Bulgarian spy ring used video specs to monitor journalists, London court told
Old Bailey hears surveillance of targets included specially designed glasses on planes and online honey traps
journalists
Baltic countries sanction Georgian officials after violence against protestors
New EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas says democratic backsliding in Georgia “will have direct consequences.”
Elon Musk and Nigel Farage get flirty
Westminster is abuzz with talk of closer ties between the Trump adviser and chief Brexiteer.
Finlandโs preparedness isnโt exactly good for business
Being known as a country facing geopolitical threats has its drawbacks โ particularly when it comes to the economy.
Trump picks Kash Patel to lead FBI
The position will require Senate confirmation.
UN plastic talks on verge of collapse in final hours
Oil-rich nations and high-ambition countries were in deadlock with just hours to go at the negotiations in Busan, South Korea.
EU’s new foreign policy chief warns Georgia over violence against protesters
‘It is clear that using violence against peaceful protesters is not acceptable, and the Georgian government should respect the will of the Georgian people,’ Kaja Kallas told journalists on Sunday.
Democracyโs next great challenge โ strengthening institutions to protect journalism [Advocacy Lab Content]
Attacks on journalists are rising. Europe has been slow to act in response. A new European approach to media strategic communications is needed.
Belgiumโs Romanians poised to propel the far right into power
Frustrated with mainstream parties and unable to return home, Romanians abroad are emerging as staunch supporters of ultranationalist presidential hopeful Cฤlin Georgescu.
โWe miss her so muchโ: fans welcome Angela Merkelโs return to stage
Events in Berlin to promote former chancellorโs autobiography remind people of when โeverything was more or less OKโFor Finn Kulbatzki it was worth the wait. The business studies undergraduate queued outside Berlinโs Dussmann bookshop for five hours be…
Putin personally ordered Salisbury poisoning, UK believes
โThe Russians donโt really mind if anyone believes it fully, the point is that thereโs doubt,” says top UK official responsible for Russia policy.
German spy chief: Russia could test NATO loyalty to โmutual defenseโ clause
Russiaโs military will be in a position to launch an attack against NATO by the end of the decade, Germanyโs foreign intelligence chief said.
Rising distrust of news and journalists is risking lives, media freedom in EU [Advocacy Lab Content]
Journalists in Western Europe face an increasingly hostile media environment. Journalists from the East have been navigating powerful opponents throughout their entire careers. Can the press still illuminate democracy, or do they die in a sea of disinf…
Best books of 2024: from our own stable
Books by FT journalists and editors
Ukraine probes massive malfunction of mortar shells on the battlefield
Officials say they will use foreign shells until they uncover why some of the latest Ukrainian-made batch donโt explode.
Von der Leyenโs holiday to Greece prompts criticism from top EU watchdog
The European Commission took way too long to provide documents about the trip, European Ombudsman says.
Billionaire media moguls join forces to invest in Franceโs oldest journalism school
One media historian calls Bernard Arnault, Vincent Bollorรฉ and Rodolphe Saadรฉ’s latest purchase “concerning.”
Europeโs press goes after Muskโs X
Media organizations turns up the heat on X amid cries of ‘toxic’ content.
Von der Leyenโs Commission dodges public responsibility over Pfizergate texts
European Commission lawyer “cannot deny” texts were exchanged, but argued they were not “substantive.”
As Franceโs Marine Le Pen stumbles, her far-right protรฉgรฉ seizes the limelight
Jordan Bardella’s glitzy book tour encourages speculation about a palace coup at the top of the National Rally party.
Being president is a manโs job, roars Belarusian dictator
โGod forbid” that a woman should lead, despot declares.
The Guardian quits โtoxicโ X over Elon Musk using it to influence politics
The paper cites โoften disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism.โย
Q&A today: How will a Trump presidency transform global trade and financial markets?
Ask questions to FT journalists about the economic direction of travel under the incoming president
Giorgia Meloniโs vendetta against Italyโs judges
The right-wing prime minister has a โstrategyโ to discredit, frighten and silence critics, from the media to the judiciary, says a famous Italian journalist.
Is Donald Trump about to wreck Brexit?
The U.S. president-electโs return to the world stage comes as Britain and the EU are resetting relations. Brussels sees an opportunity.
Trumpโs return provokes worry, not shock, at world climate talks
Beneath the brave words at the president-electโs victory were real worries that action will stall without the United States.
Kyiv โunawareโ of Trump-Putin call
Ukraine casts doubt on whether the call ever actually happened.
