Council

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backed the creation of a European Security Council on Wednesday to address growing threats to peace. • The proposed council would include leaders from the EU, Britain, Norway, Ukraine, and Canada, with permanent seats for large nations like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland. • This initiative aims to establish a coordinated "playbook" to defend the continent against sabotage and security risks.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed the creation of a European Security Council during her annual State of the European Union address. • The proposed leaders' format would include partners such as Ukraine, the U.K., Norway, and Canada to focus on the security of the continent. • This initiative aims to address the nature and scale of security risks posed by the actions of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

• The Atlantic Council released its latest Atlas report analyzing the relationship between political freedom and economic prosperity across ten countries. • The report utilizes a thirty-year dataset covering political, economic, and legal developments to evaluate global trends. • The findings indicate that countries that democratize continue to experience greater economic growth and prosperity over time despite a global decline in democratic governance.

• The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to address rising violence in Yemen and threats to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait shipping route. • UN agencies reported that nearly 100,000 people have been displaced since fighting intensified earlier this month, with thousands fleeing to Djibouti. • Continued insecurity threatens commercial shipping and humanitarian aid for nearly half of Yemen's 41 million people who currently need assistance.

Councillors say locals have been raising concerns about people secretly filming in change rooms, swimming pools and around schoolsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne of Sydney’s largest councils has joined the City of Brisbane and the City of Yarra to issue a ban on AI smart glasses at public pools as concerns mount over the potential for predators to exploit the new technology.On Tuesday evening, Canterbury-Bankstown voted overwhelmingly in favour of banning the tech at its pools, with its mayor, Bilal El-Hayek, describing them as “pervert glasses”. Continue reading...

Fire survivors and bereaved urge Barnet Group to ‘reconsider’ appointment of Laura Johnson, who pushed for cheaper contractorGrenfell survivors and bereaved relatives have criticised the “outrageous decision” to hire a director who oversaw cost-cutting at Grenfell Tower in a £150,000-a-year senior council housing role.Laura Johnson, the director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the 2017 Grenfell fire, has been appointed the permanent director of development and property at the Barnet Group, which manages the borough’s 13,000 council homes. Continue reading...

Operators blame lack of parking and councils bemoan lack of central regulation, as more than 3,000 badly parked bikes seizedLondon boroughs have seized at least 3,000 ebikes this year, a Guardian investigation has found, as hire companies face growing calls to stop bicycles littering streets and blocking pavements.Local authorities across the capital have seized 3,393 hazardously parked or abandoned ebikes so far this year, 23% higher than the number seized during all of 2025. Continue reading...