Ursula von der Leyen is facing challenging negotiations to create her new College of Commissioners, with economic portfolios among the most coveted by European Union member states.

Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Czechia, and Romania have all indicated they hope to claim one such portfolio, with the one including the Budget highly sought after.

“We have the Multiannual Financial Framework to be negotiated in the next term. This will be a very difficult and very heavy dossier, but it will also be something which will be very determining the priorities of the years to come,” Janis Emmanouilidis, a senior policy analyst at the European Policy Centre (EPC), told Euronews.

France is also in contention for a strong portfolio as it has nominated Thierry Breton, now Commissioner for the Internal Market, to stay in Brussels for a second term.

“There is always a great interest in Competition and Trade, areas where the EU has a lot of competence,” Sophia Russack, a researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), told Euronews.

“The same applies to those that have a particularly high impact on the budget, for example the cohesion and agriculture funds, which together represent around a third of the entire EU budget,” she added.

We also have to say that in some countries there are internal procedures, for example, that the Parliament and or the President have to agree with the choice of the Prime Minister.

In these power plays, Ursula von der Leyen can also use defence, a new portfolio dedicated to the military industry, seen as very relevant due to the war in Ukraine.

The Mediterranean – linked to migration management – and housing will also have dedicated commissioners for the first time.

To complete the “puzzle” and designate executive vice-presidents, the centre-right Commission chief will also have to take into account which political parties backed her re-appointment in the European Parliament in July.

“One can assume that again – given that she is from the EPP, the Conservative Party – there should be a Socialist, a Liberal, and potentially a Green, among the top positions in the Commission,” Emmanouilidis said.

Italy, the EU’s third-biggest economy, has yet to officially indicate its candidate. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni abstained during the European Council vote to renew von der Leyen at the helm of the bloc’s executive.

The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), to which Meloni’s party Fratelli d’Italia belongs, became the fourth biggest political group in the European Parliament and voted against von der Leyen’s confirmation. What portfolio Italy will get is one of the hottest topics in Brussels.

Another trump card to use in the negotiations with the 27 capitals is gender balance, as requested by von der Leyen whose first college achieved parity. But fewer than 10 women have been nominated so far by governments to head to Brussels.

“She can argue that if the country offers a very good candidate, then it can also offer her a very interesting portfolio. There are these kinds of backroom deals that can be made to put pressure on member states. So it’s a mix of gender, political and geographical issues – a very complex agreement to implement,” Emmanouilidis said.

On Wednesday, Portugal nominated former Finance Minister Maria Luís Albuquerque, but Denmark announced a male name, Dan Jørgensen, former Minister of Climate and Energy.

“The issue of gender is also a sign of current times. Parliament itself is currently made up of fewer female members than it was in the past, not even 40 per cent. But we also have to say that in some countries there are internal procedures, for example, that the Parliament and or the President have to agree with the choice of the Prime Minister,” Russack said.

After receiving all the names, von der Leyen will conduct individual interviews and present the final selection to the European Parliament, which will hold hearings with the 26 candidates. If some are rejected, new names must be presented until the entire team is approved in a plenary session.

France hands Telegram CEO Pavel Durov preliminary charges

French judges have issued preliminary charges against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the messaging app.

Authorities have barred him from leaving France pending further investigation. Durov is both a Russian and French citizen.

Durov’s charges came after he was released from police custody and transferred to a court for more questioning earlier Wednesday.

Placing Durov under formal investigation does not imply guilt or necessarily lead to trial. It means that authorities think there’s enough to the case to place him under judicial supervision.

Authorities have ordered him to pay €5 million bail and to report to a police station twice a week, according to a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office.

Authorities opened a formal investigation into Durov on suspicion of insufficient cooperation with authorities regarding criminal investigations and aiding and abetting criminal offenses on his messaging app, among other things, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said.

The 39-year-old was arrested at a Paris airport on Saturday on a warrant related to Telegram’s lack of content moderation.

He was being investigated on charges relating to a number of crimes, including allegations that his platform was complicit in aiding drug trafficking, fraud and child abuse.

Upon being arrested, the Telegram boss was placed in custody for 96 hours, the maximum amount of time someone can be held under French law before being charged.

Durov’s arrest in France has caused outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically-motivated and proof of the West’s double standard on freedom of speech.

French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that Durov’s arrest wasn’t a political move but part of an independent investigation.

Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which focuses on digital rights, told DW that it was impossible to adjudge whether the arrest was an attack on free speech as yet.

Numerous allegations and classes of criminal activity have been outlined against the Telegram billionaire, she said, adding that no one has pointed to anything concrete yet.

She said she is skeptical when governments say that social media platforms are failing to go after criminals because governments have very different ideas of “who does and does not qualify as a criminal”.

UN vehicle in Gaza hit by Israeli army gunfire

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has said it was “pausing the movement of its employees in Gaza until further notice after a WFP team came under fire on the evening of August 27, a few metres from an Israeli checkpoint at the Wadi Gaza bridge”.

