On 1 June 2023, the European Commission presented the maritime safety package, focused on introducing modernised maritime safety and security rules on port state and flag state control, maritime accident investigation and ship source pollution. The package also includes a proposal to revise the Regulation on EMSA. The revised regulation would give EMSA new and more numerous tasks. The regulation mandates the agency to provide EU Member States and the Commission with technical, operational and scientific assistance, to ensure maritime safety, security and the maritime sector's green and digital transition. The agency would also receive adequate human and financial resources to fulfil its role. The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) adopted its report on 7 December 2023. Parliament adopted its first-reading position on 12 March 2024. Following agreement in trilogue negotiations, the Council adopted its position at first reading on 15 October 2025. Following the TRAN committee's recommendation for second reading, Parliament approved the proposal at second reading on 13 November 2025. Published in the Official Journal on 29 December 2025, the new regulation enters into force on 18 January 2026. Fourth edition of a briefing originally drafted by Karin Smit-Jacobs and subsequently updated by Monika Kiss. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Directive 2005/44/EC on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways ('RIS Directive') establishes rules on RIS to ensure the safety, efficiency and environmental protection of inland waterways in the EU. On 26 January 2024, the European Commission put forward a proposal to amend the RIS Directive with a view to addressing certain shortcomings. The amending directive should provide better-quality information, reduce efforts to collect basic information, reduce the need to re-register cargo information and report cargo information to ports, save costs through electronic processing of cargo information instead of on paper, save time spent planning voyages, save time on reporting requirements and improve navigation efficiency. In the European Parliament, the file has been assigned to the Committee on Transport and Tourism. The Council introduced several changes to the proposal, mainly with a view to making the existing rules clearer and more coherent from a technical perspective. On 26 June 2025, the Council and Parliament reached a political agreement. The proposal was adopted by Parliament at first reading on 7 October and then by the Council on 27 October. The directive entered into force on 1 January 2026, and has tSecond edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.o be transposed into Member States' law by 2 January 2029. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Europe's culture and cultural heritage are fundamental to EU values and identity, providing space for discussion, engagement and debate. Culture also fosters a European sense of belonging and social cohesion, strengthens communities, and drives innovation and economic competitiveness. The New European Agenda for Culture, which has provided a framework for EU cultural policy since 2018, is replaced by the new Culture Compass for Europe, published by the Commission on 12 November 2025. Considered to be the most ambitious EU strategic framework for culture to date, it is overarching and coherent, placing culture, as promised, at the very heart of the European project and identity. It also emphases the importance of culture for individuals, communities and the EU. The new Culture Compass for Europe is built on four pillars: European values and cultural rights; conditions for artists and cultural professionals and how culture supports people; cultural sectors; and international cultural relations. It describes what is already in place and proposes 20 flagship actions. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Emily Atack's Christmas carousel of photos have sparked an outrageous reaction from her followers, who have accused the actress to using weight-loss jabs.

If you thought the fallout of the death of George Floyd was complex, brace yourself for another law enforcement-related killing about to divide America

The TV presenter, 52, was replaced mid-show by Mark Chapman, who dashed over from his radio programme to take her place as the show's anchor.

An alarming new study has linked several preservatives commonly found in some cured meats, toothpaste, salad dressings, ketchup and mustard with an increased risk of developing cancer.

Zahid Mirza skipped bail before he was jailed in absentia for two-and-a-half years over his role in what was then Britain's largest ever counterfeit drugs conspiracy.

ISRO is exploring the possibility of establishing physical infrastructure in orbit Read Full Article at RT.com

South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham has said US President Donald Trump has ‘greenlit’ a Russia sanctions bill Read Full Article at RT.com

Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto has slammed Kiev’s Western European backers over plans to deploy troops to Ukraine Read Full Article at RT.com

According to Chernichuk, the Ukranian attacks pose a serious threat to nuclear safety

According to Sachs, Washington’s actions represent «a particularly egregious case»

Singaporean R Shanmugaratnam and Briton James Henry O'Sullivan were sentenced to jail on Tuesday (Jan 6) for falsifying accounts in relation to collapsed German payments company Wirecard, according to police on Thursday.Shanmugaratnam, 59, received 10 years' jail time, while O'Sullivan, 51, got 6.5 years.Both were convicted on Sept 22, 2025, following a joint trial between July 31, 2023 and Feb 21, 2025 over 26 days, police stated.Shanmugaratnam is a director of a local accounting and auditing company, Citadelle Corporate Services Pte Ltd, who was alleged to have issued 13 balance confirmation letters to Wirecard entities between March 2016 and April 2018.The letters were found to have fraudulently represented to Wirecard, its subsidiaries, and its auditors that Citadelle held over €1.1 billion ($1.6 billion) in Wirecard funds in escrow accounts.Shanmugaratnam was subsequently convicted of 13 counts of falsification of accounts.

