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SNEAK PEEK โ€” JD Vance lands in Paris as the U.K. tries to get on message.ย  โ€”ย Peter Kyle says an AI bill will avoid upsetting voluntary agreement with AI labs. โ€”ย The U.K.โ€™s own mini-summit kicks off in London. Good morning and happy Tuesday, This is Tom, coming to you from a cold press room in [โ€ฆ]

5 times politicians were humiliated by WhatsApp leaks

Numerous UK politicos have found their group chats getting two ticks โ€” from the entire British public.

Gonorrhea cases hit record high as STIs soar in Europe

Cases of syphilis and gonorrhea rose significantly from 2022 to 2023.

Kosovo PM Albin Kurti wins election amid tensions with Brussels and Washington

His ruling party fell short of a majority and will need to find a coalition partner if it hopes to continue in power.

The โ€˜Gaza-ificationโ€™ of the West Bank

With a cease-fire holding in Gaza, Israel shifts its war to the West Bank.

Israel withdraws troops from key Gaza corridor under fragile cease-fire

Concerns are growing about talks on the second phase of the cease-fire deal.

Trumpโ€™s plan for โ€˜ethnic cleansingโ€™ in Gaza is illegal, says UN investigator

Navi Pillay, head of UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also said she would support a charge of apartheid against Israel at the ICC.

Inside USAIDโ€™s undoing

Aides to the president and Elon Musk suspected USAID officials were trying to go around a funding freeze.

โ€˜New realityโ€™ hailed as Slovak protests against pro-Russia PM widen to small towns

More than 100,000 people hit the streets Friday across Slovakia and elsewhere in Europe to defend the country’s Western orientation.

Fancy a stroll? Across Europe, young people like me are finding friends by walking our cities | Viola Di Grado

We are the post-pandemic flรขneurs: stepping out of social media silos to meet people and connect with the world around usWhen I moved back to London from Rome just before the second lockdown in 2020, I found a city that was hardly welcoming, with shops…

Advancing early care for cerebral palsy: the BornToGetThere project [Promoted content]

The BornToGetThere project has been set to advance early detection, surveillance, and intervention for infants at high risk of cerebral palsy. Coordinated by the University of Pisa, it brought together global partners to implement evidence-based practi…

Tony Blair picks his Labour rising stars

The former U.K. prime minister has quietly been meeting Labour’s new MPs โ€” and he’s not the only Blairite who’s at it.

Hungary floats WHO withdrawal after Trump and Milei exits

Comments from Viktor Orbรกn’s team suggest the exodus from WHO could continue.

Turning aspirations into action for rare disease patients

Inspired by the rare disease communityโ€™s passionate drive to advance policies that provide equitable access to care, UCB spearheaded Aspire4Rare: a global initiative supporting the development of rare disease policies.

Milei to pull Argentina out of WHO, mirroring Trump

The WHO, which promotes health worldwide, is already making cutbacks following the loss of U.S. funding.

PMQs: Starmer wins as Badenochโ€™s scattergun approach falls flat

The Tory leader went for the government on the Chagos Islands and oil drilling โ€” but didn’t hone an effective argument.

Being a mother in the west would be a dream, I was told. But compared to Uganda, it was a nightmare | Patience Akumu

Nothing prepared me for the reality of mothering without my extended family to help. How have western women managed like this for so long?I hear the baby crying in my sleep. My mother hands him to me. I sit up to breastfeed without opening my eyes then…

Putin ally Schrรถder avoids Nord Stream 2 inquiry after burnout diagnosis

The former German chancellor is suffering from severe exhaustion, lack of energy, concentration and memory problems, his doctor says.

USAID $40bn budget frozen: Int’l aid from UN agencies, NGOs, public/private sector severely impacted

President Donald Trump’s overhaul of US foreign assistance has led to chaos in the aid and development field, leaving hundreds of contractors in a severe financial crunch with some already having to lay off staff and others facing millions of dollars …

Tories express alarm at report saying cost of Chagos Islands deal has risen far beyond ยฃ9bn, saying itโ€™s โ€˜madnessโ€™ โ€“ as it happened

Priti Patel accuses Keir Starmer of being motivated by โ€˜leftie shameโ€™ at Britainโ€™s historyNigel Farage has said the UK could be โ€œfriendlyโ€ with the EU but did not outline what kind of ties with the bloc his party would support, PA Media reports. PA say…

Bulgaria acknowledges discrimination against patients with rare diseases

A new binding decision in Bulgaria could add millions of leva to the health budget of one of the poorest EU countries, as rare disease patients can now seek compensation for discrimination.
The post Bulgaria acknowledges discrimination against patients…

Charge Greek coastguard officers over deadly shipwreck, says ombudsman

Investigation finds “series of serious and reprehensible omissions” in search and rescue duties.

