Tony Blair launched a devastating attack on Wednesday against the Labour government led by Keir Starmer, warning that his own party "is playing with fire" and risks downgrading Britain from the "elite of nations". The intervention of the former prime minister comes just weeks before some key by-elections that could decide the future of the Labour Party, writes POLITICO.

Romania, Poland, and the Baltic states are eagerly making the case for receiving more American troops after Donald Trump and other US officials talked about a possible troop withdrawal from Germany, according to Politico US . Last month, the fiery US president said he would pull 5,000 or more soldiers from Germany, a traditional host of American forces since the Second World War. The withdrawal comes after German chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran had “humiliated” the US with its negotiation tactics over the Hormuz Strait closure.