World
Brussels goofiest gifts: the weird world of EU Parliament gifts
A corruption scandal involving Chinese tech giant Huawei reignited discussions earlier this year around gifts and donations received by EU lawmakers.
While MEPs often find themselves on the receiving end of such tokens of appreciation, the whole gifting affair remains a delicate matter in Brussels and Strasbourg
According to the European Parliament’s code of conduct, MEPs must steer clear of gifts worth more than €150.
If a gift crosses that line, it lands in the hands of Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who then acts as judge, jury, and occasional reluctant gift recipient.
All these treasures (and some definite oddities) are logged in a public register and tucked away safely behind a locked door in Brussels, accessible only when an MEP asks to visit the collection.
We took a peek behind the door of this cabinet of curiosities and were left scratching our heads.
A dagger from far beyond
Among the stranger entries: a traditional Indonesian dagger called ‘Keris Luk 7 Pandawa’ – and no, it’s not part of the EU plan to boost defence investments in Europe.
The dagger made quite a journey: gifted during a parliamentary mission to Indonesia, passed to the vice-chair of the development committee, who later handed it over to the chair in a committee meeting.
The ceremonial blade now quietly sits in Brussels, just in case.
A flag from farther beyond
The European Space Agency reached for the stars when it gifted Metsola an EU flag that had been to the International Space Station.
That’s right, among the pens and plaques no one really wants, there’s a piece of space history.
Eurovision wannabes
In what might be the most optimistic pitch of all time, Italian singer Stefano Picchi sent Metsola a CD – yes, in 2023 – with 11 songs and even a chord booklet, in case the Maltese president felt like jamming.
One track was a tribute to late President David Sassoli, which Picchi hoped could be performed at the Eurovision Song Contest that year. A slight snag: Picchi was never chosen to perform in Eurovision – despite being listed in the Parliament’s archives as a 2022 Eurovision song contest participant.
Among the songs, there was also one Picchi claimed to have written with Pope Francis by quoting from some of the pontiff’s speeches, a type of divine telepathic coproduction
Modern art
Representing the “modern art” category: a reproduction of a nude female figure from Cyprus, gifted by Annita Demetriou, the President of the Cypriot parliament.
It’s modelled after an ancient idol housed in the Pierides Museum. Cultural, sure – but maybe not what you’d expect to unwrap at the office.
Radio days are so back
European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib recently caused a stir by showing off a 72-hour emergency kit featuring, among other things, a portable radio.
Critics called her alarmist – until a blackout hit the Iberian Peninsula last week and everyone realised a little old-school tech isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Portable radios earlier made their way to Irish MEPs as gifts from Irish music rights organisations. So yes, vinyl might be trendy, but radios are still practical.
Sports memorabilia
Roberta Metsola was also gifted a signed jersey from Spain’s national women’s football team – the year before they won the World Cup. Call it a lucky charm.
She also received a signed Dinamo Kyiv shirt, and the European Parliament’s own rugby team made the list with commemorative gear from their historic Parliamentary World Cup debut.
Booze, books, and bric-a-brac
Some things never go out of style. Alcohol is still a go-to gift, with MEPs receiving everything from Scotch whisky to Bordeaux wines and French champagne. When in doubt in life, as at the European Parliament, bring a bottle.
Also scattered throughout the archives: traditional musical instruments like the viola braguesa from Portugal, a Moldovan kaval, and a Moroccan Arabic lyra.
But for every gem, there’s a handful of touristy trinkets: keychains, pins, mini-monuments, and enough paperweights to sink a filing cabinet.
Basically, a Brussels-style flea market behind locked doors.
World
Secret Service Agent Assigned to Jill Biden Shoots Self in Leg
A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to former First Lady Jill Biden accidentally shot himself in the leg early on Friday near Philadelphia International Airport, according to a source familiar with the incident.
In a statement that did not mention Biden, the Secret Service said the incident occurred just after 8:30 a.m. EST and the agent suffered a non-life-threatening injury.
“There was no impact to the protectee’s movement and they were not present at the time of the incident,” the statement said.
The agent “accidentally discharged his firearm” while traveling in an unmarked SUV near the airport, Philadelphia Police Department Cpl. Jasmine Colón-Reilly said in a statement.
Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and the agent was transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in stable condition, Colón-Reilly said.
“The Secret Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility will be reviewing the facts and circumstances of this incident,” the Secret Service said.
The Secret Service is responsible for providing security to current and former presidents, vice presidents and their families and foreign leaders and is also an investigative agency.
