French prime minister François Bayrou said on Monday that he would seek parliamentary backing for his unpopular plans to shore up France’s ailing public finances on 8 September, asking deputies to “confirm the scale” of spending cuts he says are needed to save €44bn (£38bn) a year. “We face an…

With parliamentary elections set for October, the political landscape is shifting toward a possible return to power of Andrej Babiš’s ANO (Action of Dissatisfied Citizens). Polls suggest ANO could secure a majority, forming a government that prioritizes growth over austerity—a clear departure from the fiscal discipline of the current SPOLU-led…

Lloyds and Close Brothers surge after Friday’s court decision slashed the expected bill for compensation on mis-sold loans. Shares in UK lenders surged on Monday after a favourable supreme court ruling significantly slashed the anticipated bill for companies engulfed in the car finance scandal. The specialist lender Close Brothers, which…

Despite its neutral status, Switzerland is a signatory to the Rome Statute that founded the court but Ignazio Cassis said that provided Putin was coming for peace purposes, the country could receive him. “This has to do with our diplomatic role, with international Geneva as (the European) headquarters of the…

Russia’s financial regulator has published an order defining nine criteria by which banks may introduce a temporary limit on cash withdrawals from ATMs. The statement on the website of the Central Bank of Russia says that from 1 September 2025, banks that have issued a payment card to a client…