An omega-3 dose a day could slow ageing process, โ€˜healthspanโ€™ trial finds

Daily gram of essential fatty acid leads to โ€˜three to four months rejuvenation of biological ageโ€™ over three yearsA daily dose of omega-3 oils may slow the ageing process, according to a major clinical trial of interventions that aim to extend humansโ€™ …

The Mediterranean diet is a lie

Italy’s food is supposed to be the world’s healthiest. So why are so many of its kids obese?

Canada hits back against Trump tariffs: โ€œWe will not back downโ€

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is ready to respond with 25 percent tariffs against C$155 billion worth of American goods.

Soft spaces out, stick-fighting in: Dutch call for the return of risky play

Encouraging kids to play with fire? Hear us out, says party worried by the Netherlandsโ€™ increasingly sedentary waysTen-year-old Jackie stood with a small pan in the flames of an open fire, chatting merrily, when her popcorn caught alight.With no sign o…

Nearly 180 detainees released by Israel, Hamas

As part of the cease-fire deal, Israel and Egypt on Saturday opened the Rafah border crossing, which has been closed for months.

Swedish government invests โ‚ฌ6,5 million to address health capacity shortages

Swedish doctors’ union fear proposed one-time medical interventions could crowd out priority operations.
The post Swedish government invests โ‚ฌ6,5 million to address health capacity shortages appeared first on Euractiv.

Why Starmer might need to bring back Blair

Britain’s prime minister is seemingly always overseas, and some allies wish heโ€™d delegate more of the diplomatic grind โ€” just as his predecessor did.

France leads fight against EU plans to merge health crisis and civil protection units

11 countries signed a paper to Ursula von der Leyen warning the move would downgrade Europe’s health crisis resiliency.

Delays to post-Brexit border checks may have let diseased chicken enter UK

Exclusive: Officials admitted in 2023 there were โ€˜no current border checksโ€™, as salmonella and other illnesses surgedUK health bosses privately admitted that a lack of border inspections in the wake of Brexit had left British consumers exposed to disea…

EU-funded project redefines cerebral palsy care through early detection and intervention [Advocacy Lab Content]

The ‘BornToGetThere’ program brings to clinical practice a suite of tools for early detection of cerebral palsy.
The post EU-funded project redefines cerebral palsy care through early detection and intervention appeared first on Euractiv.

Competitiveness Compass: A boon to pharma, a blow to public health?

The plan could turn into a โ€œfree pass to businesses for further deregulation and tax avoidance,” warned the head of the European Public Service Union
The post Competitiveness Compass: A boon to pharma, a blow to public health? appeared first on Euracti…

As Brexit turns 5, Brits celebrate with pricier booze

A new tax system means higher prices for some of the U.K.’s favorite tipples.

Whereโ€™s the Competitiveness Compass pointing?

The European Commission’s policy plans point to growth even as it tries to hold on to ambitious climate goals.

Greece launching its first quality-of-care strategy to transform healthcare

The Greek Health Minister told Euractiv that the government aims to create an environment in which patients can be confident that their care is of high quality and that their rights and values are respected.
The post Greece launching its first quality-…

โ€˜Groundbreakingโ€™: scientists develop patch that can repair damaged hearts

Cells taken from blood and โ€˜reprogrammedโ€™ into heart muscle cells may help patients with heart failureDamaged hearts can literally be patched up to help them work, say researchers, in what has been hailed as a groundbreaking development for people with…

Trumpโ€™s beef with the World Health Organization is personal

Heโ€™s said the UN bodyโ€™s head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, treated China better than him during the pandemic.

Italy sends 49 refugees to Albania in bid to resume disputed scheme

Latest push to process migrants in Balkan country despite court challenge comes amid increase in boat arrivalsEurope live โ€“ latest updatesItaly has transported 49 people to Albania, in the latest push by Giorgia Meloniโ€™s government to enforce a legally…

Minister dismisses Tory suggestion Home Office prioritises โ€˜policing manosphereโ€™ over combating Islamist terrorism โ€“ UK politics live

Dan Jarvis rules out expanding the definition of extremism following leak of internal Home Office documentYvette Cooper to reject calls to expand definition of extremismQ: Are doctors able to recognise depression? And can they decide if that affects so…

How the US freeze of federal health agency communications could impact EU cooperation

EU-US trade in pharmaceuticals and cooperation in medicine regulators are now at stake.
The post How the US freeze of federal health agency communications could impact EU cooperation appeared first on Euractiv.

