Politics
The Council of Europe’s ministerial committee in Strasbourg lifted former secretary-general Thorbjørn Jagland’s legal immunity on Wednesday, responding to an Økokrim request tied to the Epstein files.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy planned to announce presidential elections and a peace-deal referendum on Feb. 24, the FT reported, but his office said announcements were conditional on security.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday to press him to take a tougher U.S. stance toward Iran’s missile and nuclear programs.
UK defence secretary John Healey was expected to confirm today that Britain would double troop numbers in Norway to 2,000 over three years, saying Russia posed the greatest Arctic threat.
Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen won the men's Super-G at the Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics on Feb. 11, becoming the first Swiss to win three golds at the same Winter Games.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday that he and his family visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced a leadership crisis after his former communications chief had the whip removed amid claims he did not fully disclose ties to a sex offender.
The House rejected Speaker Mike Johnson’s bid to block votes on resolutions disapproving President Trump’s tariffs, clearing the way for lawmakers to rebuke the tariffs and challenge the national emergency.
A Russian drone strike killed a Ukrainian father and three children in Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv region, and wounded a pregnant woman and an elderly person, Ukrainian officials said.
A D.C. grand jury declined to indict six Democratic lawmakers over a video urging service members to refuse illegal orders.
A Dutch lawmaker named six alleged Jeffrey Epstein accomplices in parliament, and France's foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he was "shocked" and could not exclude publication of more diplomat names.
The European Parliament approved a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, financed by EU bond issuance with interest covered by the EU budget, to support Kyiv’s defence.
Iran marked the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution with missile displays, flag burnings and symbolic coffins for U.S. commanders, while President Pezeshkian apologized for violent protest crackdowns.
The U.S. blocked Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, prompting airlines to suspend flights and sharply reducing tourism, which pushed Cuba’s fragile economy toward collapse.
France urged EU partners to adopt comprehensive industrial protections and a joint investment plan to counter Chinese competition, while German hesitation risked domestic auto jobs.
Democratic lawmakers released six previously hidden names from Jeffrey Epstein’s files, including billionaire Leslie Wexner and an Emirati sultan; U.S. media identified one as ex‑MEP Nicola Caputo, who denied it.
Friedrich Merz and Giorgia Meloni aligned to push industrial and defense priorities within the EU and dismissed Emmanuel Macron’s eurobond and European‑preference proposals ahead of a competition summit.
NATO launched the Arctic Sentry mission on Wednesday to strengthen surveillance and presence around Greenland and to deter rival powers, notably Russia and China, in the Arctic.
Britain said it would double its troop presence in Norway to 2,000 to deter what Defence Secretary John Healey called Russia’s growing military threat in the Arctic.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott testified before Congress, defending Trump immigration raids after two January raids killed two U.S. citizens, while Democrats accused "Gestapo" methods.
Russia's foreign minister said Moscow would keep New START limits on deployed nuclear weapons only so long as the United States did, after the treaty expired Feb. 5.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended a preference for European-made components in strategic sectors but cautioned it should not become protectionism, while Nordic states remained wary.
Marine Le Pen urged President Emmanuel Macron to abandon his nomination of Amélie de Montchalin to the Cour des comptes, accusing them of mishandling public finances and raising conflict-of-interest concerns.
President Trump threatened on Monday to block opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, and Canadian Prime Minister Carney said a call had clarified the issue.
The European Parliament voted to make deportations to third countries easier and approved an EU-wide list of "safe" origin countries, while lawmakers remained divided.
María Guardiola confirmó que su investidura en la Asamblea de Extremadura quedó fijada para el 3 de marzo pese a no contar con apoyos; Vox anunció un "no" rotundo.
Thousands of farmers and about 500 tractors converged on central Madrid Wednesday to protest proposed cuts to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy and a prospective Mercosur trade deal.
Italy, Germany and Belgium drafted a joint document ahead of tomorrow's informal pre-summit in Antwerp proposing immediate introduction of a 28th regime, cutting business burdens and endorsing technology neutrality.
Vice President JD Vance deleted a social-media post referring to the Armenian genocide during visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan, and his office said the message was posted in error.
On Equal Pay Day, 11 February, Austrian officials announced further measures to tackle a roughly 12 percent gender pay gap while critics said the campaign's framing was flawed.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian heat and power plants left residents in Kyiv and other cities without heating or electricity amid subzero temperatures, residents and plant workers said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Istanbul chief prosecutor Akin Gürlek as Turkey’s justice minister today, provoking opposition outrage over his past prosecutions of the opposition.
Hundreds of farmers drove tractors into central Madrid to protest the EU-Mercosur trade deal and proposed cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy, demanding the pact be halted.
Bangladesh held its first free and fair parliamentary elections since the 2024 uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government, while women and rights groups warned Jamaat-e-Islami’s rise threatened freedoms.
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Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while traveling by helicopter with his daughters, saying armed drug-linked networks sought to kill him.
EH Bildu denounced Francina Armengol’s visit to Azerbaijan as "shameful" and urged her to retract and apologize during a Madrid Congress plenary after PSOE and Sumar vetoed a PP condemnation.
The Council of Europe lifted former secretary-general Thorbjørn Jagland’s legal immunity, acceding to Norway’s Økokrim request and enabling Norwegian prosecutors to pursue the case, his lawyer said.
Portugal's interior minister, Maria Lúcia Amaral, resigned after critics blamed her for a slow, inadequate response to deadly storms, and Prime Minister Luís Montenegro took over the ministry temporarily.
Court documents showed the FBI relied on debunked claims to obtain a warrant for Fulton County, Georgia, vote records and indicated the probe followed a referral from a Trump-appointed official.
