Epic FT Lunch with the Pet Shop Boys by Janine Gibson

Including how George Osborne sought the duo's advice (on behalf of him and David Cameron) about how to avoid falling out

ft.com/content/b4e744…

*UK CHARGES SEVERAL MEN WITH SECURITY OFFENSES RELATED TO RUSSIA

How the Birkin bag, the ultimate fashion trophy, became criminal currency latimes.com/california/sto…

National security advisers to meet in Qatar this weekend to discuss plans for a summit on Ukraine’s conditions for a settlement with Russia

Story from Alberto Nardelli Alessandro Speciale and me >>

bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Never in doubt tasteatlas.com/best/cities

❗️NEW Macron in talks with EU leaders including Meloni to find alternatives to VDL — such as Draghi, we’re told

Some officials interpreted his move as a ploy to extract concessions from her.

With Ania Nussbaum Chiara Albanese Ewa Krukowska Alberto Nardelli
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Yellen says “it is necessary & urgent for our international coalition to unlock the value of immobilized Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine’s continued resilience and reconstruction,” and that she will “continue intensive discussions” with G7 partners.

France has proposed the creation of a new EU sanctions regime dedicated to countering Russian disinformation and interference operations worldwide bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

NEW: The EU is assessing potential sanctions against more than a dozen companies that have continued to buy restricted goods from the bloc and supply them to Russia bloomberg.com/news/articles/… w/Alberto Nardelli

Ukraine 🇺🇦 is facing an existential threat

That’s why the UK 🇬🇧 has announced the largest-ever delivery of vital military aid

PM Rishi Sunak is in Poland 🇵🇱 today meeting PM Donald Tusk and #NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

⬇️🧵

gov.uk/government/new…

🚨 More huge news in Germany

An assistant to the far right's lead candidate in the European elections is arrested, suspected of spying for China.

zeit.de/politik/deutsc…

NEW: Germany has urged the US to provide Ukraine with another Patriot missile system bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

🚨

Nearly Half of China’s Swimming Team Tested Positive for a Banned Drug Before Being Secretly Cleared to Win Gold at The Tokyo Olympics 💉 🏊‍♀️ 🥇

In-depth investigation with ⁦Michael S. Schmidt⁩ into how China was allowed to explain away positives nytimes.com/2024/04/20/wor…

Here it goes: theins.ru/en/politics/27…

If all the words that were said in the last years here in Brussels about common defence, could be changed into bullets and rocket launchers, Europe would have become the strongest power in the world. And the safest place.

#UPDATE Two German-Russian nationals have been arrested in Bavaria on suspicion of spying for Russia and planning acts of sabotage to undermine military support for Ukraine, German federal prosecutors said Thursday.

The two men, identified only as Dieter S. and Alexander J.,…

Some G7 nations are considering sanctions on Iran Air, a move that would curb the Iranian carrier’s flights to Europe, sources tell Jennifer Jacobs and me bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

News: The EU aims to propose fresh sanctions on Iran over its strike on Israel as early as next week, when diplomats meet to discuss the limited options they have for constraining both nations’ activity. bloomberg.com/news/articles/… with @albertonardelli, Natalia Drozdiak, Iain Rogers

👉Letta would suggest to EU leaders creating new state aid contribution mechanism, which would require MS to allocate a portion of their national funding for pan-European investments, according to draft summary we’ve seen.
With Alberto Nardelli

bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

NEW: The EU is set to launch a probe into China’s medical device procurement bloomberg.com/news/articles/…