Effective consumer protection policy ensures that the single market functions properly. It safeguards consumers’ rights against traders and provides extra protection for vulnerable consumers. Consumer protection rules can boost market outcomes overall. They promote fairer markets and, with better consumer information, foster greener, more social outcomes. Empowering consumers and safeguarding their interests are key EU policy goals. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The organisation and operation of the European Parliament are governed by its Rules of Procedure. Its political bodies, committees, delegations and political groups guide Parliament’s activities. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Humanitarian aid is an area of EU external action that responds to needs in the event of human-made or natural disasters. The Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations funds relief operations and coordinates Member States’ policies and activities. Parliament and the Council act as co-legislators in shaping the EU’s humanitarian aid policy and take part in the global debate on more effective humanitarian action. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Over 57,000 Malaysians renounced their citizenship and moved to Singapore within a five-year period up to Dec 17 last year, Harian Metro reported on Wednesday (Jan 7).Speaking with the Malaysian publication, Malaysia's National Registration Department director-general Badrul Hisham Alias said that a total of 61,116 Malaysians relinquished their citizenship within the time frame, with 93.78 per cent of them (around 57,315) heading for Singapore, 2.15 per cent to Australia and 0.97 per cent to Brunei.He added that women were the majority of those relinquishing their citizenships — totalling 35,356 — while an average of 10,000 Malaysians give up their citizenship each year.«The decision to relinquish Malaysian citizenship is largely driven by economic and family factors,» he explained in an interview with Harian Metro.«In the case of Singapore, many Malaysians are employed there, and employment prospects and income levels make it easier for them to obtain citizenship.»Most Malaysians who marry foreign spouses and migrate overseas cite family reasons for changing their nationality, Badrul explained.

The Ministry of National Development (MND) and HDB will be studying the voting process for the Home Improvement Programme (HIP), said Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat.Speaking to the media on Thursday (Jan 8) after a visit to ParkEdge @ Bidadari, Chee said that the voting threshold for HIP is an issue that the ministry is «studying heavily», after recent voting exercises for upgrading estates failed to proceed when they did not meet the threshold. «We want to help the estates that are older to go through HIP,» the minister said, emphasising that the ministry has observed that reaching the threshold may be significantly more challenging for blocks with fewer units. Launched in 2007, HIP helps upgrade older HDB flats and address common maintenance issues. For HIP to proceed, at least 75 per cent of a block's eligible Singaporean households will have to vote for it. 

«China opposes and fights all forms of hacking in accordance with the law,» Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the US, stressed

In his opinion, such incidents are happening is because radical left activists are resisting and targeting US law enforcement officers on a daily basis

According to him, «the whole illusion has shattered in the past four days»

Police have not yet arrested the suspect

According to Japanese Prime Minister Minoru Kihara, Japanese-Russian relations are currently in a difficult situation

Des compteurs EDT nouvelle génération pour les familles de Tahiti. Ce vaste chantier d’installation a été lancé depuis 2024. Il devrait se poursuivre jusqu’en 2030 pour la zone de Tahiti nord allant de Papara à Papenoo.  

Le gouvernement polynésien a entériné la liste des substances et procédés interdits dans le sport pour l’année 2026. Une décision qui inscrit la Polynésie française dans le cadre du Code mondial antidopage en vue des Jeux du pacifique de 2027 et renforce les outils de prévention et d’information à destination des sportifs. 

Après la période festive et son lot de gourmandise et d'abus... Place, pour certains, au Dry January : le Janvier sans alcool. Un mois sans la moindre goutte, c'est le défi, une expérience bénéfique aussi bien pour la santé que pour le portefeuille

US President Donald Trump has spoken over the phone with Colombia’s Gustavo Petro amid a diplomatic row Read Full Article at RT.com

Clean, safe water is as precious as gold for many residents of Blantyre. While essential for human health, a reliable tap supply remains a distant reality across much of the city. Numerous neighborhoods have now endured five to seven days without piped water, forcing a return to drawing water from wells and boreholes for daily […] The post Water Crisis Deepens in Blantyre as Residents Endure Days Without Supply appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda has launched an all-out legal offensive against what his lawyers describe as blatant abuse of state power, filing an urgent appeal in the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal to challenge a controversial 90-day remand warrant that has kept him behind bars. In a move that signals […] The post Chimwendo Banda Takes the Fight to the Highest Court, Vows No Surrender in Battle for Justice appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.