Italy is holding a weekend referendum on changes to its constitution that would alter how judges and prosecutors are governed.What began as a technical tweak has morphed into a political showdown that could reshape Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s standing.The measure would split the career tracks of judges and prosecutors, set up separate governing bodies for each and create a new disciplinary...

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...

A recent Oscar-winning documentary has exposed how Russia’s wartime messaging has seeped into primary schools, placing children at the center of an expanding state-led patriotic program.Footage from a provincial town in the Urals, filmed by school events organiser Pavel Talankin, shows pupils taking part in flag ceremonies, scripted lessons and other activities that promote a...

A small French town has found itself in the social media glare after an unusual name clash in its local election.Incumbent mayor Charles Hittler is contesting a runoff against Antoine Renault-Zielinski, a coincidence that has sent the internet into a frenzy.Arcis-sur-Aube, a community of about 2,785 people roughly 160km southeast of Paris, heads to the polls in a municipal run-off this...

Hungary's decision to block a €90bn EU loan for Ukraine has provoked sharp criticism from fellow European leaders and exposed deep divisions ahead of next month's Hungarian elections.After a tense summit in Brussels, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán refused to lift his veto, posting on X: "No oil = no money." He linked his move to a dispute over a damaged section of the Druzhba pipeline that...

The Confederation of African Football has overturned Senegal's 2025 Africa Cup of Nations triumph, awarding the championship to Morocco after ruling that Senegal forfeited the final.Senegal won the match on the field in January after a dramatic finish: a stoppage‑time penalty was awarded to Morocco, Senegal's players briefly walked off in protest, returned after about 17 minutes, the penalty...

Islanders are up in arms after Rome ordered hundreds of high-security mafia prisoners to be moved to Sardinian jails.The measure, part of a wider plan to concentrate 750 of Italy’s most dangerous offenders in a small number of facilities, has sparked widespread protests.Under the proposal, roughly a third of those inmates would be transferred to three prisons on the island, including one in the...

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned that Moscow does not appear ready to pursue genuine negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, describing the conflict as unpredictable and hazardous.She made the remarks in Strasbourg as EU lawmakers met to discuss the crisis.Von der Leyen argued that any meaningful settlement will require strong security arrangements to deter future...

The European Union's highest court has ordered Poland to accept same‑sex marriages that were legally concluded in other EU countries.The judgment stems from the case of a Polish couple who married in Berlin in 2018 and found their union rejected by Polish authorities when they returned home.The European Court of Justice said member states must respect the rights of EU citizens who marry abroad,...

Diplomacy in Geneva wrapped up with US and Ukrainian officials saying talks had moved forward, but the biggest obstacle remains unresolved: Moscow's insistence on formal recognition of territory it now controls. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the steps taken in the meetings but warned that accepting Russian claims to occupied areas would violate Ukraine's territorial integrity...