Britain’s Conservatives are warming to Donald Trump 2.0 – POLITICO

LONDON — They might not be wearing MAGA hats, but some of Britain’s most prominent Conservatives are flirting with Donald Trump again. A steady stream of Tory politicians — and even former prime ministers — have recently been heaping cautious praise on, or even endorsing, the controversial former U.S. president as his bid to re-enter … Read more

UN chief denounces Israel for ‘utterly unacceptable’ killings as Gaza death toll soars – POLITICO

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the “heart-breaking” and “utterly unacceptable” killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza on Sunday, as the number of deaths from Israeli strikes in the enclave surpassed 25,000. “Israel’s military operations have spread massive destruction and killed civilians on a scale unprecedented during my time as secretary-general,” Guterres said at the … Read more

Netanyahu trapped by clashing demands from war cabinet and hawks – POLITICO

TEL AVIV — As he tries to cling to power, Benjamin Netanyahu is being buffeted by contradictory demands over the direction of the war in Gaza. His war cabinet is increasingly urging a cease-fire deal to be struck with Hamas — to secure the return of Israeli hostages — while lawmakers in his own Likud … Read more

EU Parliament calls to strip Hungary of voting rights in rule-of-law clash – POLITICO

STRASBOURG — MEPs demanded the EU Council explore the possibility of stripping Hungary of its EU voting rights in a clash with Budapest over the rule of law. In a vote Thursday at the European Parliament, a majority of MEPs backed a nonbinding resolution calling on the other 26 EU countries’ governments to use a sub-clause … Read more

Former Polish minister arrested in cash-for-visas probe – POLITICO

Poland’s former deputy foreign minister was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the country’s cash-for-visas scandal, Warsaw’s anti-corruption agency said Wednesday. Piotr Wawrzyk, who served as deputy foreign minister from January 2021 until August last year, was detained and charged with exceeding his authority in handling ministry documents, Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) … Read more

Trump’s ghost stalks Davos – POLITICO

DAVOS, Switzerland — World leaders gathered together in the Swiss Alps this week are nervous that Donald Trump will be even more anti-global if he returns as United States president. And they have good reason to be wary. If polls prove correct, the front-runner for the Republican nomination is set to be crowned winner of the … Read more

Four migrants die trying to cross English Channel – POLITICO

PARIS — Four migrants died in French waters overnight on Saturday as they tried to reach a small boat setting off from the beach in the northern French town of Wimereux. Dozens were also rescued in the freezing waters by French rescue teams, according to local French media reports. One migrant was in critical condition … Read more

Taiwan at election crossroads as war threat looms – POLITICO

This story was originally published in German by WELT, a sister publication of POLITICO in the Axel Springer Group. Nate Lin wants to be prepared for war.  On a Saturday morning in November, Lin, a 35-year-old Taiwanese man, practices how to apply a tourniquet to his right arm. In this fictive scenario, he’s been shot and … Read more

will continue on the reform path – POLITICO

Ana Brnabić is the prime minister of Serbia.  As a direct response to calls from Serbia’s opposition for snap elections at the parliamentary and local levels, my country held early elections on December 17, 2023.   Under President Aleksandar Vučić, and a government led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), over the past 11 years … Read more

Respect our political system — ‘without interference’ – POLITICO

BEIJING — You stay out of our politics, we’ll stay out of yours: that’s the message delivered by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday. In a statement to the press ahead of his meeting with President Xi Jinping’s No. 2, De Croo told Beijing not to meddle in … Read more