Churchill photo stolen in Canada discovered in Italy
The theft from a hotel, which occurred sometime around Christmas 2022, took months for anyone to discover.
Christmas
Churchill photo stolen in Canada discovered in Italy
The theft from a hotel, which occurred sometime around Christmas 2022, took months for anyone to discover.
ย โWeโre the only plane in the sky:โ 9/11 on board Air Force One
Where was the president in the eight hours after the Sept. 11 attacks? The strange, harrowing journey of Air Force One, as told by the people who were on board.
โNobody in Politics Is Able to Say Itโ: The Truth About Latino Voters
A top political strategist explains how the Latino vote is shifting.
Monsieur Brexit buys Macron time, but French deadlock remains
If by Christmas Mr Barnier still happens to be in office, it will be seen as a job pretty well done.
Monsieur Brexit buys Macron time, but French deadlock remains
If by Christmas Mr Barnier still happens to be in office, it will be seen as a job pretty well done.
European Parliamentโs scheduling fiasco risks delaying commissioner hearings
It’s highly unlikely Ursula von der Leyen’s team will be able to start in November.
Belgian Commissioner race: will it be Christmas for Reynders ?
As Belgium is still locked in negotiations to form its federal government, the question of the appointment of the future European Commissioner – and the fate of current Belgian Commissioner Didier Reynders – is being raised with increasing urgency as t…
Alain Delon: how family feud brought Shakespearean tragedy to final years
Tensions between his children had erupted behind the gates of the French actorโs home in the village of DouchyIt has been some time since Alain Delon was last seen in the village of Douchy, his country home for the past half a century and the place he …
Iโm from Poland. Why does Europe still make me feel like a second-class citizen? | Olga Mecking
Iโm married to a German, bringing up my family in the Netherlands and speak five languages โ yet I still donโt โbelongโ I have always thought of myself as the very model of a model European. Both sets of my grandparents were diplomats who lived and wor…
Donald and Melania Trump each promote a new book โ separately
The former first ladyโs book will be her first memoir, and the former presidentโs book will have photos and commentary.
Donald Trump and the best ways to respond to being shot
Trump is back and already making excellent decisions, including about his pick for Veep.
Itโs Christmas in July (for Commissioners)! Von der Leyen hands out policy gifts ahead of key vote
Ursula von der Leyen presents herself as a beacon of stability to secure another five years at the head of the EU’s executive.
The 23 kookiest MEPs heading to the European Parliamentย
We made our own group of the most outlandish MEPs coming to the new European Parliament.
Republican Senator pushes Biden to seize frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine
โWhen I suggested that to President Zelenskyy, he lit up like a Christmas tree,โ the South Carolina Republican said.
On the (fake) campaign trail with von der Leyen: Lattes, endless selfies and Palestinian protesters
As the Commission president crisscrosses the continent, back in Brussels, support for a second term is crumbling.
Trump tries to spin guilty into gold
The former president has proven adept at fundraising off his legal troubles.
5 awkward WhatsApps as UKโs top civil servant faces Covid inquiry
Simon Case gives evidence after scathing comments about how Whitehall functioned during the crisis.
Which European politicos would shoot a puppy?ย
Trump VP contender Kristi Noem shot to infamy for killing her dog. But maybe sheโs not alone โฆ
The new EU asylum laws, part 8: the โcrisisโ Regulation โ and conclusions
Professor Steve Peers,
Royal Holloway, University of LondonPhoto credit: Sam Zidovetski, via Wikimedia Commons(Last amended June 18 2024: amendments marked by asterisks)
Just before Christmas, the
European Parliament and the Council (the EU body…
The new EU asylum laws, part 6: the new Dublin rules on responsibility for asylum-seekers
Professor Steve Peers,
Royal Holloway, University of London
Photo credit: Ggia, via Wikimedia Commons(last updated 10 June 2024: changed text marked by an asterisk)Just before Christmas, the
European Parliament and the Council (the EU body consi…
The new Screening Regulation โ part 5 of the analysis of new EU asylum laws
Professor Steve
Peers, Royal Holloway University of London
Photo credit: Rock Cohen, via Wikimedia
Commons(Amended on 14 May and 10 and 18 June 2024 – changed sentences marked with an asterisk)
Just before Christmas, the European
Parliament and…
UK parliamentโs tobacco lovers see their habit go up in smoke
As the government seeks to ban tobacco sales to younger generations, parliament’s pipe and cigar enthusiasts are feeling nostalgic.
