Author: staff

The self-described “global leader in sexual wellness products” made its submission to the Commission on March 7, and later met with the DMA unit responsible, company spokesperson Verena Singmann told POLITICO. “It is our [goal to] promote sexual happiness and empowerment because we know that it is imperative for people’s health, wellbeing and happiness,” added Singmann. Singmann said the company is urging the Commission to ensure that gatekeepers apply content rules in a fair and transparent manner. A spokesperson for the Commission said it had received the complaint and is reviewing it as “market information,” as the regulation does not…

Four people died and at least 20 were injured when a car bomb exploded near a market in Pakistan late on Sunday, a senior official has said. The explosion hit the city of Qillah Abdullah in Balochistan province, close to the country’s border with Afghanistan. It damaged several shops and the outer perimeter of a building housing paramilitary forces, according to Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Riaz.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists, who have carried out numerous attacks on security forces and civilians in Balochistan and other areas of the…

The state-owned carrier reported revenues of $23.4 billion (€21.53bn) overall in the results, up from $22.1 billion (€20.33bn) the year before. Its fiscal year profits in the prior reporting period were $1.6 billion (€1.47bn).“These record-breaking results are a testament to the hard work, skill and dedication of teams across all of Qatar Airways Group,” group CEO, Badr Mohammed al-Meer, said in a statement.Qatar Airways, along with Abu Dhabi-based Emirates and Dubai’s Emirates, are long-haul carriers that link East-West travel. Their location on the Arabian Peninsula between Europe and Asia have made them a key link in global transit. Qatar Airways…

“Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” Trump fumed in a caps lock-heavy screed on social media in the early hours of Monday. “This was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT’S NOT LEGAL!” he added, calling the various artists who came out in support of Harris “unpatriotic.” Then-Vice President Harris received a steady stream of celebrity backers leading up to the November election. Beyoncé spoke at a rally in Houston along with former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland, but did…

Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. It’s EU summit day – so what will Keir Starmer agree? It’s been described as an historic summit and will be a reset of relations since Brexit. It’s expected that the EU and the UK will sign a security and defence partnership. But so far nothing is set in stone. Plus, how sincere is Vladimir Putin’s interest in a ceasefire?

Almost 10 years after the Brexit referendum of 2016, the language from some European officials has barely changed. The message is still: The U.K. must pay. Yes, of course, we must be vigilant and protect EU interests. The U.K. cannot expect to be treated the same as before, or to cherry-pick its relationship with the bloc. Moreover, there remains a number of outstanding post-Brexit issues that need to be resolved — on fisheries, trade, energy, migration. Fisheries, in particular, is no small issue. Those who dismiss it as inconsequential compared to other concerns, such as European defense, make a political…

Energy is slightly different. Like fishing, the agreement struck by Johnson expires in June 2026. On this topic, though, neither side really likes the current arrangements — which are clunky, inefficient, and accused of holding back investment in the North Sea and raising prices for consumers. Both sides want to replace it with something better. But it’s not clear whether that will be done in one fell swoop at Monday’s summit, or put on the to-do list. Future talks The “common understanding” of future topics is where the biggest remaining issues raised in the run-up to the summit are likely…

Following a broad weekly rally on Wall Street amid a de-escalation in the US-China trade war, risk-off sentiment once again prevailed in global markets following a major downgrade of US credit ratings by Moody’s. Global equity indices fell during Monday’s Asian session as sell-offs in US assets resumed, with US stock futures, the dollar, and government bonds all declining.Moody’s downgrades US credit ratingsOn Friday, Moody’s Ratings, a major American credit rating agency, downgraded the “US long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings” to Aa1 from the top-tier Aaa due to mounting concerns over rising government debt and widening fiscal deficits.The agency…

Charlotte Pickles, its director, has been mulling a name change for some time, but the return of Farage as Reform UK leader last year, and the party’s recent electoral success put a rocket under the name-changing project. “As a very strictly cross-party, independent, charitable think tank we can’t have confusion with a political party, of which there obviously is now one called Reform UK,” Pickles told POLITICO. While the think tank is well-known in Westminster’s political circles, its old name has caused confusion with the wider general public. “We have had people sending us emails with their thoughts that they…

Zwischen großen Worten und Gesten, Kontinuität und Relativierung: Was für ein Außenpolitiker Friedrich Merz wird, analysiert Gordon Repinski.  Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Paul Ziemiak, Mitglied im CDU-Bundesvorstand und Vorsitzender der Deutsch-Polnischen Parlamentariergruppe, über den ersten Wahlgang der Präsidentschaftswahlen in Polen und die Auswirkungen auf das deutsch-polnische Verhältnis.  Pauline von Pezold berichtet über den Imagewechsel, den die AfD vollziehen will, unter anderem, wenn es um die Nähe zu Russland und Wladimir Putin geht.  Und: Mietangebot vom Bundestag. Wie die Verwaltung einen Nachfolger für die insolvente Parlamentsbuchhandlung sucht.  Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team…