Lithuanian defense minister calls for โ€˜balanceโ€™ between US and European arms dealsย ย 

Higher defense spending will not be financed by cutting the welfare state but by combining national and EU money, Dovilฤ— ล akalienฤ— told POLITICO.

Trumpโ€™s war on tech taxes is a big problem for Britain

U.S. tech lobby groups plan to use trade negotiations to push back against the U.K.โ€™s Digital Services Tax.

Coca-Cola recalls drinks in Europe over โ€˜higher levelsโ€™ of chemical chlorate

Cans and bottles containing the chemical, which can cause health issues, were distributed in Britain at the end of last yearCoca-Cola has recalled its drinks in some countries across Europe after detecting โ€œhigher levelsโ€ of the chemical chlorate.Cans …

โ€˜It will kill peopleโ€™: Chaos, confusion after Trump halts US foreign aid

The new directive puts some aid organizations at risk of bankruptcy.

PFAS: Working toward a sustainable future while protecting patient care

Pharma and medtech companies are invited to join a project on PFAS exposure, emissions and end-of-life management in the health care sector

Emotional health of Europeโ€™s youth needs public-private collaboration boost, says new report [Advocacy Lab Content]

Youth mental health disorders have risen sharply, with the incidence of mental health problems among those aged 15 to 24 doubling in many EU countries.
The post Emotional health of Europe’s youth needs public-private collaboration boost, says new…

As conflict rates soar, misinformation is getting worse

We may not be able to change how people ingest information, but we can and should place guardrails around the evidence we use to inform the public.

Trump says he wants to โ€˜clean outโ€™ Gaza Strip

U.S. president would like to see Arab countries take in more Palestinian refugees.

Trump floats reversing decision to leave WHO

“Maybe we would consider doing it again. … Maybe we would have to clean it up a little bit,” Trump tells a rally in Las Vegas.

โ€˜I sense Brussels is ready to be bold and ambitiousโ€™: hope mixes with anger on Brexitโ€™s fifth anniversary

The union jack was lowered in Brussels this week in 2020. Today, despite the problems caused by leaving, a yearning for โ€˜Breturnโ€™ flowersAndrew Moss despairs, even now, when he thinks back to the end of January 2020. It was a painful, traumatic time fo…

Trump administration takes first anti-abortion move on world stage

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a directive Friday to rejoin a global anti-abortion pact.

Bacteria and pesticides found in cannabis sold in Dutch coffee shops

โ€˜Baselineโ€™ contamination study to inform Netherlands trial in which shops will sell drug produced by licensed growersLead, pesticides and potentially harmful bacteria were among the contaminants found during an investigation into cannabis sold in semi-…

Italyโ€™s far-right League party backs Trumpโ€™s WHO exit

โ€œItaly must no longer have to deal with a supranational power center,” Matteo Salvini said.

WHO freezes hiring, restricts travel after US withdrawal

Trump’s planned exit “has made our financial situation more acute” the WHO chief told staff.

UK climate chief Ed Miliband is fighting a losing battle

The Treasury is gung-ho about airport expansion โ€” despite longstanding climate concerns of the government’s energy secretary.

How to survive a phone call with Donald Trump

Former Downing Street officials tell POLITICO how U.K. prime ministers tried to play the TV show host at his own game โ€ฆ without getting fired.

EU Parliamentโ€™s SANT Committee finally sees the light

The plenary’s update ends months of strained MEP negotiations on the remit of the first-ever fully-fledged health committee
The post EU Parliament’s SANT Committee finally sees the light appeared first on Euractiv.

NATOโ€™s Rutte: Trump โ€˜is rightโ€™ and Europeโ€™s defense spending is a โ€˜problemโ€™

Transatlantic military alliance chief echoes Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in stinging remarks at the World Economic Forum.

US hurricane damage still stretching Czech hospital infusion supplies

The Czech Health Ministry said supply problems were caused by market panic after a major US producer’s factory stopped manufacturing due to the impact of Hurricane Helene.
The post US hurricane damage still stretching Czech hospital infusion supplies a…

Trump announces $500B AI investment

AI development is a significant part of the Trump administrationโ€™s tech policy proposals.