UKโs Rishi Sunak issues โfulsome apologyโ for ruining Adidas Sambas
The British prime minister paired the iconic sneakers with … suit trousers and a white shirt.
Slovak presidency goes to government candidate
Victory by Peter Pellegrini gives Robert Fico’s ruling coalition total control over the executive and legislative branches.
Strasbourg Christmas market attack plotter sentenced to 30 years in jail
A French court on Thursday sentenced Audrey Mondjehi to a 30-year jail term for helping an Islamist militant who killed five people in a 2018 attack on a Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg. The 42-year-old was the main defendant among …
Man sentenced to 30 years for aiding France attacker
Audrey Mondjehi was convicted of obtaining a gun used in a 2018 attack on a Strasbourg Christmas market.
Man sentenced to 30 years for aiding France attacker
Audrey Mondjehi was convicted of obtaining a gun used in a 2018 attack on a Strasbourg Christmas market.
French court sentences Christmas market attack plotter to three years in jail
A French court on Wednesday sentenced Audrey Mondjehi to a 30-year jail term for helping an Islamist militant who killed five people in a 2018 attack on a Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg.
In ALL-CAPS Easter message, Trump rips into his foes
The message revived old grudges against his legal nemeses.
From Doctor Botox to Facebookโs top lobbyist, meet the folks who left politics to cash in
Olivier Vรฉran and Nick Clegg are just two of the ex-politicians who’ve gone off to make the big bucks.
โMum knew what was going onโ: Brigitte Hรถss on living at Auschwitz, in the Zone of Interest family
Her father was Rudolf Hรถss, the campโs commandant. He was arrested by the Jewish great-uncle of the writer Thomas Harding, to whom Brigitte gave this, her final interview โ and confessionIt was the morning of 16 December 2021, a week before Christ…
Kate Middleton: I have cancer
The princess of Wales has issued a statement confirming she has cancer.
Canadians switched at birth get an apology 70 years on
A Christmas gift inadvertently revealed the secret of the mix-up in a rural Manitoba hospital in 1955.
Resistance is futile: the new Eurodac Regulation โ part 4 of the analysis of new EU asylum laws
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of LondonPhoto credit: Rachmaninoff, via Wikimedia CommonsAmendments to this blog post since its original publication are marked by asterisks.* Most recent amendment: June 18 2024. Just before…
Claire Coutinho: The UKโs chancellor-in-the-wings?
Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho is charged with steering the U.K. to net zero โ and may yet land a big promotion from her ally the prime minister.
Strasbourg Christmas market attack trial begins
Four men are on trial in connection with the deadly attack, in which five people were killed in 2018.
Strasbourg Christmas market attack trial begins
Four men are on trial in connection with the deadly attack, in which five people were killed in 2018.
Strasbourg Christmas market attack trial begins
Four men are on trial in connection with the deadly attack, in which five people were killed in 2018.
Four men go on trial over Strasbourg terror attack in 2018
One accused of terrorism and three of helping Chรฉrif Chekatt procure weapons for deadly assault at Christmas marketFour men go on trial today accused of involvement in the 2018 terrorist attack on Strasbourgโs Christmas market, in which a gunman killed…
โPostcode lotteryโ warning as UK energy chief weighs bills shake-up
LONDON โ Claire Coutinho has promised to cut your energy bills. But she could end up hiking your neighborโs in the process. The U.K. energy secretary is mulling sweeping reforms to the electricity market which, advocates say, could reduce bills by billions of pounds over the next 15 years. But critics warn the proposals could [โฆ]
Woman loses ยฃ650,000 injury claim after being seen tossing Christmas tree
Irish court threw out Kamila Grabskaโs case for car crash injuries having seen photo of her winning charity competitionA womanโs ยฃ650,000 claim for injuries allegedly suffered during a car crash has been thrown out of court in Ireland after she was pic…
10 ways a second Trump term could be more extreme than the first
From nationwide abortion bans to classroom culture wars, assaults on climate science and political weaponization of the military, his return to the White House could make Trump 1.0 seem tame.
Liz Truss is offering lessons on how to be popular
The (deeply unpopular) ex-prime minister believes her new Popular Conservatives group can win over the British public.
