Poland is well on its way to becoming a European power, and Sweden can learn a lot from its Baltic neighbour, Swedish media report, praising Poland's high economic growth, as well as low unemployment and investments in armaments.more
In the elections to the Upper House of the Irish Parliament held yesterday, the centre-left party Sinn Fein came first, according to an exit poll, narrowly ahead of centre-right Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. Counting of the votes is not due to start until tomorrow, so the official results will have to wait.more
Today, Icelanders will elect 63 representatives to the world's oldest parliament, the Althing, which dates back to 930. Polls show victory for the opposition social democratic Alliance. Several Poles, who are the largest migrant group on the island, are on the electoral lists of various parties.more
Net migration to the UK was 906,000 in the year up to June 2023 - far higher than previous estimates. About 1.3 million people came to live in the UK in this period, while 414,000 people leftmore
MPs have backed proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales in a historic vote which paves the way for a change in the law.
Under draft legislation being considered by Parliament, terminally ill adults expected to die within six months could seek help to end their own life.
In the first Commons vote on the issue in nearly a decade, MPs supported the bill by 330 to 275.more
A team of Bulgarians carried out surveillance on a U.S. military base in Germany where Ukrainian forces were being trained, one of six operations they undertook as part of a spying conspiracy for Russia, prosecutors told a London court on Thursday.more
Britain and Iraq have agreed an unprecedented joint plan to tackle people smuggling gangs responsible for thousands of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
On a three-day visit to the country, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also signed a new agreement to ensure failed Iraqi asylum seekers are returned home more "swiftly".more
A former soldier whose prison escape led to a prolonged manhunt in 2023 has been convicted of spying for Iran but cleared of carrying out a bomb hoax.
Daniel Khalife was found guilty of two counts relating to his espionage on Thursday. Wearing a blue shirt and pale trousers in court, he calmly put his glasses back on as the verdicts were read out and did not show any emotion.more
Polling stations have opened across Ireland this morning after a three-week election campaign.
Fine Gael's Simon Harris, Fianna Fail's Micheal Martin and Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald are all battling it out to become Ireland's next taoiseach - though no party has put forward enough candidates for a majority, meaning a coalition will be inevitable.more
Net migration to the UK hit a record high in 2023 of 906,000 in a period covering Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s premierships, revised estimates show.
The measure for the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country then dropped by 20% in the latest period, the 12 months to June 2024, and now stands at 728,000.more
The latest poll shows that the three main Irish parties are evenly matched ahead of tomorrow's elections to Dail Eireann, the lower house of parliament. Prime Minister Simon Harris has assessed this election as a ‘tight race’.more
Russia said it was expelling a British diplomat for alleged spying as tensions between London and Moscow rose after Ukraine’s recent use of British weapons to strike deeper into Russia. The FSB, Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, announced on Tuesday that it had acted on documents accusing a British diplomat of engaging in “reconnaissance and subversive activities that threaten the country".more
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has come into effect in Lebanon after more than a year of fighting.
It began at 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, putting an at-least temporary end to nearly 14 months of conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group.more
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, talks about sending European troops to Ukraine are gaining momentum, writes the French daily ‘Le Monde’ on Monday. Paris, London and Warsaw, among others, could play a leading role in this initiative.more
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to get more people into work with reforms to overhaul job centres and more mental-health funding.
Sir Keir said the government had inherited a country that "isn't working", and the changes would tackle the biggest drivers of unemployment and inactivity.more
The U.S. Air Force says a number of small drones were detected last week around three bases in eastern England that are used by American forces.
The drones were spotted between Wednesday and Friday near RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell. They were actively monitored after they were seen in the vicinity of and over the three bases, U.S. Air Forces Europe said in a statement.more
The most recognizable politicians are: Donald Tusk and Mateusz Morawiecki, who are recognized by 98 percent of respondents - according to the Opinia24 poll for Radio Zet. The last places in the ranking were occupied by: Magdalena Biejat, who is recognized by 43 percent of respondents and Karol Nawrocki - with a result of 39 percent.more
The UK may be forced to choose between future US President Donald Trump and the planned rebuilding of relations with the European Union after Brexit, the ‘New York Times’ noted yesterday, recalling that Trump has been a staunch supporter of Britain's exit from the EU.more
Vladimir Putin did not rule out attacking military facilities of countries that allowed Ukraine to hit targets on Russian territory with their missiles. He added that Russian forces attacked Ukraine yesterday with a new medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile.more
The UK will save £500m by scrapping old military equipment early, the defence secretary has announced, despite a warning that the UK faces "increasing global threats".
Ships, drones and helicopters - some more than 50 years old - will be decommissioned ahead of schedule, John Healey told the Commons.more
The number of hotels being used to house asylum seekers has risen by seven since the general election, the government has disclosed.
Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle told MPs that 220 hotels were now in use, with 14 opened and seven closed since the July poll.more
Britain and Moldova signed a defense and security agreement yesterday. According to the British Foreign Office, the agreement should, in particular, allow Moldova to “strengthen its resilience” in the face of threats from Russia.more
Born in Prestatyn, Wales, on 31 May 1938, John Prescott, the son of a railwayman, left school aged 15 to work as a trainee chef, then as a steward on the Cunard Line before entering politics in a career that spanned decades.more
