,” adding that it “strongly condemns” the war and “stands in solidarity with the Olympic community of Ukraine.” It also said it would continue monitoring Russia’s compliance and “reserves the right to take any further measures if deemed necessary.” The decision comes after Ukraine’s Paralympic team boycotted the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Games in February, protesting the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes under their national flags — a move Ukraine’s Paralympic Committee described as “cynical.” Russia’s sports minister, Mikhail Degtyarev, wrote on Telegram that the IOC sent a…

Published on 07/07/2026 – 20:03 GMT+2 The UK High Court dismissed Prince Harry’s privacy case against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper, on Tuesday. Harry and six others – including singer Elton John – had brought the case against the publisher, with each of them alleging that they had been the victims of unlawful information gathering for articles. They accused Associated, which has denied any wrongdoing, of obtaining private and confidential information through techniques such as phone hacking and the use of private investigators. In a written judgement published on Tuesday, Mr Justice Nicklin said the claimants…

Dozens of Tibetan Youth Congress activists protested outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on 7 July, calling for a ‘Free Tibet’ and condemning Chinese rule in the region. The footage shows demonstrators carrying placards bearing the image of Tibetan activist Rangzen Lobga, chanting slogans and trying to approach the embassy before police detained them. Officers carried protesters to waiting buses while others continued shouting slogans from the windows after their detention. The demonstration followed the death of Rangzen Lobga, who self-immolated outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City on 2 July.