The centrist Democrats 66 (D66) party scored major gains in the Dutch parliamentary elections, emerging neck-and-neck with Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) as 90% of votes were counted. Both parties were projected to win 26 seats in the 150-member lower house, marking a sharp fall for Wilders from his record 2023 performance and a near tripling of seats for D66. The result positions 38-year-old D66 leader Rob Jetten as the frontrunner to form the next government and potentially become the Netherlands’ youngest-ever prime minister.

At D66’s election night event, jubilant supporters cheered and waved Dutch flags as Jetten declared the victory “a farewell to the politics of hate and negativity.” His campaign focused on addressing housing shortages, boosting education, and managing immigration, themes that resonated strongly with voters seeking stability and optimism after two years of political turbulence.

While Wilders acknowledged disappointment over losing seats, he vowed to continue his political fight from the opposition benches. Coalition talks are expected to be challenging, as at least four parties will be needed to secure a 76-seat majority. A possible alliance could involve D66 joining forces with the conservative Christian Democrats, the centre-right VVD, and the Greens-Labour bloc, but negotiations may stretch for months before a new government takes shape.

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Spain’s cabinet on Tuesday approved a landmark bill that would transfer the responsibility for criminal investigations from court magistrates to public prosecutors, marking the most significant reform to the country’s justice system since 1882. Justice Minister Félix Bolaños said the move aims to modernize Spain’s outdated legal framework and align it with other European democracies, ensuring that “judges are there to judge and execute judgements, while investigations are carried out by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.”

Under the proposed law, judges would still oversee prosecutors to safeguard fundamental rights and procedural fairness, with the power to confirm or revoke prosecutorial decisions. The draft bill also limits the influence of “private prosecutions” by removing the ability of political parties and trade unions to initiate criminal cases, allowing only organizations with a legitimate link to the matter to do so independently.

The reform faces a tough path in Spain’s fragmented parliament, where the minority leftist government has struggled to pass major legislation. Opposition parties, including the far-right Vox and the conservative People’s Party, have criticized the proposal, warning it could weaken judicial independence. Madrid’s regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso called the move a step toward “popular justice — the most unjust of all.”

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Norway’s military intelligence agency has confirmed that Russia conducted a test launch of its nuclear-powered long-range cruise missile, Burevestnik, from the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya last week. The weapon, known by its NATO designation SSC-X-9 Skyfall, is touted by Moscow as capable of evading any existing defense systems.

Russia had announced on Sunday that the 9M730 Burevestnik, also called the “Storm Petrel,” was successfully tested, but did not disclose the location of the launch. The confirmation from Norway marks the first independent verification of where the test occurred, shedding light on a development that has raised security concerns among NATO members.

Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensoenes, head of Norway’s Intelligence Service, said in an emailed statement to Reuters that his agency had verified the launch site at Novaya Zemlya. The Arctic region has long been used by Russia for weapons testing, underscoring its growing military focus in the polar areas amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

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