“By the way, don’t touch the figs.” Actress Siân Phillips has remarked that when she traveled the world, even decades after the premiere of I, Claudius, someone would recognize her voice and ask her to deliver the phrase delivered by her character, the Machiavellian Livia Drusilla. That scene from the series competes in collective imagination with its opening sequence, in which at the start of its 13 episodes, a serpent slithered to threatening music over a tiled mosaic face of Emperor Claudius. There it was in a nutshell: the greatness and filth of a newborn empire already corroded by corruption, the moral sickness that dominated a family, the political intrigues, the personal betrayals, the devastating effects of exercising and coveting power. The influence of I, Claudius can be seen in much more recent television projects, from Game of Thrones to Succession, but it also emerges in the current international political panorama, in the form of leaders like Donald Trump. This year, a half-century will have passed since its first broadcast, but anyone who watches an episode will confirm that it continues to be as relevant as it was back then.

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El Gobierno de Marruecos ha remitido una carta a diputados del Parlamento Europeo en la que asegura que se compromete a admitir el retorno de los migrantes que pasaron la frontera de manera ilegal a Ceuta el 30 y 31 de julio pasados. La parlamentaria del PNV, Oihane Agirregoitia, ha revelado en su intervención este martes ante el pleno la existencia del escrito, en el que Rabat asegura que está investigando el papel de la desinformación en redes sociales y de los traficantes de migrantes en la entrada masiva a Ceuta y confirma que se ha comprometido a readmitir a todas las personas que cruzaron el paso.

Hace tiempo que el paisaje visual de Irán empezó a cambiar. De forma paulatina, los diferentes colores de los pañuelos que cubrían las cabezas de miles de mujeres dejaron de despuntar entre la multitud. Ahora sus melenas rubias, castañas o negras se dejan acariciar por el viento. También sus brazos al aire son besados por el sol. Las calles de Irán se han transformado poco a poco en un lugar menos hostil para las iraníes. Siempre había habido algunas que se atrevían a desafiar las leyes de vestimenta del régimen de los ayatolás, pero ahora cada vez son más. Algunos sitúan el origen de este cambio en una trágica jornada de hace cuatro años cuando la joven Mahsa Jina Amini murió tras ser detenida y torturada por no llevar bien puesto el velo islámico. Su pérdida desató una revolución.

Cada día en la Cisjordania ocupada, la violencia toma distintas formas, aunque suelen ser las mismas. A diario se registran ataques de colonos a palestinos, redadas militares, tierras expropiadas, nuevos puestos de control, y una acuciante crisis económica que ahoga a las familias palestinas. Este lunes la organización israelí B'Tselem ha publicado un informe donde analiza toda esta violencia para darle un nombre: el "proyecto de eliminación". La investigación más exhaustiva hasta la fecha sobre la política israelí en Cisjordania concluye que "Israel emplea cinco mecanismos que se refuerzan mutuamente para desmantelar la existencia colectiva palestina en la zona".

The European Union is the only area in the world where passengers are protected by a full set of rights – whether they travel by air, rail, ship, or bus and coach.

For air travel, the current EU regulation sets out passengers’ rights when flights are cancelled, significantly delayed, or boarding is denied. In the case of delays, compensation applies once the delay reaches three hours, provided it is not caused by “extraordinary circumstances” beyond the airline’s control – such as severe weather or air traffic restrictions. 

Yet the current regulation dates back to 2004, and much has changed since then – from inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic to a massive rise in air travel. In response, the European Commission proposed a revision in 2013, but disagreements among member states stalled the process until 2025.

In June 2025, EU ministers finally reached a political agreement, and negotiations with the European Parliament resumed in October. However, deep divisions remain over key issues. While the Council’s proposal is seen as less passenger-friendly, the Parliament is pushing for stronger protections.

To that end, MEPs have set a series of red lines, including a pre-filled claim form sent no later than 48 hours after the scheduled departure and the right to carry a hand luggage item without extra charge. But the most controversial issue is the Council’s proposal to raise the compensation threshold from three to four hours for intra-EU flights, and to six hours for long-haul journeys.

On 21 January, the Parliament adopted its second-reading position in plenary, with 97 percent of MEPs voting in favour of its red lines. The ball is now in the Council’s court, which has up to four months to update its mandate in response.

Over the coming months, it will become clear which side prevails – passengers or airlines.

Berlin (dpa) – Germany’s Greens are backing the European Union’s landmark trade deal with India, days after the party’s lawmakers in the European Parliament played a key role in challenging the bloc’s agreement with the South American Mercosur countries.

Andreas Audretsch, the party’s deputy group leader in the German parliament, said the deal with India, which was announced earlier on Tuesday, was good for businesses and workers in Germany.

In view of the “destructive rage” of US President Donald Trump, Europe must build new alliances for trade and cooperation, Audretsch argued.

The deal was finalised during an EU-India summit in New Delhi, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proclaiming the agreement on Tuesday.

“The EU and India make history today, deepening the partnership between the world’s biggest democracies,” von der Leyen said.

The latest agreement will not be as comprehensive as the one recently concluded between the EU and Mercosur countries Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Last week, several Green lawmakers in Brussels voted in favour of referring the bloc’s deal with Mercosur to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which could result in a substantial delay to ratification. Their votes were decisive in passing the motion, prompting severe criticism for the party in Germany, whose export-led economy stands to benefit from the boost to trade.

In a paper, the Green leadership has said that Germany needs “new economic partnerships” to diversify foreign trade. “That is why it is important to provisionally apply the agreement with the Mercosur countries and then ratify it,” the paper continued. (January 27)

Strasbourg, France – Several thousand European farmers protested in the French city of Strasbourg on Tuesday against the European Union’s free trade deal with countries in the Latin American Mercosur bloc.

Around 5,000 protesters and several hundred tractors gathered in the city, according to local officials, where the European Parliament is holding a plenary session this week.

EU lawmakers are to decide on Wednesday if they want to seek an opinion from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on whether the contested Mercosur agreement is compatible with EU law, which could delay the ratification process.

The free trade agreement was signed in Paraguay last weekend and still has to be approved by the European Parliament.

With their protest, the farmers want to keep up the pressure on EU decision-makers. They fear disproportionate competition from cheap imports from South America.

Protesters lit smoke bombs and held up placards with slogans such as “Von der Leyen go home,” directed at European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The demonstration caused major traffic disruption in Strasbourg, with several roads blocked. (January 20)