Israel โmethodically destroyingโ Gaza, say health workers
Visiting doctors share eyewitness accounts after a U.N. inquiry accused Israel of war crimes by targeting Gaza’s health system.
Optimistic EU climate chief: We will talk to Trump
‘I can actually see a range of topics where we can have a fruitful discussion,’ EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told journalists.
Border data shows North Korean โstudentsโ (not troops) are loving Russia
The apparent surge in academic interest in Russia comes shortly after Moscow and Pyongyang signed a military cooperation treaty.
Zelenskyy rebuffs Trumpโs proposal for rapid peace deal in Ukraine war
โIt doesnโt mean that it will happen this way,โ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Budapest.
Why the French far right isnโt ecstatic at Trumpโs return
Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella’s sober reactions to Trump’s win stood in stark contrast to the elation of other far-right European leaders.
Trump presidency risky for Europe, Swedish PM warns
โWe see those risks and we have planned for those risks,โ Ulf Kristersson said.
How Moldovans bravely fought off Russian election meddling โ and stood up for democracy | Paula Erizanu
Journalists and police challenged disinformation, intimidation and cash-for-vote schemes, while huge numbers turned up to vote Having lived in Britain for 12 years, I returned to my native Moldova in 2022 because I was worried that Russiaโs war in Ukra…
MEPs likely to balk at controversial Hungarian commissioner pick
Olivรฉr Vรกrhelyi has little chance of winning the two-thirds majority he needs for quick confirmation, say European Parliament officials.
Partyโs over: Trump takes fizz out of election night as embassies ditch soirees
U.S. election night 2024 promises to be a sober affair in Europe.
Who won the day? Trump
Trump won the day because heโs still in a margin-of-error election โ after a week filled with talk of โgarbage,โ grievances and hell.
Moldovans head to polls in major test for EU future
Authorities tell POLITICO they are working to fight Russian interference after first-round vote was marred by allegations of bribery and intimidation.
Albanian journalists travelling to cover Rama rally in Greece delayed at border
Tensions have been simmering between Tirana and Athens for months.
โWorse and worseโ: UNESCO reports surge in journalist killings
UN cultural body UNESCO on Saturday reported a surge in killings of journalists across the world with 162 deaths recorded in 2022 and 2023. The situation is getting โworse and worse, year after yearโ, said Richard Laurent, journalist and founder of Fo…
Tories pick first Black woman to lead a major UK political party
Kemi Badenoch will aim to get Britain’s battered Tories โ who quietly have a strong record on diverse representation at the top table โ back on their feet.
Press freedom under threat: Journalists in Italy face intimidation from mafias
Italy is the country with the highest number of journalists facing deadly threats in Europe with some twenty journalists living under 24-hour police protection. Since 1960, 30 Italian journalists have been killed while investigating criminal activitie…
Visas for under-30s โessentialโ to Brexit reset, leaked EU document says
Itโs the latest sign the idea is still very much in Brussels’ sights โ despite British pushback.
Putin bans 131 Aussies for โanti-Russian agendaโ
Canberra has provided more than $1.3B in aid to Kyiv.
USโs little-known weapon for countering foreign disinformation faces uncertain future
The Global Engagement Center has helped thwart Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns in other countries, but some GOP skeptics may prevent its reauthorization.
How America Forgot About One of Trumpโs Most Brutal Policies
A new documentary from Errol Morris examines how Trumpโs family separation policy sparked widespread outrage โ and how the government eventually looked the other way.
Ben Bradleeโs posthumous advice to Jeff Bezos: You need to sell The Washington Post.
A spiked editorial puts the ownerโs conflicts in a sharp light. And the uproars are only going to keep coming.
Georgiaโs ruling party on course for victory amid charges of election rigging
The consequential election comes as the governing Georgian Dream party presides over a widening split with the West.
Violence mars voting in Georgiaโs pivotal election
โOrganized criminal gangs โฆ are trying to undermine the voting process with aggression and intimidation,โ opposition politician Ana Natsvlishvili said.
Commonwealth summit agreement raises slavery reparations after row with UK
Commonwealth countries raised the issue in summit communiquรฉ despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s insistence the issue would not be on the agenda.ย
Georgiaโs ruling party brings in the muscle for the election
Sportsmen are playing an increasing role on the front line of politics ahead of a high-stakes election on Saturday.
Revising Europeโs pharmaceutical sector, future-proofing a healthier Europe
Euractivโs team of healthcare journalists reports daily on health-related stories from the Member States – one of our key thematics is the EU Pharma Package. Read health news and coverage of current events within the EU pharmaceutical industry.
