How French pensions revolt could wreck his presidency – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron will face a moment of reckoning Thursday as lawmakers gear up for a final vote on the government’s deeply unpopular pension reform. The controversial bill, a centerpiece of Macron’s second term, has sparked weeks of nationwide protests … Read more

Former Greek Finance Minister Varoufakis attacked in central Athens – POLITICO

[ad_1] ATHENS — Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was attacked in central Athens late on Friday, suffering a broken nose, cuts and bruises. The assault, which his party DiEM25 described as a “brazen fascist attack,” took place while Varoufakis was dining in the central Exarchia district with party members from all over Europe. “A … Read more

Inside the Qatargate-hit Socialist group – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. BRUSSELS — The European Parliament’s Socialists are warily eyeing their colleagues and assistants, wondering which putative ally might turn out to be a liar as new details emerge in a growing cash-for-favors scandal. Long-simmering geographic divisions within the group, Parliament’s second largest, are … Read more

Greek leader faces political backlash after rail crash – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. ATHENS — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was supposed to be preparing to call an early election — instead he’s dealing with protestors throwing Molotov cocktails at police as a wave of public rage convulses Greece following a train crash that killed 57 … Read more

How Boris Johnson’s departure paved the way for a grand Brexit bargain – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. LONDON — It was clear when Boris Johnson was forced from Downing Street that British politics had changed forever. But few could have predicted that less than six months later, all angry talk of a cross-Channel trade war would be a distant memory, … Read more

You don’t scare us … anymore – POLITICO

[ad_1] BRUSSELS — The EU was “scared” of Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon during the European parliamentary election in 2019 — but those fears are gone ahead of the 2024 ballot, European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová said. Referring to Bannon’s attempts to form a “club” to support far-right populists such as the Netherlands’ … Read more

Rishi Sunak is haunted by ghosts of prime ministers past – POLITICO

[ad_1] LONDON — “Back to her old self again” was how one erstwhile colleague described Liz Truss, who made her return to the U.K.’s front pages at the weekend.  That’s exactly what Rishi Sunak and his allies were afraid of.  Truss, who spent 49 turbulent days in No. 10 Downing Street last year, is back. … Read more

Rishi Sunak braces for biggest UK strike in 12 years – POLITICO

[ad_1] LONDON — Public sector workers on strike, the cost-of-living climbing, and a government on the ropes. “It’s hard to miss the parallels” between the infamous ‘Winter of Discontent’ of 1978-79 and Britain in 2023, says Robert Saunders, historian of modern Britain at Queen Mary, University of London. Admittedly, the comparison only goes so far. … Read more

New Zealand gets new leader as Chris Hipkins confirmed to succeed Jacinda Ardern – POLITICO

[ad_1] Chris Hipkins was confirmed on Sunday as New Zealand’s next prime minister as he received unanimous support from Labour Party lawmakers to succeed Jacinda Ardern. Hipkins, 44, will be officially sworn in to his new role on Wednesday.  “We will deliver a very solid government that is focused on the bread-and-butter issues that matter … Read more

How the EU’s poorest country secretly saved Ukraine – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Last spring, Ukraine’s army was running desperately low on the fuel and Soviet caliber ammunition it needed to fight the Russians. Salvation came from an unexpected quarter: Bulgaria. Thanks to its fractured domestic politics — and the pro-Russian leanings of much of its … Read more