Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today!
Latvia’s centre-right prime minister has resigned over her government’s handling of Ukrainian drones that strayed into Latvian territory from Russia, bringing down her coalition government months before elections due in October (10:00, 10:24, 10:58).
Her resignation was caused by a political disagreement between the prime minister and the Progressives party, her left-leaning coalition partner, which withdrew its support over her decision to fire the defence minister, Andris Sprūds, over the drone incident (13:18).
The country’s president, Edgars Rinkēvičs, will convey on Friday informal political consultations that will look for a new majority in the parliament to rule the country until the election this autumn (12:40).
Meanwhile,
At least seven people were killed and dozens injured in intensive Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight, with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling for “a just response to all these strikes” and further pressure on Moscow (9:52, 13:37).
Neighbouring Hungary (11:25) and Slovakia (11:51) both condemned the attacks, which partially targeted the area across the border, with the new government in Budapest even summoning the Russian ambassador (15:52).
Several EU leaders condemned the attacks, including the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz (13:59) and the French president, Emmanuel Macron (14:20).
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Updated
Poland's capital registers first same-sex marriage in milestone moment for LGBTQ movement
Poland’s capital, Warsaw, registered its first same-sex marriage on Thursday, implementing court rulings that require the country to recognise same-sex marriages registered abroad, AP reported.
The European Union’s highest court in November ordered Poland to register same-sex marriages that were entered into in other EU countries even if Polish law does not currently permit them.
In March, Poland’s supreme administrative court cited that ruling in ordering authorities to recognise the marriage in Germany of two Polish men.
“This morning we issued the first transcription of a marriage certificate for a same-sex couple, in accordance with the court rulings,” Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski announced.
AP said the mayor also promised his city would proactively recognise other Polish same-sex marriages registered elsewhere in the EU even without a specific court ruling.
Jakub Cupriak-Trojan and Mateusz Trojan, who married in Berlin in 2018 but had been repeatedly refused recognition in Poland, confirmed they had finally received their Polish marriage certificate, AFP said.
AP noted that Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said earlier this week that his government would find ways to implement the rulings as soon as possible, and, addressing same-sex couples, apologised “to all those who, for many years, felt rejected and humiliated.”
Tusk appealed to Polish officials, regardless of their personal opinions, “to respect the dignity of each individual and to remember that these people live around us, among us, near us, and that they deserve the same feelings of respect, dignity and love as any other person.”
LGBTQ+ individuals for decades have been fighting for equal rights in Poland, where same-sex marriage and civil partnerships are illegal. None of the rulings mean that Poland is obliged to legalise same-sex marriage, AP noted.
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