Brussels holds its breath for Trumpโ€™s first move

This time around, Europe isnโ€™t panicking about what America First will mean โ€” in part because it has prepared.ย 

Gaza cease-fire: The view from Israel

Israelis are supportive of the deal, but they canโ€™t help but ask why it was necessary for additional hostages, soldiers and civilians to die before leaders finally took action?

A running list of Trumpโ€™s planned executive orders, actions, proclamations and legislation

Donald Trump is promising a โ€œgolden age of Americaโ€ in his second term, and heโ€™s issuing a raft of executive orders to try and make it happen. The president signed a slew of orders and directives that aim to end birthright citizenship and crack down on illegal crossings at the southern border, increase domestic energy [โ€ฆ]

Europe stares through WHO funding hole after Trumpโ€™s withdrawal

The EU and the international community must now find funds to fill a US-shaped gap, as MEPs warn of “catastrophic consequences” for global health.
The post Europe stares through WHO funding hole after Trump’s withdrawal appeared first on Euractiv.

EUโ€™s biggest secessionist movement is losing momentum

And Catalonia’s new President wants to shoot it dead.

Germany will try tempt Trump into WHO U-turn

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the World Health Organization.

Elon Muskโ€™s โ€˜Naziโ€™ salute sparks fury from Europeโ€™s left wing

Lawmakers and media pour scorn on the key adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump closes first day with an avalanche of executive orders

President Donald Trump bolted into his first day in office with an unprecedented show of executive force โ€” signing orders intended to end the right to citizenship by birth, force federal workers back to the office and grant Tik Tok a reprieve from a forced shutdown โ€” as he showcased his desire to circumvent Congress [โ€ฆ]

Trump announces US withdrawal from the World Health Organization

The global health body stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.

Farage claims chance he could be PM within four years is up to 25% โ€“ UK politics live

Reform UK leader, who is in the US for Trumpโ€™s inauguration, says early election is โ€˜not impossibleโ€™Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, thinks that his chances of becoming PM before Donald Trump leaves the White House in January could be as high as 25%…

Gaps remain in Commissionโ€™s health cybersecurity plan

A one-stop-shop for reporting cyberincidents would reduce administrative burden and ultimately improve the EU’s collective cybersecurity.
The post Gaps remain in Commission’s health cybersecurity plan appeared first on Euractiv.

Ukraine risks being โ€˜Trumpโ€™s Vietnam,โ€™ says Steve Bannon

Trump’s former chief strategist fears his old boss won’t make a clean break and stop military aid to Kyiv.

Get ready for Trumpโ€™s executive order onslaught

The incoming president is trying to deliver on a long list of Day One promises.

‘Progressive trend: In the past 30 years we’ve seen 60 countries liberalise their abortion laws’

As France celebrates half a century of legal abortion, FRANCE 24’s Oliver Farry welcomes Kei Yoshida, Senior Legal Advisor at the Center for Reproductive Rights, offering an in-depth look at women’s health, reproductive rights, and the progressive tre…

Trumpโ€™s got a radioactive time bomb under Greenlandโ€™s ice

The U.S. would inherit an environmental time bomb of its own making if it lays claim to the massive Arctic island.

Parliamentโ€™s new health committee sparks โ€˜ego clashesโ€™ over key files

The environment and research and energy committees will not give up on some health competencies.
The post Parliament’s new health committee sparks ‘ego clashes’ over key files appeared first on Euractiv.

Ode to the tomato

As the world continues down the path of chaotic politics, we can always count on Ireland to cheer us up and restore our faith in humanity.

Polandโ€™s growing health access delays damned by latest benchmark report

Polish patients wait an average of 4.2 months for guaranteed medical care. Angiologists report the longest average wait time at 13.9 months, followed by endocrinologists at 12.1 months and vascular surgeons at 11.6 months.
The post Poland’s growi…

Crisis? What crisis?ย Fico ally brushes off threat to bring down Slovak government

The opposition in Bratislava is angling to topple the prime minister’s Russia-friendly administration.

โ€˜Everyoneโ€™s trying to kiss the ringโ€™: Trumpโ€™s inauguration devours corporate cash, smashing records

Donations are flying in from some of the worldโ€™s biggest companies โ€” and though many have contributed before, the checks this year are bigger.

Biden warns of rising democracy-threatening โ€˜oligarchyโ€™ in grim farewell speech

He didnโ€™t mention Donald Trump but said no president should be immune from crimes committed while in office.