Author: staff

Missile and drone strikes across the Gulf have already pushed global LNG prices higher, as markets react to the risk of supply disruption from one of the world’s most important energy regions. The strikes come as a wider confrontation involving Iran and Gulf energy infrastructure intensifies, with attacks reported on oil and gas facilities across several countries in recent days. Several key oil and gas sites across the Gulf have been hit, with damage reported at major facilities and growing concern over how long the disruption could last. In Qatar, fires broke out at multiple sites in Ras Laffan Industrial…

The text was drawn up by MPs from the ruling coalition as a preliminary working draft, rather than by the government as an official bill. Czech Minister of Justice Jeroným Tejc told POLITICO that the leaked version “was not prepared by anyone from the Ministry of Justice, and personally I do not consider it suitable for discussion.” Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský called the working draft a “Russian recipe for totalitarianism.” Danuše Nerudová, an MEP for the European People’s Party and former Czech presidential candidate, warned in a statement to POLITICO that “it stigmatizes civil society, nongovernmental organizations,…

Published on 19/03/2026 – 14:24 GMT+1•Updated 14:46 The ECB concluded its March meeting without altering borrowing costs, leaving the deposit facility rate at 2%, a move that had been priced in by almost all analysts. Other key policy rates, namely the main refinancing operations (MRO) rate and the marginal lending facility rate also remain unchanged at 2.15% and 2.4% respectively. According to the ECB’s statement “the war in the Middle East has made the outlook significantly more uncertain, creating upside risks for inflation and downside risks for economic growth.” The bank’s governing body considers that the Iran war “will have…

It’s a hole in the ground with no decorative or distinguishing marks whatsoever. Inside, a young Gaul, legs curled up, head bowed, sleeps. Alongside five other skeletons, his seated form catches the eye of curious schoolchildren. It could be a scene from a horror movie but it’s a description of the latest playground discovery at Joséphine Baker primary school in the French city of Dijon, where archaeologists have been hard at work since January 2025. All the graves contain men aged between 40 and 60, ranging in height from 1.62 to 1.82 metres. In relatively good health and with good…

Historically, the complex dynamic of ad hoc, last-minute alliances that shape local elections in France’s two-round system has worked against the National Rally, with the far right accusing the rest of the political class of conspiring to keep it out of power. But its leaders now hope they can break that glass ceiling ahead of next year’s presidential race. During his speech at the rally, Bardella’s message to France’s conservative party was simple: “Join us,” he said. “We are facing a wall that is being built against us,” Jacobelli told POLITICO on the sidelines of the rally. “It is not…

Glasses of champagne were raised at the European People’s Party’s 50th anniversary on Wednesday at a fancy venue in Brussels. But the specter of the far-right lingered over the cocktail as the EPP mulls over its most fundamental dilemma in decades: what is the future of the European conservatives? The leadership of Europe’s oldest and most powerful political force is grappling with unease over allegations of coordinating its work in the European Parliament with anti-EU forces via a WhatsApp group. The episode is significant as it shows an institutionalised cooperation and it suggests the firewall that bans cooperation with parties…

Major airports in the UK have been increasing their passenger drop-off fees in recent years. The latest to hike the charge is Stansted, London’s third-busiest airport. Drivers now have to pay £10 (€12) instead of the previous £7 (€8.40) for express drop-offs of up to 15 minutes, making it the second-most expensive fee in the UK. Earlier in the year, London Gatwick raised its ‘kiss and fly’ fee to become the most expensive in the UK. In comparison, many airports on the continent still allow free or low-cost drop-offs. UK airports hike passenger drop-off fees Stansted’s hiked fee also impacts…

Uzbekistan has inaugurated the Centre for Islamic Civilization, a new complex dedicated to research, public education and the preservation of Islamic cultural heritage. First announced in 2017 by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the United Nations General Assembly, the project brings together collections, research facilities and public spaces in a single site designed to make historical material accessible to a broader audience. The centre combines museum exhibitions, research facilities and educational programmes, presenting the historical development of Islamic civilisation through manuscripts, artefacts and interactive displays. At the opening ceremony, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev described the centre as a space that reflects the…

Negotiations on prisoner swaps would also continue, Peskov said.  He did not provide a reason for why the peace negotiations, which U.S. President Donald Trump launched soon after he entered the White House, have hit a roadblock.  The last time the three parties met was in February in Geneva. A new round of talks scheduled for March 5 in Abu Dhabi was postponed indefinitely, days after the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran, which has spilled over into the wider region. In an interview with the BBC earlier this week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a…

In a widely anticipated move, the Bank of England left its main interest rate on hold at 3.75% on Thursday. “We have held interest rates at 3.75% as we assess how events unfold,” Bank governor Andrew Bailey said. “Whatever happens, our job is to make sure inflation returns to its 2% target.” Before the Iran war broke out, inflation in the UK was expected to fall towards the 2% target in the coming months. However, the current conflict, which has sent energy prices soaring, has made the outlook for UK inflation more uncertain, forcing policymakers to reconsider their expected move…