During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will give a speech on 26 November 2025. Its focus will be the EU’s position on the proposed plan and its engagement towards a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
Disclaimer: Comments considered in breach of our social media moderation policy may be removed. You can take a look at it here: https://europa.eu/!q4KMP8
Follow us on:
-X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission
-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeancommission/
-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanCommission
-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-commission/
-Medium: https://medium.com/@EuropeanCommission
Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
The Business and Trade Committee is holding the final session of its inquiry into the challenges faced by small businesses in the UK. The Committee will be hearing from the National Trading Standards, Companies House, the National Crime Agency and the Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation, Blair McDougall MP.
The focus of this session is for the Committee to:
– Understand the scale and growth of illicit trade on the high street
– Explore the response to enforcement agencies to organised crime groups operating in town centres
– Evaluate the Department’s approach to implementing the Plan for Small and Medium Sized Businesses
– Explore the Department’s response to the emerging findings from the Committee’s small business inquiry
💶 We’re building the digital euro to give you more choice in how you pay. It’ll be easy, private, secure – and always there when you need it.
A solution that always works, made in Europe, for everyone in Europe✨
Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
The Education Committee holds the final session of its inquiry into the threat of insolvency facing a growing number of universities, and the relationship this has with government policy towards international students.
Witnesses in this session will include the Higher Education Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith, a senior official from the Department for Education and the Chief Executive of the Office for Students, Susan Lapworth.
There are concerns that fees from international students are providing less income than previously forecast for many universities, and that a significant number of institutions are running deficits.
The panel is likely to face questions on whether a special insolvency regime should be put in place to ensure continuity for students, protect staff and minimise disruption, were a university to become insolvent.
The cross-party Committee may explore whether weaknesses in governance and financial planning may have exacerbated the threat of insolvency in some universities.
MPs are also likely to ask the Minister what impact the Government’s proposed levy on international students’ fees may have on universities’ financial stability; as well as the impact of proposed reforms to immigration rules that affect international students.
Did you know that economic violence affects 12% of women in the EU? While awareness of sexual and physical violence has grown, economic abuse is often misunderstood and remains largely in the shadows.
In this video, we explore the three main types of economic violence – control, exploitation and sabotage – and touch on what needs to be done to tackle it.
By putting the facts in focus, we take a closer look at what charts and numbers can tell us.
🔔 Remember to like and subscribe!
🔬 Sources
EU Agency for Fundamental Rights: an EU-wide survey on violence against women https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2014/violence-against-women-eu-wide-survey-main-results-report
Surviving Economic Abuse: Statistics on financial and economic abuse https:/survivingeconomicabuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Statistics-on-economic-abuse_March-2020.pdf
European Institute for Gender Equality: Data collection on economic violence in the EU https:/eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/EIGE_Factsheet_EconomicViolence.pdf
📱 Stay connected with us
ECB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeancentralbank/
ECB LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-central-bank/
ECB WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaN2TDTEquiHqZTiHo2v
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this video do not necessarily reflect those of the ECB. The information presented is:
• of a general nature and not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual or entity;
• sometimes linked to external websites over which the ECB has no control and for which the ECB assumes no responsibility;
• not intended to constitute professional or legal advice.
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
🎥 The official launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children takes place today, led by Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga. South Africans are called to unite in action to protect women and children, and to end GBVF together.
Security Council briefing by Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, on the Middle East.
UN senior official for the Middle East Ramiz Alakbarov reiterated that the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza “must be fully implemented,” urging “the parties to urgently reach an agreement on the modalities to implement the next phases.”
The Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator at the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) spoke to the Council via video link.
He noted that since coming into effect last month, the ceasefire has largely held in Gaza. However, recent Israeli airstrikes on populated areas have caused numerous casualties and significant destruction. Palestinian militants in Gaza have also continued sporadic attacks on Israeli soldiers causing fatalities.
The Resident Coordinator said that families in Israel have been reunited with their loved ones, who were held hostage by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups under intolerable conditions in Gaza, “but the bodies of three hostages have yet to be returned, with families waiting in agony for that day to come.”
“The bodies of the deceased hostages must be returned immediately,” he reiterated.
Alakbarov also underscored that all efforts must be made to identify missing Palestinians. These families also deserve closure.
The Resident Coordinator highlighted that with the ceasefire largely holding, the United Nations has redoubled efforts to mobilize and scale up humanitarian assistance – “seizing the moment to reach the population wherever they are.”
He said, “We must not risk a reversal. The coordinated international effort needs to be expanded, both in the immediate term to consolidate the ceasefire, and over the longer term to realize a more secure and just future for all.”
Alakbarov also highlighted that the decisions made now will determine whether the ceasefire endures or unravels, adding that UN resolutions, including Security Council resolution 2803 (2025), and President Trump’s 20-point plan provide that pathway forward.
He said, “The United Nations remains committed to seizing this critical opportunity to move from crisis management to conflict resolution,” adding that “all our efforts must be guided by the imperative of establishing a genuine political process that will resolve the Israeli – Palestinian conflict once and for all.”
The Resident Coordinator continued, “The New York declaration and initiatives such as the Global Alliance for the Two-State Solution can play a vital role. They mobilize political will, investment, and solidarity around a shared political vision.”
Turning to developments in Lebanon, Alakbarov reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for the parties to “uphold their obligations to maintain the cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701.”
He also echoed the Secretary-General’s call for “an immediate cessation of all violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and for respect for the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.”
Today, Gary Tyler is a renowned fiber artist and activist. But he was once the youngest person on death row in the U.S., a man unjustly incarcerated at just age 17. He talks with World Economic Forum video producer Kateryna Gordiychuk about how his experience in prison introduced him to the medium and shapes his art. Gary worked as a volunteer during the AIDs epidemic in one of the first prison hospice programs in the country. The need to fund the program led Gary to learn quilting to raise money that could aid both the dying men and their families who wouldn’t be able to travel to see their loved ones otherwise. The experience drove home for Gary the need for mercy and advocacy in systems where people cannot advocate for themselves. Today, his art explores themes of freedom and individuality and he speaks frequently on the contributions any individual can make, regardless of their circumstance.
This interview was recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland January 2025.
About this episode:
About Gary’s Art: Library Street Collective: lscgallery.com
Related Podcasts:
Meet The Leader – Ballerina Misty Copeland: Unlocking potential and a leader’s most ‘vital’ role
Meet The Leader – ‘I’ll show you a real leader’ – Platon, the photographer of power, on finding humanity in all of us
Meet the Leader – Adam Grant: Future leaders won’t succeed without this key trait https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVVIpttzUA
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It provides a global, impartial and not-for-profit platform for meaningful connection between stakeholders to establish trust, and build initiatives for cooperation and progress.
Find out more below:
World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/wef
LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-economic-forum
Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/
Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/worldeconomicforum/
X ► https://twitter.com/wef
TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@worldeconomicforum
WhatsApp ► https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaDcHBKGZNCihKxwiD0L
Threads ► https://www.threads.com/@worldeconomicforum
Flipboard ► https://flipboard.com/@WEF
