13 h. ago Huge Luton Airport expansion plan approved which will see millions more passengers

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed whether the airport will be allowed to expand - which they say will create 6,100 new jobs and £900m for the economy every year

Politics

15 h. ago Hungary to pull out of ‘political’ ICC as Netanyahu visits Budapest

Israeli PM, who is wanted by the court, hails Viktor Orbán’s ‘bold and principled’ decision to leave the ‘corrupt’ bodyHungary will leave the international criminal court because it has become “political”, the country’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said as he welcomed his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanhayu - the subject of an ICC arrest warrant - to Budapest for an official visit.Standing beside Netanyahu at the start of the four-day visit, Orbàn said on Thursday that Hungary was convinced the “otherwise very important court” had “diminished into a political forum”. Netanyahu hailed “a bold and principled” decision. Continue reading...

Politics

26 h. ago South Korea ‘at breaking point’ ahead of ruling on President Yoon’s impeachment

Barricades go up in Seoul as court prepares to rule on whether to uphold Yoon’s impeachment or restore his powers The usually quiet streets outside South Korea’s constitutional court in Seoul are now a political ground zero for a decision that will determine the country’s future.Months after Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law and triggered South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades, the court will on Friday decide whether to uphold the suspended president’s impeachment or return him to office. Continue reading...

Politics

48 h. ago Could Marine Le Pen’s guilty verdict help fuel the far right? – podcast

The parliamentary leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, has been banned from public office for five years for embezzlement, ruining her chance of a presidential run. Angelique Chrisafis reportsIt is a sentence that has prompted anger among rightwing leaders across the world and led to accusations that democracy is being threatened. This week, Marine Le Pen, the parliamentary leader of the National Rally (RN), the largest opposition party in the French parliament, was banned for five years from public office for embezzlement. Along with more than 20 others, she was found to have used money for European parliament assistants to pay party workers.The shock sentence could end Le Pen’s hopes of running for president in 2027. She is now appealing and has hit back furiously, as have her supporters and allies. Some of her support could hurt her more than it helps, however. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said in response that “more and more European capi...

Politics

58 h. ago Marine Le Pen condemns ‘nuclear bomb’ court ruling as party urges nationwide protests

Le Pen has vowed to fight a ban on her standing at the presidential elections after being convicted of embezzlement

Events

59 h. ago Trump compares himself to Marine Le Pen as he tears into France for barring her from politics: 'This is a big deal'

President Donald Trump compared himself to convicted French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, calling her ban from elective office a 'very big deal.'

Politics

60 h. ago Marine Le Pen slams ‘nuclear bomb’ court ruling as her party calls nationwide protest

Le Pen has vowed to fight a ban on her standing at the presidential elections after being convicted of embezzlement

Events

63 h. ago ‘We will not let French people have election stolen from them,’ says Le Pen – Europe live

Far-right leader says guilty verdict was ‘a nuclear bomb’ used against her as her party president calls for protestsLe Pen ban is ‘political and partisan’, says French far-right party’s presidentIn Kyiv, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has offered an update on the talks with the United States over a new minerals deal.Sybiha told a press conference held with his Lithuanian counterpart, Kestutis Budrys, that one round of consultations had already taken place and that an agreement providing for a strong American business presence in Ukraine would contribute to his country’s security infrastructure, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

Politics

64 h. ago Outrage grows over Marine Le Pen's blocked presidential run: Trump and European allies offer support as 'tyrannical judges' are accused of 'depriving millions of people of their representation'

Le Pen has pledged to fight the court-imposed prohibition that appeared to exclude her goal of seeking and potentially winning the French presidency in 2027.

Politics

2 d. ago Half of Scots opposed to 'reckless' scheme to allow prisoners out of jail early

MSPs passed a law meaning those sentenced to under four years in prison will now be released after serving 40 per cent of their time behind bars.

Events

3 d. ago Marine Le Pen vows to fight election ban in attack on court’s ‘politician decision’ over embezzlement conviction

Marine Le Pen says she will appeal against verdict and her five-year disqualification from public office ahead of presidential elections

Politics

3 d. ago Watch: Marine Le Pen slams guilty verdict as ‘political decision’ after election ban

Marine Le Pen claimed that a court's decision was "political" following its ruling on Monday, 31 March, which banned her from standing for election after she was found guilty of embezzling funds from the European parliament.

Politics

3 d. ago Marine Le Pen vows to fight election ban in scathing attack on court’s ‘politician decision’ after embezzlement conviction

Marine Le Pen says she will appeal against verdict and her five-year disqualification from public office ahead of presidential elections

Politics

3 d. ago Marine Le Pen attacks ban on French presidency run as a ‘political decision’

Far-right leader, who was found guilty of embezzlement of European funds, says conviction is a ‘denial of democracy’The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has railed against a Paris court’s “political decision” to bar her from competing for the presidency in 2027, attacking the move to ban her from running for public office as “a denial of democracy”.In a day of high political drama, Le Pen was found guilty of embezzlement of European parliament funds on a vast scale, a conviction for which she was also handed a four-year prison sentence, with two of those years suspended and two to be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet. She was also ordered to pay a €100,000 (£84,000) fine. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Marine Le Pen's party calls on supporters to take to the streets amid fury over her presidential election ban and jail sentence

The leader of France's far-right party called Monday for a peaceful 'mobilisation', after Marine Le Pen was banned from running for office following an embezzlement conviction.

Politics

3 d. ago Marine Le Pen is in 'fighting mood' and will appeal her four

France's hard-right leader will appeal her conviction for embezzlement of public funds, her lawyer said Monday, after a court handed her a five-year ban on running for office.

Politics

3 d. ago Marine Le Pen banned from running for French presidency in 2027 and given four

French far right leader barred from running for public office for five years with immediate effect after guilty verdict in trialFull story: Le Pen barred from running for French presidency in 2027The judges have begun reading their verdicts.Patrick Maisonneuve, lawyer for the European parliament, arriving in court, said that what was at stake was the embezzlement of European taxpayers’ funds. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Marine Le Pen barred from running for French presidency in 2027

Far-right leader found guilty of embezzlement of European funds and immediately barred from running for officeEurope live – latest updatesThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for president in 2027 after a court found her guilty of a vast system of embezzlement of European parliament funds and banned her from running for public office with immediate effect.The decision was a political earthquake for Le Pen, the leader of the far-right anti-immigration National Rally (RN) party, who had hoped to mount a fourth campaign to become president. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Marine Le Pen banned from running for public office after being found guilty of embezzling EU funds

Le Pen risks being excluded from the French presidential elections in 2027 if she is handed a five-year ban from political office

Events

3 d. ago Marine Le Pen banned from running for public office after guilty verdict in embezzlement trial – Europe live

Exact length of ban not yet known after French far right leader and eight National Rally MEPs found guilty of misappropriating EU fundsThe judges have begun reading their verdicts.Patrick Maisonneuve, lawyer for the European parliament, arriving in court, said that what was at stake was the embezzlement of European taxpayers’ funds. Continue reading...

Society