EU institutions, elections, parties, and governance
The EU’s next €2 trillion long-term budget is already triggering fierce battles between frugal northern states and net-receiver nations in the south and east. New demands for defence and climate spending are scrambling the old alliances entirely.
Portugal winger Francisco Conceicao says there’s no pressure on teammates to pass to Cristiano Ronaldo at the FIFA World Cup. His comments come after Ronaldo faced heavy criticism following a quiet display in Portugal’s opener against Ghana.
Serena Williams will make a surprise return to Wimbledon singles after being awarded the tournament’s final wildcard on Sunday. The 23-time grand slam champion hasn’t played singles at the All England Club since 2022.
Keir Starmer is resisting intensifying pressure from within Labour to step down as Prime Minister, but crumbling poll numbers and backbench anger are making his position increasingly fragile. With local elections on the horizon, the next few months could prove decisive.
Friday’s morning news bulletin covers a fragile Balkans ceasefire, a eurozone inflation surprise rattling markets, and a looming French rail strike threatening summer travel. Here’s everything you need to know to start your day.
Friday evening brings a packed news agenda, with fresh border tensions in the western Balkans, a surprise UK inflation dip, and a dramatic twist in French politics. Here’s everything you need to know heading into the weekend.
Reports that cabinet ministers are ready to tell Keir Starmer his time is up have thrust Andy Burnham into the spotlight as a potential successor. But who else is waiting in the wings?
Hundreds of protesters rallied in Brussels on 17 June, calling on EU leaders to ban settlement goods and impose sanctions on Israel ahead of a major summit. The demonstration targeted the EU’s trade relationship with Israeli-occupied territories as divisions among member states continue to stall decisive action.
Europe is developing an AI Plan B — a sovereign strategy to reduce dependence on U.S. cloud giants and Chinese hardware before the window closes. The plan targets 20% of EU compute needs from public infrastructure by 2030.
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy is calling Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran the ‘worst foreign policy blunder in decades.’ The rare Republican revolt signals deepening unease over the administration’s diplomatic overtures to Tehran.