—
(Reporting by Christian Martinez in Los Angeles; editing by Scott Malone and Chris Reese)
World
Body found in search for missing American Airlines flight attendant in Colombia: mayor
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A mayor in Colombia announced that a corpse had been discovered and was likely that of an American citizen who had gone missing.
Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, a 32-year-old American Airlines flight attendant from Texas, had gone missing while in the foreign country, according to reports.
“Since last Sunday, we have been searching for Eric Gutiérrez, a U.S. citizen who is missing,” Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez noted in a Friday post on X, according to a translation from Spanish.
AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANT VANISHES DURING COLOMBIA LAYOVER: ‘HIS FAMILY IS DESPERATE’
Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez speaks during a press conference on Dec. 19, 2025. (JAIME SALDARRIAGA / AFP via Getty Images)
“Unfortunately, a lifeless body has just been found between the municipality of Jericó and Puente Iglesias,” he noted.
“There is a very high probability that it is this person,” the mayor explained.
COLOMBIAN MILITARY PLANE CRASH KILLS AT LEAST 66, HEAD OF ARMED FORCES SAYS
Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina (CDColExt/X)
“We are heartbroken by the tragic passing of our colleague,” American Airlines noted in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Saturday.
‘AMERICAS COUNTER CARTEL COALITION’: INSIDE THE US STRATEGY TO COMBAT NARCO TERROR, CONFRONT CHINA, OTHER FOES
An American Airlines Airbus A321 departs from Harry Reid International Airport on March 11, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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“Our thoughts and support are with his family, loved ones and colleagues during this difficult time, and we are doing all we can to assist Colombian law enforcement in its investigation,” the company added.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report
World
Hundreds of thousands march through London in stand against the far right
London, United Kingdom – Hundreds of thousands of people have marched through central London in what organisers are calling the largest ever demonstration against the far right in British history.
The Together Alliance march, backed by about 500 groups including trade unions, antiracism campaigners and Muslim representative bodies, brought together a diverse crowd of all ages from across the country on Saturday, converging on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament.
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Organisers said that half a million people took part.
Kevin Courtney, chairman of the Together Alliance, told crowds the march “gives us all confidence to carry on.”
London’s Metropolitan Police put the figure considerably lower, at approximately 50,000, though officers acknowledged it was difficult to reach an accurate figure given how spread out the crowds were.
The protest was met with a far smaller group of counterprotesters waving Israeli flags and Iran’s pre-1979 monarchical flag.
Aadam Muuse, a trade union activist, told Al Jazeera that racism and Islamophobia had moved from the fringes into mainstream politics, and was “being pushed by parliamentarians”.
He said the march was “much needed to push back against [Reform leader Nigel] Farage and his ilk,” adding that the populist party “must be defeated at the ballot box”.
Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic, reporting from the march, said demonstrators were pushing back against what they saw as “the politics of hate and division” in the United Kingdom.
One demonstrator, activist and writer Hamja Ahsan, told Al Jazeera he was motivated to attend after a rally organised by the far-right agitator-activist Tommy Robinson that drew 150,000 people and was marred by violence that injured several police officers. Robinson is reportedly planning another rally in May.
“We need to show them that we’re the majority,” Ahsan said. “At a street level, the far right won’t take over our streets.”
He said the atmosphere on Saturday was akin to the Notting Hill Carnival, as the march united people from all backgrounds, “from pensioners to children”.
Museum worker Charlotte Elliston told Al Jazeera that she also feels unsettled by the far right’s creeping rise.
“You think this would never happen here, and then all of a sudden this might happen,” she said. “You see that it is getting scary.”
Several left-wing politicians joined the demonstration.
Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn posted on X that the “problems we face are not caused by migrants or refugees”, arguing they were rooted instead in “an economic system rigged in favour of corporations and billionaires”.
MP Zarah Sultana said on X, “There’s one minority we should be angry at: the billionaires funding division while working class people can’t make ends meet.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski, Dianne Abbott and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham were also among the crowds.
‘Historic demonstration’
The rights group Amnesty UK hailed the “historic demonstration”, saying marchers were “calling for a different vision of society – one which places dignity, compassion and human rights at its heart”.
A separate march organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which assembled at Exhibition Road near Hyde Park, converged with the main demonstration during the afternoon.
Eighteen people were arrested outside New Scotland Yard on Saturday after staging a protest in support of Palestine Action, the protest group which remains proscribed under the Terrorism Act despite a High Court ruling in February that the government’s decision to ban it was unlawful.
The march comes amid rising racism as Farage’s Reform party surges in the polls.
Hope Not Hate, an antiracism campaign group, warned earlier in March that the British far right is now “bigger, bolder and more extreme than ever before”.
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