It issued a statement of its own after bullets were fired at a humanitarian convoy in Gaza, as it was a WFP vehicle that was struck.

“Despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach, the vehicle was directly struck by gunfire as it was moving towards an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) checkpoint,” the WFP said describing the incident.

“It sustained at least 10 bullets: five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of the vehicle. None of the employees onboard were physically harmed.”

Its statement included an image of a WFP vehicle with several clear bullet impact points visible on both of the windows on the drivers’ side doors of the vehicle.

“This is totally unacceptable and the latest in a series of unnecessary security incidents that have endangered the lives of WFP’s team in Gaza,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “As last night’s events show, the current deconfliction system is failing and this cannot go on any longer. I call on the Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to act immediately and to ensure the safety and security of all aid workers in Gaza.”

Israel kills 10 Hamas militants in large-scale operation on West Bank

At least 10 Hamas militants have been killed in a large-scale operation unfolding across the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces.

“Large forces” had entered the cities of Jenin and Tulkarem, and the long-standing Al-Faraa refugee camp, Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani confirmed.

He said Israeli forces killed three militants in an airstrike in Tulkarem and four in an airstrike in Al-Faraa.

Five other suspected militants were arrested, he added, before confirming that the raids were the first stage of an even larger operation.

It comes as the US announced sanctions against an Israeli organisation, Hashomer Yosh, allegedly responsible for supporting settler violence in the West Bank against Palestinians.

The US stated that after 250 Palestinian residents of a West Bank village were forced to leave, Hashomer Yosh volunteers fenced off the village to prevent residents from returning.

Nigeria becomes first in Africa to receive mpox vaccines – WHO

The World Health Organisation says Nigeria is the first country in Africa to receive mpox vaccines, aimed at combating the spread of the new strain of mpox virus.

In a statement WHO stated that Nigeria received 10,000 doses of mpox vaccines on Tuesday.

On Auguist 14, the chief of the World Health Organisation declared the rise of mpox, formerly monkeypox, a public health emergency of international concern.

Following his announcement, the chief,Tedros Ghebreyesus, said he was working with partners to facilitate equitable access to vaccines.

The United States government has donated the Jynneos (MVA) vaccine to Nigeria, and it is set to be distributed in five of the country’s states, where the most mpox cases have been detected.

“We are pleased to receive this modest initial donation of the mpox vaccine, which is safe and efficacious,” Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, said. “We will continue to strengthen surveillance and be vigilant to prevent and control mpox.”

The MVA vaccine will be given to 5,000 people most at risk of the virus in a two-dose schedule. This includes “close contacts of mpox cases and frontline healthcare workers, with a provision for reactive vaccination in other states as the need arises,” according to WHO’s regional office for Africa.

PetroSaudi top executives convicted for stealing US$1.8b from 1MDB

The Swiss Federal Criminal Court on Wednesday convicted two executives at an oil exploration company accused of embezzling over US$1.8 billion from Malaysia’s state investment fund 1MDB.

The verdict was the latest episode in the 1MDB scandal, a complex tale of international corruption that has buffeted a slew of financial institutions and individuals across the globe since allegations of wrongdoing first surfaced in 2015.

Prosecutors alleged that Swiss-British national Patrick Mahony and Swiss-Saudi Tarek Obaid, helped to set up a joint venture with 1MDB by creating the impression that their company, PetroSaudi, was backed by the Saudi government.

This was not, in fact, the case, but the accused managed to persuade 1MDB’s board into signing up to the scheme in 2009 before going on to defraud the fund, prosecutors said. Obaid was sentenced to seven years in prison by the court, while Mahony received a sentence of six years.

Paralympic Games open with spectacular ceremony at Champs-Élysées

Paris was back in the spotlight on Wednesday as athletes marched along the Champs-Élysées to commemorate the opening of the Paralympic Games.

Just weeks after the French capital hosted the Olympics, 4,400 athletes with disabilities, permanent injuries or impairments will now compete in 22 sports in the upcoming 11 days. It is the first time Paris has hosted the Paralympic Games, which will run from August 29 to September 8.

Last night’s opening ceremony showcased “the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody”, according to the artistic director for this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Describing the concept as “first and foremost a magnificent source of inspiration”, Thomas Jolly promised “performances that have never been seen before” in a “spectacle that will unite spectators and television audiences worldwide around the unique spirit of the Paralympic Games”.

Osimhen offered €120m to leave Napoli

Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, has been offered a stunning €120million contract to join Al Ahli. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Saudi Arabian club are willing to pay Osimhen an annual salary of €30million for four years. It is believed that negotiations are on between the two parties.

Officials from Al Ahli are expected to fly into Europe to meet wth Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, this week. If the player says yes, the two clubs will try to agree on the transfer fee.

Osimhen has also been linked with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, but the summer window is set to close by midnight on August 31.

However, the transfer window is open in Saudi Arabia until October 6.

Photo: EPA-EFE/TOMS KALNINS