Lionel Jospin, a leading figure of France's Socialist movement who served as prime minister during the late 1990s, has died at the age of 88.He was widely known for reshaping parts of French social policy and for his dramatic exit from politics after the 2002 presidential election.Jospin led a left-wing government in cohabitation with President Jacques Chirac from 1997 to 2002. He had been a...

France’s Socialist-led administrations kept control of the country’s four biggest cities — Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Lille — in local elections that offered a boost to established parties ahead of next year’s presidential vote.The night also saw gains for both the far left and far right, with notable wins for a Le Pen ally in Nice and for France Unbowed (LFI) in Roubaix, underscoring a...

Another surge in energy prices has jolted Europe, reviving memories of the 2022 shock that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.This time the trigger is instability in the Middle East, which has disrupted key shipping routes and sent markets into a fresh tailspin.The EU had vowed to end its heavy dependence on Russian fuels after 2022 and moved quickly: Russia now supplies almost none of the...

Danish authorities reportedly prepared to disable key Greenland airstrips to stop a potential US seizure of the Arctic territory, the Danish broadcaster DR has reported.DR says its account is based on a dozen sources inside Denmark's government and military, plus officials in France and Germany, and the Financial Times later said two European diplomats corroborated parts of the story.According to...

A fresh shock from the Middle East has sent energy markets reeling and reopened a debate Europe hoped it had settled.Months after stepping away from Russian fuels, EU capitals now face sharp price jumps and renewed political pressure as supplies tighten.After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the EU moved quickly to cut dependence on Moscow. Oil flows from Russia have almost disappeared for...

A Russian drone hit a residential building in Zaporizhzhia, killing two people and wounding two children, local officials say.The attack came on the eve of new negotiations between Ukrainian and American delegations in the United States.The talks, which had been paused after the recent escalation in the Middle East, are expected to cover Ukraine’s response to Washington’s temporary easing of...

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has called for a frank review of the UK’s two sovereign military bases on the island, saying their presence is a legacy of colonial rule and needs to be discussed once tensions in the Middle East ease.The bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia were established under the 1960 treaty that granted Cyprus independence, with Britain retaining sovereignty over roughly...

France heads to second-round municipal votes on Sunday in contests seen as an early barometer for the 2027 presidential campaign.Attention is focused on major cities where control could shift political momentum — notably Paris and Nice.In the capital, Socialists are scrambling to hang on after a quarter-century of centre-left leadership. Rachida Dati, the right-wing challenger, has closed the...

The UK has expanded permission for US forces to operate from British bases to strike Iranian missile sites linked to attacks around the Strait of Hormuz.Ministers said the change is intended to protect merchant shipping in the vital waterway and is being carried out under the principle of collective self-defence.Downing Street stressed Britain will not take a direct combat role in any US...

A bitter dispute over repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline has blocked a vital €90bn EU loan to Kyiv.The row pits Hungary and Slovakia against Ukraine after a Russian strike damaged the Brody pumping station on 27 January and stopped all flows.Satellite images and local reporting show a giant storage tank at Brody — one of Ukraine’s largest — burned for days after the attack. Engineers...