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.
As of July 1, customs duties are being levied on parcels of goods from non-EU countries worth less than 150 euros. These will be subject to a fixed fee of three euros per item type. Until now, such parcels had enjoyed an exemption. The tariffs are expected to hit online retailers selling cheap goods such as Temu and Shein particularly hard. Commentators debate whether this will strengthen the European economy and drive out discount retailers.
In a 927-page statement published on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump declared earnings of 2.2 billion dollars for 2025 – 3.5 times more than in the year before his second mandate began. More than 1.4 billion dollars comes from his family's cryptocurrency dealings. The news triggers a wave of disapproval in Europe's press.
