Republicans in the US Senate on Wednesday (7 February) defeated a bipartisan effort to bolster border security that had taken months to negotiate, but said they could still approve aid for Ukraine and Israel that had been tied up in the deal.

More than 100 websites disguised as local news outlets in Europe, Asia and Latin America are pushing pro-China content in a widespread influence campaign linked to a Beijing public relations firm, digital watchdog Citizen Lab has found.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the Czech debate on joining the Eurozone being moved forward ‘significantly’, the EU threatening Portugal with sanctions over conservation failings, and so much more.

Équilibre des énergies (EdEn), a French think tank, issued its recommendations for the next EU term of office (2024-2029). In exclusivity for Euractiv France, the group stresses the need for a European industrial strategy that is properly geared towards the climate and the economy, rather than a collection of targets.

Mediators from the US, Qatar and Egypt scrambled to forge a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in their four-month-old war in the Gaza Strip after America's top diplomat on a Middle East mission said there was still hope for a deal.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said she supports a centrist approach to combat crises and political extremism ahead of European elections, calling on citizens not to vote for extremism out of frustration in an exclusive interview with Euractiv.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has published a statement clarifying the decision to enforce Article 11 of the constitution regarding a single official currency in the face of increasing criticism from the EU and the US after Serbia claimed it amounts to a ‘ban’ on the Serbian dinar, still used illegally in Kosovo’s Serb-majority north.

The forthcoming Digital Networks Act offers a unique opportunity to future-proof EU connectivity policy to deliver the greatest value for European society - in support of the EU’s overarching ambitions: technology leadership, competitiveness, climate neutrality, and resilience.

The US and Saudi Arabia are now putting consumers in front of their responsibilities with reduced investment in oil & gas supply. It now forces consuming countries to act and deliver on their COP28 pledges, writes Dr. Thierry Bros.

China has encouraged the EU to continue making positive efforts to promote dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and hopes it will play a constructive role as a mediator, Chinese Ambassador Li Ming said following a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

Parliament elected Ivan Turudić as the new Attorney General on Wednesday, further deepening the divisions in the already deeply polarised Croatian political scene.

Romania received a warning on Wednesday for failing to fully comply with the Landfill and Waste Framework Directives despite having already been fined by the European Court of Justice in December.

Bulgarian authorities are preparing amendments to the country's criminal code to allow prosecution of the Kremlin regime for the war of aggression against Ukraine, Bulgarian Justice Minister Atanas Slavov told Euractiv Bulgaria.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev secured a fifth consecutive term in elections on Wednesday (7 February), official results showed, an expected outcome after his country's historic victory over Armenian separatists last year.

Lawmakers from the Law and Justice Party (PiS) tried to storm the Polish parliament on Wednesday, forcing security to allow two expelled ex-lawmakers, Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik, to enter.

The EU Commission started legal proceedings against Portugal at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Wednesday in two individual cases for its alleged failure to comply with a ruling on the conservation of sites considered Special Areas of Conservation and threatened sanctions.

Senegal's recent decision to delay presidential elections until December "taints the long tradition of democracy" in the country and should be reversed, the EU has said, after the move plunged the normally stable West African nation into crisis.

The list of fringe parties in Germany aiming for a seat in the European Parliament is getting longer, as climate activists want to “really shake up” politics this time.

At least six of the 18 MEPs in the EP far-right French RN party’s delegation have already signed or will sign on Thursday a resolution tabled by their Belgian Vlaams Belang colleague, Tom Vandendriessche, calling for the Green Deal to be “abolished”. 

The Czech discussion of joining the Eurozone has moved forward significantly, European Affairs Minister Martin Dvořák told Euractiv Czechia, despite having his “envoy for euro“ delegate cancelled after they were appointed without prior approval from coalition partners.