An appeal court has upheld the conviction of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen for embezzlement of EU funds. However, the ban on holding public office has been reduced, which allows her to run for president in the 2027 election. Two years of her three-year prison sentence have been suspended. For the remaining year, she will be required to wear an electronic ankle tag. Le Pen intends to appeal the decision and has said she will run for president "without a tag".
Turkey is pulling out all the stops as host of the Nato summit in Ankara. The reception for Donald Trump was particularly lavish. The US President had previously hinted that he was attending the summit solely because of his 'friend' Erdoğan. The media take it as a cue to assess the role Turkey plays for both the US and Europe.
The British far-right populist Nigel Farage has announced his resignation as MP in the House of Commons after coming under pressure for not disclosing millions of pounds worth of gifts. Farage, however, does not see the move as an admission of guilt – announcing that he will be standing again in his constituency's by-election.
The verdict in the appeal case against Marine Le Pen is expected today, Tuesday. A Paris court will decide whether to uphold the first-instance ruling and find Le Pen guilty of misappropriating EU funds. In addition to a prison sentence and a fine, Le Pen would be barred from standing for election for five years, as of spring 2025.
As one of a number of planned constitutional amendments, Prime Minister Péter Magyar has proposed introducing a 12-year limit on the term of office for members of parliament as of the next elections in 2030. Years already spent in parliament would also count, which would mean that many of the current MPs from Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party would be barred from standing for re-election.
US striker Folarin Balogun was issued with a red card but Fifa lifted the suspension to allow him to play in the round of 16 match against Belgium. Donald Trump said he had personally called Fifa boss Gianni Infantino to make this happen. Infantino confirmed that he had received the call but claimed that the decision had been made independently of Trump's request. The football press complains of foul play at the highest level.
As of this Monday there are no more printed daily newspapers dealing with political topics in Hungary. Magyar Nemzet, a newspaper with close ties to the former Fidesz government, will be published only as a weekly from now on, and the left-wing daily Népszava is also discontinuing its daily print edition. Népszava had been criticised for running state advertising under the Orbán regime in recent years, but after the change of government this came to an end.
The arrest of stand-up comedian Deniz Göktaş has caused a stir in Turkey. The Public Prosecutor's Office has accused him of denigrating religious values and insulting the president. A video of Göktaş's last performance reached around ten million views last week. Göktaş rejected the allegations in court, defending his work as satire. His lawyer criticised the investigators for taking certain passages out of context.
The leaders of the governing coalition in Berlin have agreed on a comprehensive reform package. The 34 measures in areas such as taxation, the pension system, labour law, innovation and red-tape reduction are intended to boost the economy and stabilise German society. "We want to get Germany back on its feet," stressed Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The media take stock.
