Author: staff
“Given the severity of allegations concerning Peter Mandelson’s deplorable relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the European Commission and European Anti-Fraud Office must pursue an immediate investigation to establish any potential misconduct both during and beyond his tenure as European Commissioner,” Nick Aiossa, director at Transparency International, a leading anti-corruption campaign group, told POLITICO. “Should it do so, Mandelson must be stripped of his Commissioner’s pension.” Daniel Freund, a Green MEP from Germany, condemned the lack of action and investigations against “the most powerful people on earth” over their links to the disgraced financier. “That EU commissioners were somehow involved with this…
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressed the human cost of the war, ongoing negotiations and Europe’s stance toward Russia during an interview with French public TV channel France 2 on Wednesday. Visibly emotional, Zelensky shared figures that are rarely made public regarding the number of casualties. “In Ukraine, officially, on the battlefield, the number of soldiers killed — whether career soldiers or mobilised — is 55,000. [Added to this is] a large number of people whom Ukraine considers to be missing,” he said. That figure is disputed by several independent research centres, which estimate that the actual number of Ukrainian…
“Ça a l’air drôle, mais où sont les filles mignonnes”, rétorque Epstein. Réponse de son correspondant français : “Nulle part… ennuyeux. Il faut vraiment que je vienne te voir.” Renvoi d’ascenseur En retour, le financier propose également à Colom de profiter de son réseau. En septembre 2013, Epstein propose par exemple de le convier à un repas avec Ehud Barak, dont Epstein était proche, ou encore avec Joshua Cooper Ramo, qu’il présente comme le ‘bras droit de [Henry] Kissinger. Au milieu de leurs échanges décousus, tantôt au sujet d’opportunités d’affaires, de voyages ou de montages financiers, apparaissent des propositions plus…
Left-wing former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, long cast out of the party over comments on antisemitism, went on Sky News to say Starmer may even be challenged before local elections, which will be held across the U.K. in May. Others were new converts to immediate action. A fifth Labour MP, a moderate who entered parliament in 2024, also said McSweeney should go now. They lamented the “blind spot for many in the leadership” who allowed Mandelson to become ambassador. It has left some MPs angry and dejected. One, Sarah Owen, made an impassioned intervention in Wednesday’s debate: “Don’t we need…
According to a Wednesday report in La Repubblica, a daily paper, the painter said he had since painted over the face on Tuesday night. “That’s what the Vatican wanted,” Valentinetti told Italian media. “Yes, it is the prime minister’s face,” he confessed, “but based on the previous painting.” POLITICO reached out to the Vatican for comment but did not receive an answer ahead of publication. The culture ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that following the erasure of the face, Rome’s special superintendent had informed the rector of the basilica of the applicable rules. “Any restoration work requires an…
A prosecutor ordered the arrest of a Moroccan national who was piloting the speedboat. The coast guard said a camera installed on its vessel was not active at the time of the crash. An official from Frontex, the EU’s coastguard agency, said the agency wasn’t involved in the operation. Frontex has offered a plane to support the search and rescue but has not yet been asked by Greek authorities to deploy it. Greece has repeatedly been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights, Frontex and the EU Commission for pushbacks of migrant vessels and for improper investigations by its…
PARIS — Prosecutors in Paris opened an investigation Wednesday into allegations that Chinese citizens had sought to capture sensitive French government and military data using Starlink. “Four people were brought before the investigating judge for indictment, with two of them being remanded in custody,” the public prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Investigators are looking into possible acts of “delivering information to a foreign power or a company or organization under foreign control, or to their agents, in a manner likely to harm the fundamental interests of [France],” the statement added — a crime that can lead to up to…
Published on 04/02/2026 – 18:07 GMT+1 As the Web Summit Qatar drew to a close, conversations showed no signs of slowing. From startups and artists to policymakers and engineers, the summit brought together different worlds around a shared question: how technology is shaping daily life. That focus is reflected in the numbers. Since Web Summit Qatar 2025, 69 startups from the summit’s Startup Programme have raised a combined $205 million (€173.6m). AI and machine learning led the way, accounting for $125 million (€105.8m) of that total. Data and analytics followed with $41 million (€34.7m), and fintech raised $26 million (€22m),…
In Litauen erreicht der Aufbau der Panzerbrigade 45 einen neuen Meilenstein: Die Multinational Battlegroup Lithuania wird offiziell unterstellt, Deutschlands bislang größtes Auslandsprojekt der Bundeswehr nimmt sichtbar Gestalt an. Rixa Fürsen berichtet direkt aus Kaunas über eisige Temperaturen, fehlende Infrastruktur und warum diese Brigade als Leuchtturm der Zeitenwende gilt.Außerdem: Außenminister Johann Wadephul wirbt in Canberra für ein neues Freihandelsabkommen. Warum Australien strategisch wichtiger wird – als Partner gegen Protektionismus, für Rohstoffsicherheit bei Lithium und Kupfer, und für eine regelbasierte Handelsordnung jenseits von Mercosur und Indien.Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team…
Published on 04/02/2026 – 18:00 GMT+1 An extraordinary plenary session of the European Parliament will be held in Brussels on 24 February to mark the fourth anniversary of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia, and to approve a €90 billion loan to Kyiv from European Union member states. The decision was taken during the Parliament’s Conference of Presidents on Wednesday on the initiative of Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola, internal sources told Euronews. During the one-day session, the Parliament will hold a debate on the war and approve the loan for Ukraine, funded through joint debt, which was officially agreed on Wednesday by…