Author: staff
Die SPD-Linke meldet sich zu Wort – mit einem außenpolitischen Signal, das gegen die Linie von Parteichef Lars Klingbeil steht. Was hinter dem Vorstoß steckt und wie stark der innerparteiliche Kontra-Kurs ist, analysiert Gordon Repinski. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Anke Rehlinger – über die Rolle der Parteilinken, den Einfluss persönlicher Herkunft und die Frage, warum man falsche Positionen in der eigenen Partei manchmal aushalten muss. Außerdem: Jonathan Martin mit einem Update aus Los Angeles – zu den wachsenden Protesten gegen Donald Trump und der Rolle der Demokraten in dieser explosiven Lage. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5 Uhr.…
On the eve of Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, Britain’s iconic wartime leader apparently told an aide he was ready to make common cause with longtime Bolshevik foe Joseph Stalin. “If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons,” he supposedly quipped. Similarly, there’s certainly no love lost between Hamas — the militant paramilitary group responsible for the savage Oct. 7 attacks on Israel — and the gunmen of Rafah-native Yasser Abu Shabab. However, this approach can have its drawbacks and lead to devastating consequences, as we’ve…
Analyses reviewed by POLITICO’s Living Cities showed that municipalities in Western Europe — especially in the U.K., Spain and Sweden — received significantly higher scores than comparable cities in Eastern European countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Poland. Natalie Mueller, one of the study’s authors and a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and Pompeu Fabra University, said access to public funds plays a major role in this divide. “If there are financial constraints in cities, investing in sustainable and health-promoting urban forms and infrastructures, and defining environmental policies may be probably less of a priority than tackling other…
“We have also been pushing for the sanctioning of extremist settlers, but we now take the next step to also push for sanctioning individual extremist ministers, because we need to see things happening on the ground,” Malmer Stenergard said. In order to pass sanctions against Israeli government ministers, the EU would need unanimous backing from its 27 member countries. That’s unlikely to happen given opposition from staunch backers of Israel such as Hungary. But the political mood toward Israel has been shifting in recent weeks, with a majority of countries — including France and Germany — throwing their weight behind…
Referring to Trump, Zelenskyy said: “It’s all in his hands … How strong the sanctions package will be, depends on him. The speed with which decisions are made depends on him.” Since Trump returned to the White House, he has shown little interest in pressuring Putin, but instead has squabbled with Zelenskyy, culminating in the infamous Oval Office blow-up in late February. Asked about the incident, Zelenskyy said wryly: “I don’t think it brought us any closer.” He added: “But that was in the past. And today we must do everything we can to ensure that the next meeting in…
Departments also need to find “efficiency gains” averaging 4 percent by 2028/29, a total of £13.8 billion per year. HM Revenue and Customs plans to save 13.1 percent of its spending through “AI and automation” and basing 85 percent of staff outside London, while the Department for Work and Pensions will use artificial intelligence to review jobseekers’ CVs. Eleven central London government offices will be closed, including 102 Petty France (currently home to the Ministry of Justice) and 39 Victoria Street (used by the Department of Health), while overseas allowances for British diplomats are — hold on to your canapés…
The SMR program, run by government agency Great British Nuclear (GBN), dates back to 2023 and the previous Conservative government. Rolls-Royce was announced as the government’s partner this week, alongside the £2.5 billion investment figure. GBN was rebranded Great British Energy–Nuclear and is newly described as an “allied company” to GB Energy. Spending review documents published Wednesday state that “Great British Energy and Great British Energy–Nuclear will invest more than £8.3 billion over this parliament in homegrown clean power.” Two government officials denied that the decision amounted to a cut to GB Energy’s budget, pointing to a reference in the…
When Trump was first elected in 2016, the U.S.’s popularity worldwide similarly dropped, but the country recovered to previous levels during the Joe Biden presidency, according to data from Pew, a U.S.-based think tank that describes itself as non-partisan. In Europe, an outlier when it comes to Trump is Hungary, the only country where the majority of respondents are confident in the American president. The majority of responders across the countries surveyed agreed that Trump is “dangerous” and “arrogant,” and few think he is honest. Most, however, also see him as a “strong leader.” Along with Trump, the survey also…
“So there should be no possibility for Italians to be taken to Guantanamo,” Tajani told Italian radio broadcaster RTL. “We will do everything we can to ensure that no Italians are taken to Guantanamo,” he added. “This is the situation at the moment.” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt wrote on X on Wednesday that the reports are “fake news” and “not happening,” but the White House did not respond to repeated requests for comment prior to publication. When asked if the plans are on hold or have been withdrawn, the Trump administration declined to comment beyond the X post. U.S.…
Gibraltar’s government has sought such a deal for years — complaining that border crossings have become more onerous since Brexit, to the detriment of people living and working in the territory. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the agreement meant that “the last wall on continental Europe” would disappear and free movement of people would reign. The shape of the deal To protect the integrity of the Schengen area, EU border controls will operate alongside British controls at the Rock’s airport — in a setup similar to the “juxtaposed controls” operating at London St Pancras Eurostar station. The territory…