Former top civil servant Olly Robbins told the British parliament that Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office pressured officials to expedite the screening process for Peter Mandelson. Robbins, who was recently dismissed from his post, stated that the office demanded the vetting be completed as quickly as possible.
President Donald Trump announced that eight women facing execution in Iran will be released following his request for a goodwill gesture ahead of upcoming negotiations. However, Iranian judicial authorities have denied that any plans for the executions were actually in place.
Iranian parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammed Qalibaf has demanded that the United States end its naval blockade of Iranian ports to facilitate a genuine ceasefire. Qalibaf criticized the current truce extended by President Donald Trump as meaningless while the blockade and global economic disruption persist.
Dutch Asylum Minister Bart van den Brink announced that the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) will assess on an individual basis whether Syrian asylum seekers can safely return to parts of their home country. This policy shift could lead to the denial of residence permits in the Netherlands if internal relocation within Syria is deemed a viable option.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema estimates that holding a standalone referendum on a potential boycott of Israel would cost the city approximately 2.19 million euros. While costs could be significantly reduced by combining the vote with other scheduled elections, there is currently no majority support in the city council for the proposal. The estimate accounts for increased costs in labor, paper, and polling locations due to inflation.
Mayor Femke Halsema has stated that holding a standalone referendum in Amsterdam regarding a boycott of Israel would cost an estimated 2.19 million euros. The proposal currently lacks majority support in the city council and faces a negative recommendation from the referendum commission, though costs could be reduced if the vote were held alongside regular elections.