Author: Press Room
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has announced that he is stripping his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state honour. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Nawrocki made the decision in response to Ukraine naming a military unit after the controversial World War Two Ukrainian Insurgent Army. In a video posted on X on Friday evening, Nawrocki stressed that the decision to withdraw the honour “is not directed against the Ukrainian nation” and “does not signify a change in the strategic direction of Poland’s security policy”. He also underlined that Poland’s support for Ukraine in its war with…
Jordan Bardella, leader of France’s National Rally and the frontrunner in presidential polls for 2027, vowed on Friday to win the French elections and mark a shift in the course of the European Union. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Bardella said this on the second day of his two day visit to Poland where he met with right-wing and nationalist leaders ahead of his country’s presidential elections next year. His visit to Poland also comes as Poland is preparing for its own parliamentary elections, set to take place next autumn. “I am convinced that over the course of the year 2027, if our…
By Romain Gutkind with AFP Published on 20/06/2026 – 10:48 GMT+2 A heatwave sweeping across France this week could be produce similar conditions to August 2003, when extreme heat led to the deaths of more than 14,800 people. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT This year, municipalities such as Biarritz and Limoges are calling for vulnerable people to be entered on local registers so that authorities can maintain contact and check they have everything they need to cope with the soaring temperatures. The heat will persist over mainland France over the weekend. On Saturday, temperatures will top 30C across the country, while some spots could pass the…
Published on 20/06/2026 – 7:32 GMT+2 A train driver has died after two train services collided in the Bedford area of the UK on Friday, in what has been declared a major incident. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT East Midlands Railway (EMR) said its 16:40 service from Corby to London St Pancras crashed into the 15:50 Nottingham to London St Pancras service at Bedford South. “Tragically, this incident resulted in the fatality of an EMR driver and a number of injuries to passengers on board,” the rail company said in a statement. At least 33 people are reportedly seriously injured following the crash.…
Published on 19/06/2026 – 16:34 GMT+2 A diplomatic row between the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and Israel over allegations that she compared the country to apartheid-era South Africa drew mixed reactions from European leaders at the EU summit in Brussels. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “I don’t share this characterisation. We need to talk about this at some point, but I don’t share this characterisation at all,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on the margins of the European Council summit on Thursday. The remarks follow media reports alleging that Kallas, during a trip to Mexico last month, told EU diplomats privately that…
Andy Burnham is returning to Westminster. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Greater Manchester mayor stormed to victory in the Makerfield by-election on Thursday night, winning 55% of the vote and comfortably seeing off Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain parties. His return to parliament means he is now free to launch a challenge to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and he has previously signalled that he would join any leadership contest. In his victory speech, Burnham warned his Labour Party that it had one “final chance to change,” and many Labour MPs see him as the party’s best opportunity…
French far-right leader Jordan Bardella began a two-day visit to Poland on Thursday. The purpose of his trip is to meet right-wing and nationalist political leaders ahead of next year’s presidential election in France. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT His journey started in Warsaw and will include a visit to the Polish-Belarusian border. It is Bardella’s latest attempt to strengthen alliances with like-minded politicians across Europe, following trips to Portugal, Italy and Belgium. Bardella and Nawrocki In Warsaw, Bardella held a closed-door meeting with President Karol Nawrocki – backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party – and Krzysztof Bosak, one of…
Published on 19/06/2026 – 18:13 GMT+2 The European Commission will develop new tools to counter macroeconomic imbalances, most notably the growing and “unsustainable” trade deficit with China, including a diversification instrument, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters on Friday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Europe has already built an extensive toolbox in recent years. Now we must use it more proactively and more strategically to defend our European interests,” she said at a press conference closing this week’s European Council summit. According to von der Leyen, EU leaders showed unity and clear support for a European response to the current…
Published on 19/06/2026 – 20:01 GMT+2 Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has underlined from Brussels the importance of moving towards “a Europe open to the world” capable of responding to global challenges with deeper integration, strategic autonomy and greater financial capacity. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Europe will not be a geoeconomic power if we do not have the financial firepower to be one,” said the Spanish leader, who on Thursday took part in a European Council meeting focused on the EU’s future budget and the current international situation. With this warning, Sánchez, whose future at the helm of the Spanish government is…
French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have issued a blistering rebuke against deportation camps outside the European Union, setting their countries on a collision course with a growing political majority. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT During a summit on Friday, 19 leaders across the bloc signed a joint declaration calling to make “full use” of a new European law that enables the construction of so-called return hubs to host migrants whose asylum applications have been denied. The coalition, led by Denmark and Italy, two fierce advocates of outsourcing, wants to “move forward with solutions based in third countries as…