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Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin behind President Emmanuel Macron. Ludovic Marin / AP 

The protests in France  

French left-wing leader demands the resignation of the interior minister  

The Socialist Party in France is demanding the resignation of Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Police Chief Frédéric Veaux and politician Laurent Nuñez following the protests in the country, according to Euractiv. 

- All three violate the rules of the republic, says party leader Olivier Faure.  

The background story is that a police officer was arrested on July 20, suspected of beating a young man during the riots in Marseille. This led to police colleagues, and subsequently police officers in large parts of the country, not showing up for work in protest. Since police officers are not allowed to strike, many called in sick.  

When the trio above took the side of the police, they received harsh criticism, especially from the left. Olivier Faure questions whether there is "still a pilot in the Élysée Palace" and whether the president "can guarantee the independence of the judiciary".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian Parliament. TT 

NATO process Sweden's application  

Fidesz boycotts voting on NATO membership - Sweden must wait for an announcement  

Hungary's parliament has a planned vote on Swedish membership in NATO on Monday, which appears from the parliament's agenda. The program item is requested by Speaker László Kövér following the opposition's demands, and the assembly in parliament is scheduled for 1 p.m.  

But the ruling Fidesz party is expected to boycott the meeting, according to the Hungarian independent newspaper HVG. Then even the meeting's agenda cannot be approved. The newspaper writes that it is therefore "almost certain" that there will be no vote on Sweden's NATO membership on Monday.  

According to Fidesz politician Zsolt Németh, who chairs the parliament's foreign affairs committee, the decision is not urgent. Since Turkey is expected to vote on the matter only this autumn, Hungary can still keep its promise not to be the last country to ratify the Swedish application. According to HVG, the Hungarian politicians gather after the summer on September 25. 

Since the NATO meeting in Vilnius at the beginning of July, Hungary has declared that the country will say yes to Swedish membership.  

Fire on Rhodes on 24 July. Petros Giannakouris / AP  

The climate threat|The Greek forest fires 

The minister: Human hands are behind most of the fires  

 

A majority of the 667 fires that have broken out in Greece in recent weeks are due to "human hands", either through negligence or intent. That's what the country's climate minister Vasilis Kikilias says, according to The Guardian. 

 

- The difference to other years is the weather conditions. Climate change, which has produced a historic and unprecedented heat wave, is here. There have been very few days when the extreme weather has not been combined with strong winds.  

 

Friday was the first day in several weeks that the fire brigade and emergency services were not on high alert.  

 

 

Dean Phillips on the right. Jacquelyn Martin/AP  

 

The 2024 US election  

Dean Phillips is considering challenging Joe Biden in the election 

  

Democrat Dean Phillips of Minnesota is considering challenging Joe Biden for the party's presidential nomination. Politico's Jonathan Martin first reported that Phillips will meet with potential donors in New York on Monday, a meeting the 54-year-old later confirmed to CNN.

   

A source tells The Hill that Phillips is talking to various people about running, but has not decided. If he runs, he will be the first high-ranking Democratic politician to challenge Biden.  

Phillips has previously said that Biden is too old to continue as president and that the Democrats need to bring in new blood.