German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday cast doubt on the possibility of Ukraine joining the European Union by 2034, saying accession was unlikely to come at a point affecting the bloc's medium-term finance plans, which run to 2034. "For us, the absolute top priority is, first and foremost, to
Almost a third of Italians believe the country will be directly involved in a war within five years, but only 16 per cent of those of fighting age would be willing to take up arms, a survey showed on Friday. The survey by the Centre for Social Investment Studies (CENSIS) showed 39 per cent of Ital
Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and five European counterparts agreed on a set of goals on Friday to tighten asylum rules in the bloc, including allowing deportations to Afghanistan and Syria. The meeting at Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze, follows Berlin's decision in May to
Spain said on Thursday it would step up investigations into suspected crimes by members of far-right and racist groups after four nights of clashes with African migrants in some of the nation's worst such unrest of recent times. Authorities have detained 11 people and filed more than 60 complaints
Sixteen and 17-year-olds celebrated their newly granted right to vote in all UK elections on Thursday, but cautioned that proper education was vital to boost turnout and protect young voters from political misinformation on social media. "I'm really happy about it because I've always been kind of
Bosnia's peace envoy issued a ruling on Thursday to clear a long-standing state debt that has blocked the 2025 budget and deepened a political crisis, but Serb politicians rejected his move, raising the prospect of more turmoil. Envoy Christian Schmidt, using his powers to intervene in laws and fi
The British government said on Thursday it planned to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections in a major overhaul of the country's democratic system. The government said the proposed changes were part of an effort to boost public trust in democracy and would align voting rig
Georgia's State Security Service said on Thursday that it had detained two people for handling and attempting to sell $3 million worth of uranium which could have been used to make a deadly bomb. Georgia's State Security Service said it had prevented a "transnational crime" involving "the illegal
Ukraine's newly appointed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Thursday that her government would be launching a full audit of public finances to achieve "real savings", and that large-scale privatisations should be accelerated. Svyrydenko, who was voted in by parliament earlier in the day, sa
Britain's Labour Party suspended four of its lawmakers on Wednesday for organising plans to vote against the government over its welfare reforms, an attempt by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to re-assert his control. Starmer's authority was undermined earlier this month when dozens of Labour lawmaker
Italy may release up to around 10,000 people from prison, or about 15 per cent of the total population of inmates, to ease overcrowding, the Justice Ministry has announced. Some 10,105 prisoners are "potentially eligible" for alternative measures to prison, such as house arrest or probation, the m
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou wants to scrap two public holidays to put France's finances back on track. It's a brave move: The last French leader to try something similar soon found himself out of a job. Bayrou, a long-time debt hawk who is fighting for his political survival, made the he
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Monday to lead a new government, setting the stage for a political reshuffle as prospects for an end to Ukraine's war with Russia grow dim. The nomination, which requires parliamentary approval, comes as
