Europe

• France: Marine le Pen barred for five years 3 April 2025
  Marine le Pen has been barred from public office for five years due to EU fund embezzlement, jeopardising her 2027 presidential hopes. Though her four-year jail sentence (two years suspended) is pending appeal, the disqualification took immediate effect. Her party, National Rally (RN), appeared stunned and unprepared, holding emergency talks.…
• Russia: Putin orders 160,000 conscripts 3 April 2025
  Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of 160,000 new troops between April and July, targeting citizens aged 18 to 30. The spring draft is part of Russia’s biannual conscription cycle; the previous autumn round brought in 133,000 recruits. The decree also confirms that those whose conscripted service has ended will…
• Ukraine: Russia bombs hospital as naval ceasefire is negotiated 27 March 2025
  Russia and Ukraine have reached separate agreements with the USA on a naval ceasefire in the Black Sea, following peace talks in Saudi Arabia. Though indirect, the negotiations resulted in a promise to halt attacks on energy infrastructure and reopen critical trade routes.  Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the move but said…
• Turkey: over 1,400 arrested, protests continue 27 March 2025
  Protests have rocked Turkey for more than a week after the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key opposition figure and potential rival to President Erdogan. He was detained on corruption charges, which he and his supporters claim are politically motivated. Over 1,400 people have been detained since the…
• Ireland: turmoil as motion of no confidence in Speaker is tabled 27 March 2025
  Ireland’s political landscape is bracing for a showdown over Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) Verona Murphy, whose role is under fire amid a prolonged row over speaking rights in the Dáil. Since January, tensions have mounted, and now five main opposition parties have united to table a no-confidence motion, claiming bias and…