Decades of research destroyed after freezer fails at Swedish university
Estimated value of the samples thought to be in the millions as incident reported to policeResearch samples collected over decades at a Swedish medical university were destroyed when a freezer malfunctioned during the Christmas holidays, the institute …
How to respond to Russian aggression in the Baltic Sea
The region’s governments face a dilemma: If they can prove that Moscow’s behind the recent disruptions, they’ll need to decide if, and how, to punish this gray-zone aggression.
The empty boots of German farmers tell a story of hardship, fuel wars and far-right threat | Eva von Redecker
Rural protests draw on a populist playbook. But farmersโ legitimate grievances could be addressed with progressive policiesIn my local area in rural Brandenburg, every village signpost offers the same harrowing sight: a pair of wellingtons dangling fro…
EU citizens are being kicked out of the UK. In Spain we’re asking: why not treat British people the same way? | Marรญa Ramรญrez
Does turning away Europeans with valid paperwork really make British borders โsafe and secureโ? Itโs hard to imagineFour years after the UK officially left the European Union, you can still be taken aback reading about Brexitโs self-defeating, if somet…
How Italy turned on influencers in the wake of a charity Christmas cake scandal
With a fraud investigation into Chiara Ferragni under way, she and fellow social media stars are under sharp scrutinyChiara Ferragni amassed a fortune through incessant selfie-taking as part of a marketing strategy that included imparting pearls of wis…
Festive retail detail can offer good guidance for the year ahead
Lidl and Next enjoy a successful Christmas
Ukraineโs parliament drops contentious mobilization bill
Kyiv needs more men for the battlefield, but must also balance concerns about the economy, taxes and fairness.
Swedish ยฃ6,000 dine and dash investigation reopened
A group of 35 people allegedly left a Malmรถ restaurant without paying on Christmas Day.
Putinโs sex crackdown ramps up as โalmost nakedโ nightclub shut down
Russian court shutters controversial party venue for 90 days.
How Justin Trudeau lost his grip
The prime ministerโs bleak reality: Canadians donโt like him anymore.
Italian influencer investigated over Christmas cake charity scheme
Prosecutors say consumers duped into believing they were helping Turin hospital by buying cake endorsed by Chiara FerragniOne of Italyโs most powerful influencers said she was feeling โcalmโ after being placed under investigation for fraud in a case li…
Czech minister partied hours after Prague mass shooting. Now rivals want him out
Marian Jureฤka faces calls to resign for returning to Christmas bash hours after learning a gunman had killed 14 people.
[Agenda] New Belgian presidency, Red Sea tensions This WEEK
Returning from the Christmas holidays, the Belgian EU Council presidency will host its first informal council and the European Parliament’s committees willย resume theirย work in Brussels.
Spanish woman deported from UK after returning from Christmas holiday
Woman was detained overnight and removed despite presenting Home Office documents showing her right to work and live in UKA 34-year-old Spanish woman was forcibly removed from the UK after returning from a Christmas holiday near Mรกlaga despite presenti…
Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 683
Russian military on course to lose 500,000 personnel within the next year, say UK officials; Russian missile strike kills 11 in DonetskSee all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageThe Russian military is on course to lose 500,000 personnel within the next ye…
Madrid investigates โracistโ Epiphany videos featuring blackface sent to children
City council hired firm to produce personalised messages as part of traditional 6 January festivitiesMadrid city council is investigating after video messages featuring a white man wearing blackface and speaking halting and heavily accented Spanish wer…
AI, final Act? Commissionโs DSA showdown with X
Welcome to Euractivโs Tech Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. Following the winter holidays, this issue provides an overview of the main developments since the Christmas break. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
Politicians behaving badly: 6 times partying politicos went too far
Remember Partygate, Pipigate, bunga bunga and the Brussels lockdown orgy?!
French actor Alain Delon to file legal complaint against son over โmedia outburstโ
Anthony Delon told a magazine his father was finding it hard to accept his frail state of healthThe actor Alain Delon will file a legal complaint against his son over โa media outburstโ in Franceโs most prominent magazine, his lawyer has said.In an int…
Polish farmers resume blockade of border crossing with Ukraine
They are rejoining hauliers who have been protesting for months; both groups fear the impact of opening markets to Ukraine.
