Author: staff
The quotas are still being negotiated between Canberra and Brussels, the first person familiar with the talks said. Von der Leyen will take the 20-hour-plus flight to Australia directly after she attends the Munich Security Conference, which takes place in the German city on Feb. 13-15, according to Australian digital newspaper The Nightly, which broke the news of the Commission chief’s four-day trip. EU countries last December allowed the Commission to negotiate a defense deal with Australia. Sealing such a deal would come on the heels of security and defense partnerships signed with the U.K., Canada and most recently India.…
In an unexpected twist, however, prosecutors did not insist that the ban should be immediately implemented. This could offer her a theoretical long-shot back into the race, but it appears legally complex and politically risky. Le Pen herself did not signal any major shift in the case. In remarks to BFMTV, Le Pen said the prosecution in the appeal was “following the path taken” during the first trial. The court is due to make a final decision on the appeal this summer. When it came to her narrow route back to the presidential race, the prosecutors said the court should…
By Euronews Published on 03/02/2026 – 10:41 GMT+1 Both church and state in Italy are investigating the restoration of a cherub in a Roman church that bears a striking resemblance to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The diocese of Rome and the Italian culture ministry have launched separate probes into the recent renovations at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, in central Rome, after photos of the Meloni-esque cherub were published in Italian newspapers this weekend. “Before the restoration, there was a generic cherub,” wrote the newspaper La Repubblica, which first reported on the resemblance. “Today, it is the face of…
The police didn’t give a name, but 72-year-old Mandelson — a central figure in the politics of the U.K’s ruling Labour party for decades — has appeared in the latest tranche of Epstein-related documents. Files released by the U.S. Department of Justice show emailed communications between Mandelson and Epstein, including discussions about sensitive government policy. Mandelson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday evening. A government spokesperson told POLITICO on Tuesday: “The government stands ready to provide whatever support and assistance the police need.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who appointed Mandelson as the U.K.’s ambassador to…
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, families waited anxiously as the first arrivals came through Rafah, reuniting with relatives who had travelled months earlier for medical treatment. Egyptian officials said around 150 people were expected to leave Gaza and about 50 to enter on the first day, with strict limits in place. Ambulances transported sick and injured patients into Egypt, where medical screening was carried out before onward transfer to hospitals. Rafah is the only crossing out of Gaza that does not lead into Israel, making it a lifeline for medical evacuations and family reunions. The partial reopening followed days…
The Hamburg authorities said they were looking into who else might be behind the attacks. German lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter, from the ruling coalition Christian Democrats, told POLITICO on Tuesday: “The modus operandi and the apparent objective fit a Russian pattern of using targeted acts of sabotage against militarily relevant and critical infrastructure to prepare for attacks and spread terror in Germany through hybrid methods.” However, he added: “It is necessary to wait and see whether this assessment applies in this case as well.” Europe has suffered at least 145 sabotage incidents since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine…
By Euronews Published on 03/02/2026 – 10:54 GMT+1 Russia fired around 450 drones and 70 missiles at Ukraine overnight in one of the largest attacks of its ongoing all-out war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, shortly before the representatives of the two countries were due to attend US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi. The aerial assault targeted at least five regions and focused on Ukraine’s power grid as part of Moscow’s campaign to deny civilians electricity, heating and running water during the coldest winter in years. At least 10 people were wounded, officials said. “Taking advantage of the coldest days…
By Tokunbo Salako & Jake Dutkiewicz Published on 03/02/2026 – 21:10 GMT+1 First they came to Britain, then Germany, then Ireland, then Spain. Now the National Football League, America’s biggest domestic sport is heading to France as its seeks to expand its fanbase in Europe. The New Orleans Saints will gear up to play the first regular-season game of 2026 in Paris, the first ever NFL game in France. The match is set to be played at the Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium with a capacity of 81,000 seats. In a statement the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: “Paris is one…
Pairing a smooth-talking style with ruthless maneuvering behind the scenes, he began as the party’s communications director in 1985 and embarked on a mission with then-leader Neil Kinnock to drag his party back from the left. He became MP for Hartlepool in 1992, playing a key role in Blair’s 1994 election as party leader and Labour’s 1997 general election landslide. He was never far from scandal, resigning from the Cabinet first in 1998 over a loan he took from a colleague, then again in 2001 in a row over a passport application from an Indian billionaire. Yet his attraction to…
French President Emmanuel Macron signalled on Tuesday that he was ready to restart dialogue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Speaking during a visit to eastern France, Macron said contacts were ongoing at “the technical level”. He said the process was being carried out “in transparency and in consultation” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but did not give a timeline. Macron also condemned Russia’s recent attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, describing them as “intolerable”. On Tuesday, Russian forces carried out large-scale strikes on Ukraine’s power grid amid freezing temperatures across the country. The attacks do not demonstrate “a real willingness to…