Eurotopics.net

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham of the Labour Party, has won the by-election for a seat in parliament representing the Makerfield constituency. As an MP in London, he can now challenge the embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a leadership election. If successful, he would become the new head of government.

The European Parliament has approved the deregulation of plants developed using genetic editing technology in food production. The new directive will mean that if the plant in question could in theory have been bred in a certain way naturally – i.e., no foreign genes have been introduced – the labelling requirements and most environmental assessments will no longer apply.

Prices for chicken, an important and affordable staple food, have risen by between 150 and 250 percent in Turkey since the start of the year. The Turkish Competition Authority had already identified a price-fixing cartel in 2025 and imposed heavy fines on 13 poultry companies. Now the Ministry of Justice has placed those same firms under trustee supervision. The national press questions this strategy.

The US and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war. US President Donald Trump signed the document at the Palace of Versailles, while Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian signed it digitally, according to a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran. The Strait of Hormuz is now to be reopened with immediate effect. Further issues – including what will happen with Iran's nuclear programme – are to be negotiated over the next 60 days.