Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by ProfGB

NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 2d

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has arrived in Kyiv. She stated her visit focuses on financial and military support, energy sector security, and holding Russia accountable for war crimes.

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NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 2d

EU will allocate €10 million for the special tribunal on Russian aggression and another €6 million to support children abducted by Russia, says Kaja Kallas. The bloc is also working on an additional €100 million package for backup generators ahead of winter support for Ukraine.

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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 2d

EU will sign new UN Convention on cybercrime - alongside Member States - www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...

Fighting cybercrime: EU to sign UN Convention on cybercrime

The Council adopted a decision for the EU and its member states to sign the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime.

www.consilium.europa.eu

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BremainInSpain @bremaininspain.com · 2d

"No Brexit champion, particularly Nigel Farage, is worthy of high office after proving so conclusively wrong on such a seismic issue, says Mirror Associate Editor Kevin Maguire"
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

'Farage could never be trusted to run Britain after getting Brexit so wrong'

No Brexit champion, particularly Nigel Farage, is worthy of high office after proving so conclusively wrong on such a seismic issue, says Mirror Associate Editor Kevin Maguire

www.mirror.co.uk

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ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 4d

Dept of Finance official: McTax cuts “an enormous fiscal transfer of taxpayers' money to the sector, which the evidence available at present does not support".
www.rte.ie/news/busines...

Restaurants' customers lose out on McTax cut

It often takes a few days for the dust to settle on a Budget and its full impact to become clear.

www.rte.ie

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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 7d

EU Commission proposes safeguard legislation to protect EU farmers from possible effects of EU/Mercosur trade deal ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Commission proposes safeguards to strengthen protections for EU farmers in EU-Mercosur deal

The Commission today proposed a Regulation to strengthen protections for EU farmers in the context of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA).

ec.europa.eu

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Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 7d

Any other outcome would have made a mockery of the European Parliament’s own finding that Orban’s Hungary is no longer a democracy but an electoral autocracy aka a situation where Orban can influence and interfere with judicial proceedings at will

www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...

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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 8d

The EU's General Court has upheld the EU/US arrangements for transfers of personal data to the US. Analysis by Dr Samira Allioui: eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...

The General Court of the European Union upholds the Data Privacy Framework

Dr Samira Allioui , Research fellow, Centre d'études internationales et européennes, Université de Strasbourg Photo credit : Ibrahim...

eulawanalysis.blogspot.com

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NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 8d

Bloomberg reports the EU plans to sanction Russia’s main cryptocurrency for cross-border payments: the ruble-backed stablecoin A7A5. The coin, developed by payment firm A7 controlled by pro-Russian politician Ilan Shor and ProBusinessBank, supports transactions worth $68 billion.

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Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 8d

EU "cannot accept a new member state which is really not 100 percent following the rule of law" EU Enlargement Commissioner @martakos.ec.europa.eu told Reuters
But @ec.europa.eu & @consilium.europa.eu fine with a country becoming an autocracy post EU accession
www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...

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ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 8d

Somebody telephone Mayo.

ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 8d

I agree. Free third level education was a staggering achievment. Then Britain under the Conservatives simply dumped it.

William Carruthers @williamcarruthers.bsky.social · 9d

Utterly baffling to me how, at the age of 42, since being a teenager I’ve seen Britain’s higher education system massively expand then have politicians decide that, actually, we can’t be having that. Relatively speaking, it’s not very long!

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Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 9d

Really thoughtful substack by Adam Tooze on Jean Pisani-Ferry's Legion d'honneur acceptance speech. Fascinating reflections on where the progressive/liberal left went wrong over the past 30+ years.
adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...

Chartbook 411 The twilight of Macronisme: Jean Pisani-Ferry's cri de cœur.

A decoration ceremony is like a funeral oration with a right of reply.

adamtooze.substack.com

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ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 9d

Seeing is believing on this one.

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 9d

Czech President Petr Pavel said today that a strong pro-NATO and pro-EU stance, along with safeguarding democratic institutions, will be key factors in appointing the country’s next prime minister and Cabinet.

Czech president puts NATO, EU at core of Cabinet talks after elections

Petr Pavel says “premature” to speak of names for prime minister, after right-wing populist Andrej Babiš and his ANO movement gained a decisive victory in Czech parliamentary vote.

www.politico.eu

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Newsweek @newsweek.com · 9d

Newsom said his administration will take legal action against Trump's deployment of 300 California Guard personnel to Portland.

Newsom Challenges Trump Deploying California Troops to Oregon

www.newsweek.com

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ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 9d

A VAT cut to 9% for the hospitality sector that is so broad that it even gives a tax cut to MacDonalds while allowances for PAYE workers are deliberately not being index linked seems deeply unfair. If special Budget measures are really needed, fairness demands they be much more targeted than this.

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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 10d

Bad news

Beefeater Fella @beefeaterfella.bsky.social · 10d

🇨🇿 Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic, where party of pro-Russia and former Prime Minister Babis won.

"For him, Viktator Orban is a political role model, and Robert Fico is a political friend.

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Laurence H. Tribe @tribelaw.bsky.social · 10d

“This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that . . risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power—to the detriment of this nation.” — Trump-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut (Oct. 4, 2025).

Laurence H. Tribe @tribelaw.bsky.social · 10d

www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Seizure of Oregon National Guard for Portland Deployment

Read more here.

www.democracydocket.com

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François Heisbourg @fheisbourg.bsky.social · 13d

Where has the US gone?

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 13d

⚡️ UK, Germany to host next Ramstein-format meeting on Oct. 15 at NATO headquarters.

The Ramstein format was created in March 2022 by the U.S. to coordinate international military support for Ukraine, bringing together over 50 countries.

UK, Germany to host next Ramstein-format meeting on Oct. 15 at NATO headquarters

The Ramstein format was created in March 2022 by the U.S. to coordinate international military support for Ukraine, bringing together over 50 countries.

kyivindependent.com

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François Heisbourg @fheisbourg.bsky.social · 12d

Not deemed to be essential by Trump's US

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 12d

⚡️ US government shutdown reportedly putting Ukraine weapons deliveries at risk of delay.

The disruption has stalled meetings between Ukrainian officials and U.S. counterparts from the Pentagon, State Department, and White House, according to the Telegraph.

US government shutdown reportedly putting Ukraine weapons deliveries at risk of delay

The disruption has stalled meetings between Ukrainian officials and U.S. counterparts from the Pentagon, State Department, and White House, according to the Telegraph.

kyivindependent.com

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NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 12d

Russia launched its largest mass strike on Ukraine’s gas production infrastructure since the full-scale invasion began, Naftogaz reports. Multiple facilities have been damaged, with some suffering critical destruction.

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Frank - Queen of Schengen 🇪🇺🌈 @chillaxbcn.bsky.social · 11d

Good morning 🇪🇺

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Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 11d

reminder re Merkel’s enabling of autocrats in Hungary and elsewhere www.politico.eu/article/ange...
@rdanielkelemen.bsky.social

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Defend Democracy @defenddemocracy.bsky.social · 11d

President Macron: “Europeans, let's wake up!

We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.”

defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...

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Sander Tordoir @sandertordoir.bsky.social · 11d

Mamma Mia.

To placate the farm lobby, the EPP is considering an amendment that would scupper the entire EU budget reform.

If agri gets an exemption from the EU budget overhaul, social and other spending categories follow and modernisation goes out the window.

A EPP disaster in the making.

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