Author: staff
More policy reveals are expected at the conference ahead of the PM’s keynote speech Tuesday, including on infrastructure and health, senior officials familiar with his thinking told POLITICO. Yet many of Starmer’s own MPs and ministers are arriving in Liverpool doubtful it will turn the tide of public frustration with Labour. Starmer won a 174-seat majority in July 2024, yet his administration has been beset by scandals, revamps and resignations of his most trusted aides. Tricky economic decisions have angered pensioners, businesses, farmers and the aid sector. Starmer’s team is already braced for two crisis points — a tax-raising budget…
Amnesty International said, it’s “a dark day for Slovakia” in a press release. European Democracy and Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath said in January, when the proposal to amend the constitution was announced, that “the primacy of EU law … is nonnegotiable.” Since Fico returned to power in October 2023, Slovakia has cracked down on independent media and judiciary, along with LGBTQ+ and artists’ rights, following an “illiberal” playbook sketched out by Hungary. The controversial amendment, which will come into force in November, was surprisingly approved by a narrow margin. The government coalition, which initially lacked support to pass the change,…
Four people briefed on the plans told POLITICO the Commission is hoping to base its action on a set of European Council conclusions that all EU leaders, including Orbán, agreed to on Dec. 19 last year. In that statement, the leaders declared: “Russia’s assets should remain immobilised until Russia ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates it for the damage caused by this war.” At the time, that statement had largely been understood to mean the assets themselves should remain frozen, mainly at Euroclear bank in Belgium, and not accessed by Russia, while interest could be used for…
Published on 26/09/2025 – 19:52 GMT+2 Slovakia’s parliament passed an amendment to the constitution on Friday that recognises only two sexes, along with other measures that critics say might breach the country’s international obligations and undermine the protection of human rights. The amendment, which was drafted by Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government, required a three-fifths majority. It passed with 90 votes in the 150-seat National Council, with 12 lawmakers from the conservative opposition helping the ruling coalition win the vote. The amended constitution now recognises only two sexes, male and female, and states that Slovakia retains sovereignty in matters of “national…
On Friday, the Commission gathered defense ministers from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. Hungary, Slovakia and the Danish Council presidency were also represented. In a separate meeting where NATO was present as an observer, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal briefed them on his country’s “battle-tested expertise.” Participants agreed the drone wall should include detection, tracking and interception capabilities, the Commission said. Other assets should include ground-based defenses, such as anti-mobility systems, maritime security as well as space-based situational awareness. In a bid to bring Southern European countries and those more distant from Russia on board, both the…
Published on 26/09/2025 – 18:48 GMT+2 Belarus unveiled a proposal on Friday to build a second nuclear power plant in the country capable of supplying energy to the regions of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces. President Aliaksandr Lukashenka raised the plans during a meeting at the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin, who appeared to publicly support the idea. Lukashenka said the plant could be used if needed to supply areas controlled by Russia in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Russia announced the annexation of the four regions in September 2022, referring to them as new territories despite only occupying part…
By Euronews with IJF Published on 26/09/2025 – 18:34 GMT+2 The People’s Republic of China extended a warm welcome back to the IJFs world judo tour after six years away. Set against the backdrop of Qingdao’s dynamic landscape. Inside the Conson Stadium an excited crowd awaited the action… There was delight for China in the first final of the day as ZHUANG Wenna took -48kg gold in her home city, when Mary Dee VARGAS LEY was judged to have illegally attacked her supporting leg. IJF Honorary Vice President, Mr BIAN Zhiliang awarded the medals. At -60kg, Japan’s KONDO Hayato came through as victor…
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó hit back in a post on X: “President Zelenskyy is losing his mind to his anti-Hungarian obsession. He’s now starting to see things that aren’t there.” Ukrainian-Hungarian relations have deteriorated in recent months, as Budapest persists in blocking Ukraine’s EU accession. Last month, Kyiv’s forces started bombing the Druzhba oil pipeline, which fuels Budapest with Russian energy. In response, Hungary banned Robert Brovdi — a key Ukrainian commander — from entering the country. Ukraine responded by imposing an entry ban on three high-ranking Hungarian military officials. “Our mirror response to Hungary’s earlier baseless entry ban…
Published on 26/09/2025 – 18:01 GMT+2 •Updated 18:04 Moldova’s electoral commission barred a pro-Russian party from participating in this weekend’s parliamentary elections on Friday, a vote beleaguered by widespread claims of Russian interference. The outcome of Sunday’s high-stakes vote could determine whether Moldova, a former Soviet republic and a candidate for EU membership, will continue on a path towards the West or be brought back into Moscow’s orbit. The Heart of Moldova party is one of four parties in the Russia-friendly Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP), which is viewed as one of the main opponents of the ruling pro-Western Party of Action…
Sea-Watch spokesperson Giulia Messmer said the incident is part of a pattern of growing attacks. “We saw in the last couple of weeks that the violence on the central Mediterranean is escalating … this is definitely not a single occurrence,” she told POLITICO. Sea-Watch reported that a Corrubia-class patrol boat — identified as belonging to Libya — ordered the Sea-Watch 5 to turn north, a move that would have interrupted the rescue. When the crew did not comply, the patrol boat opened fire, the organization said. The NGO issued a mayday call and a Frontex surveillance plane later confirmed the Libyan vessel…