Europe or Russia? For Georgians, the choice isnโt so simple
The Georgian government has been effectively exploiting the country’s war trauma, and it could give them a lead in the election.
Putin: Itโs โour businessโ if we want to deploy North Korean troops against Ukraine
Putin did not deny the presence of North Korean soldiers on Russian territory, but he did not say why they were there.
Climate of intimidation haunts Georgian elections
Opposition activists and journalists warn of efforts to silence them as police raid Western businesses and the homes of think-tank employees.
Bahamas PM pushes for โfrankโ slavery reparations talks with Keir Starmer
โThere should be โฆ a โcome to Jesusโ moment, where we truly look at one another in the eye,” Bahamas leader Philip Davis told POLITICO.
8 things to know about Georgiaโs โexistentialโ election
Foreign policy will be kingmaker when Georgians cast their votes on Saturday.
Azerbaijan, EU human rights feud escalates as COP29 looms
The host of next month’s U.N. climate talks is warning Western politicians and NGOs not to criticize its internal affairs.
The end of the British Empire
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III head to the Commonwealth summit to talk climate change and growth. Not all their friends will be there.
How Gรผlenโs feud with Erdoฤan shaped todayโs Turkey
The cleric’s supporters infiltrated the police and judiciary โ but went too far when they challenged Erdoฤan’s allies and family.
Orbรกnโs nemesis does not fully trust the EU, either
โI donโt think I have any friends in the European Parliament,” Pรฉter Magyar said.
Julian Assangeโs dad thanks Putin for supporting his son
John Shipton, father of anti-secrecy activist Julian Assange, is in Moscow for a summit of the BRICS group of countries.
Far-right โrace scienceโ organisation exposed in Channel 4 documentary
Undercover journalists infiltrate a group promoting racial, eugenics-based theories funded by a US tech entrepreneur
G7 defence summit convenes in Naples during โhistoric momentโ
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told journalists in Brussels that he had personally requested the summit given the many conflicts facing the international community.
Videos appear to show North Korean troops at Russian military baseย
South Korea has warned that Pyongyang plans to step up its involvement in the Kremlin’s war.
Macron slams media and ministers for fuelling controversy over Israel comments
A day after French President Emmanuel Macron accused ministers, journalists and commentators for distorting remarks he made on Israel being created by the UN, he faced accusations on Friday of trying to squash reporting to a mere reproduction of press…
Will Italy’s new Albanian detention centres soon be empty?
PRESS REVIEW โ October 18: The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar dominates front pages, as journalists ask whatโs next. Also, in Brussels, Poland receives support for its plan to suspend asylum rights for Russia and Belarus, and the EU is told to tak…
UKโs David Lammy is in China โ just donโt call it a reset
The new Labour government’s attitude toward Beijing seems in contrast to that of its Conservative predecessors.
Crisis deepens for Irelandโs scandal-hit Sinn Fรฉin
The Irish republicans had hoped to lead the next government in Dublin โ but a surge in scandals and infighting are undermining its ambitions.
In Italy, lesbian couples fight to retain their parental status
‘Parenting Abroad.’ Twice a month, one of our journalists abroad explores parenthood beyond our borders. Giorgia Meloni’s government is denying LGBT couples the right to form a family and is using the courts to undo some gains achieved by progressive m…
Macron slams French ministers and journalists over leaked Israel comments
French president goes on attack to try put lid on brouhaha that sparked row with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
Poland wins after EU backs its proposed asylum ban for Russia, Belarus
“I have just come from a meeting with all the most important leaders and what I wanted to achieve, I achieved,” Polish PM Donald Tusk said.
New Euronews boss: I donโt take orders from Orbรกn
Employees seek reassurance over editorial independence concerns at the European TV network.
Turkey shutters independent radio over Armenian genocide reference
Station plays Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” at sign-off and resolves to return to airwaves.
PMQs: Sunak wins โฆ as Starmer calls him prime minister
China dominated conversation โ and there was an unfortunate slip-up โ as Foreign Secretary David Lammy prepares for a trip.
The EU wants to deport migrants. It needs the help of Syriaโs Assad.
Syria is the elephant in the room as EU leaders talk migration.