Unsold Christmas trees on the menu for elephants at Berlin zoo
Annual event sees inhabitants of zoo enjoy eating โ or playing โ with the unwanted conifersThere is a bit of post-Christmas cheer on the menu for elephants and other tenants at Berlin zoo: they can chomp on Christmas trees that didnโt find a home.The t…
Second man dies after Dublin restaurant shooting
The attack happened at Browne’s Steakhouse in Blanchardstown on Christmas Eve
Boosting Italyโs birthrate has become a patriotic cause for the far right. But itโs an idea thatโs doomed | Tobias Jones
With the countryโs population tumbling, what Italy really needs is greater immigration, yet how could Giorgia Meloni sanction that?Fifty years ago in Italy, there was one person over 65 for every child aged six or under. Just before Christmas, Italyโs …
The New EU Asylum Laws, part 3: the Resettlement Regulation
Professor Steve Peers,
Royal Holloway University of London*
Photo credit: Voice of
America, via Wikimedia
Commons *Sentences with an asterisk have been updated since the original post in light of later developments. Most recent update: 14 May …
UK minister James Cleverly sorry for โjokeโ about date rape
Top interior minister says he ‘regrets’ remark that prompted calls for him to quit.
The New EU Asylum Laws, part 2: the Reception Conditions Directive
Professor Steve Peers,
Royal Holloway University of London
Photo credit: Rebecca
Harms, via Wikimedia Commons *sentences with an asterisk have been corrected or updated since the original publication of this post. Most recent update 14 May 2024.&nb…
The New EU Asylum Laws, part 1: the Qualification Regulation
Professor Steve Peers,
Royal Holloway University of London*
Photo credit: Ggia, via Wikimedia
Commons
*sentences with an asterisk have been corrected or updated since the original publication of this post. Most recently updated 14 May 2024.&n…
The costs and benefits of English as a lingua franca | Letters
Readers respond to Michele Gazzolaโs article on the dominance of the English language across the worldIt was refreshing to see the Guardian publishing an article claiming what those of us working in the field of English as a lingua franca have argued f…
Weather tracker: rain batters Argentina and DRC as fog shrouds India and Pakistan
Turkey also affected by fog, with 10 killed and 57 injured in serious road crash involving three busesDuring the Christmas period, parts of South America experienced intense showers and thunderstorms, resulting in substantial rainfall in various region…
French man admits killing wife and four children found on Christmas Day
Man who had history of psychiatric illness said voices told him to โcause harmโ, prosecutor in Meux saysA 33-year-old French man has admitted killing his wife and their four children, saying he heard voices telling him to โcause harmโ, the public prose…
10 Lords-a-leaping: The most ludicrous House of Lords moments of 2023
POLITICO looks at some of the bizarre moments in Britain’s upper chamber this year.
Unlocked: Top 10 behind-the-paywall stories of 2023
A Christmas gift for all the policy wonks out there.
English still rules the world, but thatโs not necessarily OK. Is it time to curb its power? | Michele Gazzola
For fluent speakers, there are clear benefits โ for others, there are huge costs. Here are some ways to boost linguistic justiceAnyone spending their Christmas holidays on the European mainland will likely have observed that it is quite common to meet …
Ski resorts battle for a future as snow declines in climate crisis
International Ski Federation urged to cut emissions, while activists warn of damage through heavy use of snowmakingAfter promising early dumps of snow in some areas of Europe this autumn, the pattern of recent years resumed and rain and sleet took over…
How Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas in Egypt
For Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Christians, which make up around 90 percent of the total Christian population, Christmas day will come on 6 and 7 January instead of on 25 December.
Need a late Christmas present? Try Westminsterโs worst political merch
Show people you really don’t care with these belated ‘gifts,’ courtesy of genuine adults tasked with running the country.
Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 671
Weโll only get better at shooting you down, Zelenskiy warns Russian pilots; Adviivka facing โthird waveโ of attacksSee all our Russia-Ukraine coverageA huge explosion and fireball engulfed part of the Crimean port of Feodosia early on Tuesday morning. …
Zelenskiy hails downing of Russian jets in upbeat Christmas message
Ukraine celebrates holiday on 25 December rather than 7 January for first time, in move to distance itself from RussiaVolodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the shooting down of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve and said โthis Christmas sets the right mood…
‘Tensions ran high on Christmas Eve in Serbia’s capital’
Protesters tried to storm Belgrade’s city council building Sunday, using stones, flag-poles and eggs to break the building’s windows.ย Tensions ran high on Christmas Eve in Serbia’s capital as thousands of people came out to protest the results of this…
How the French celebrate Christmas, from holiday markets to Pรจre Fouettard
Although France shares many Christmas traditions with its European neighbours, some customs are quintessentially French โ like oysters on ice, the bรปche de Noรซl (Christmas log cake) and a decided emphasis on Champagne. FRANCE 24 takes a look at some o…
Pope: Free Israeli hostages and end the Gaza war
In a Christmas Day message, the pontiff pleads for an end to suffering of Israelis and Palestinians.
Pope deplores ‘desperate humanitarian situation’ in Gaza, calls for immediate ceasefire
Pope Francis on Monday deplored the desperate humanitarian situation of Palestinians in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire and the freeing of hostages in his Christmas message.
Police step up patrols in Dublin after restaurant shooting on Christmas Eve
Man in his 20s died and man in his 40s remains in serious condition after attack at Browneโs Steakhouse Police have stepped up uniformed patrols in Dublin after a shooting incident at a restaurant on Christmas Eve.A man in his 20s died and a man in his…
Archbishop of Canterbury and pope focus on Gaza in Christmas messages
โSo many parts of the world seem beset with violence,โ Justin Welby to say as he reflects on plight of children in warThe archbishop of Canterbury and the pope are using their Christmas addresses to show solidarity with Bethlehem and those caught up in…
How Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Liz Truss and more do Christmas
POLITICO London Playbook rounds up the festive traditions of Westminster’s power players โ in their own words.
Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow โwill be defeatedโ, Zelenskiy says as Ukraine marks Christmas Day on 25 December for first time โ as it happened
โAll Ukrainians are together,โ president says after government changed date of Orthodox Christmas in snub to RussiaSee all our Russia-Ukraine coverageJailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is in a penal colony in the Arctic Yamal-Nenets region of norther…
From birch-tree juice to Christmas bread, our food tells the story of who we are | Paula Erizanu
My mother travelled Moldova to save recipes in danger of dying out โ and captured the tale of our rich and turbulent pastWhen my country finally makes it into the EU, it will be one of the smallest members of the club โ and one whose national identity …
โWar knows no holidaysโ: in search of Christmas in Donbas โ photo essay
Amid the frozen landscape of war-torn Donbas, photojournalist Albert Lores and Chistian-Zsolt Varga visited the Ukrainian soldiers near the Bakhmut frontline shortly before Christmas. The exhausted but resilient fighters shared their personal wishes an…
โIt happens in Godโs timeโ: Craft ale proves salvation for UK monastery
Award-winning brew has become a Christmas favourite since its launch in 2017 and a financial lifeline for Mount St Bernard
The ultimate POLITICO Christmas gift guide for the cheesiest political swag
We scoured the interwebs for you and rated gift ideas for politics nuts.
King Charles IIIโs unfiltered Christmas speech
POLITICO absolutely, 100 percent obtained an early leaked copy of the British monarch’s traditional address to the nation. Yep.
Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 670
Five killed in Russian attacks on Kherson region; Ukrainian Orthodox Christians prepare to mark Christmas on 25 December for first timeSee all our Russia-Ukraine coverageRussian attacks on southern Ukraineโs Kherson region killed five civilians on Sund…
Russians shell Kherson as Ukraine marks Christmas on 25 December for first time
Birth of Christ was formerly celebrated on 7 January, but has moved in symbolic shift away from RussiaRussian shelling in southern Ukraineโs Kherson region has killed four people, including an 87-year-old man and his 81-year-old wife who died after a s…
Ukraine celebrates first Christmas on 25 December
The move to the Western calendar is seen as a further shift away from Moscow’s influence.
Polish truckers halt blockade at Ukraine border crossing
Truck traffic resumes on vital highway route hit by dispute over grain imports.
What the UK wants for Christmas is to get Brexit undone | William Keegan
Importers, exporters, private citizens and the Labour party all urgently need the economy to function better than thisFor a long time, people would ask me: โWhy do you go on all the time about Brexit?โ My answer would take various forms, but essentiall…