โSafe countries of originโ in asylum law: the CJEU first interprets the concept
Professor Steve Peers, Royal
Holloway University of London
Photo credit: viewsridge,
via Wikimedia
commons
Introduction
Along with judgments on Afghan
women asylum seekers (discussed here)
and the status of Turkey as a โsafe third coun…
Orbรกn threatens to mess with Ukraine aid to help Trump
Hungary’s latest attempt to disrupt Ukraine aid isn’t about money โ it would penalize the EU. It’s about making friends with Donald Trump.
UN aid workers feel forgotten and in peril as Gaza war drags on
โWeโre punished for doing our jobs,โ said one foreign doctor who volunteered in Gaza.
Italian migration centres open in Albania under controversial deal
Fears agreement will set dangerous EU precedent with up to 3,000 men a month held during asylum processingItalyโs government has formally opened two centres in Albania where it plans to process men who are intercepted in international waters while tryi…
Ukrainian journalist died in Russian captivity, Kyiv says
Viktoria Roshchyna’s death is being investigated as a war crime and murder, the Ukrainian general prosecutor’s office says.
The EU is helping Turkey forcibly deport migrants to Syria and Afghanistan
European taxpayers finance ill-treatment and forced expulsion, an investigation found.
NATO boss: Stop worrying about Trump
Mark Rutte says the Republican hopeful ‘understands completely’ that Ukraine’s fight is also ‘about the safety and the future security’ of the U.S.
FRANCE 24’s journalist under investigation in Russia after reporting from Kursk
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday that it has opened criminal cases against foreign journalists for “illegally” crossing the border between Ukraine and Russia’s Kursk region.
Journalists are โbloodthirsty bastardsโ and need reining in, Slovakiaโs Fico says
The prime minister wants to create a “national media authority” to oversee the industry, which is “possessed with the devil.” Critics are outraged.
EU must confront Azerbaijan at COP29 over human rights crackdown, top NGOs demand
The fossil fuel-rich climate summit host has said criticism of their domestic record is merely foreign ‘provocations.’
Trump on immigrants: โWe got a lot of bad genes in our country right nowโ
The former president went after immigrants on Monday, linking crime to genetics.
Inside the US intel dilemma on Gaza a year after Oct. 7
Current and former officials say the US has long struggled to collect intelligence on Hamas.
Brussels university wants Vaticanโs envoy summoned over popeโs abortion remarks
While the pope’s position on abortion is not surprising and he has used the same exact words before, his remarks come at a sensitive time for Belgium.
Polandโs Serafin comes out of the shadows to do the EUโs toughest job
The man chosen to be the next budget commissioner will have to draw on all the skills he’s picked up over many years in Brussels.
The pointless battle for the Tory crown
The ghost of Margaret Thatcher continued to haunt the Conservatives as an irrelevant beauty pageant played out in Birmingham.
We watched Walzโs and Vanceโs previous debates. Expect a slugfest.
A review of the vice presidential contendersโ past debates suggests a fiery clash is likely.
7 wildest moments at Conservative Party conferenceย
Freed from the burden of high office, the party went slightly mad during its annual get-together.
Julian Assange says he โchose freedom over unrealisable justiceโ
WikiLeaks founder says he pleaded โguilty to journalismโ in deal for his release and calls for protection of press freedomJulian Assange has said he chose freedom โover unrealisable justiceโ as he described his plea deal with US authorities and urged E…
Meloniโs street protest crackdown prompts concerns of growing repression in Italy
Beefed-up anti-protest laws take aim at climate activists and allow nonviolent protesters to be jailed.
Ukraine war briefing: Fight hard through autumn, Zelenskyy urges forces
Mark Rutte to take Nato reins from Jens Stoltenberg; โI donโt really buy itโ says former Trump adviser of boasts about ending war. What we know on day 951 See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageVolodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that the situation was …
New York Times endorses Harris as โthe only choiceโ for president
The editorial board has not backed a Republican for president since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.
Aleksandar Vuฤiฤโs diplomacy ร la carte
The Serbian leader has proved adept at balancing the West versus China and Russia.
โDoing a Bidenโ is new international shorthand for ousting past-due leaders
Facing looming national elections, Japanโs Fumio Kishida, Canadaโs Justin Trudeau and Germanyโs Olaf Scholz have all faced calls to follow in the U.S. presidentโs footsteps.
World leaders tout AMR declaration, while NGOs sigh
SNEAK PEEK โ Leaders have agreed to a political declaration on antimicrobial resistance. NGOs are disappointed, but is it really so bad? โ The World Health Organization has allied with TikTok to curb the spread of health misinformation. โ What will it take to be prepared for the next pandemic? Itโs not looking good, Gastein [โฆ]