17 h. ago EU states back controversial Mercosur deal with Latin American countries

Agreement after 25 years of negotiations prompts farmers to block roads in Paris, Brussels and WarsawEurope live – latest updatesEuropean Union member states have backed the biggest ever free trade agreement with a group of Latin American countries, ending 25 years of negotiations but stoking further tensions with farmers and environmentalists around the bloc.The contentious Mercosur deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, prompted immediate protests in Poland, France, Greece and Belgium, with farmers blocking key roads in Paris, Brussels and Warsaw. Continue reading...

Economics

28 h. ago Why Spain’s prime minister has broken ranks in Europe – and dared to confront Trump

Outrage at the US, close ties with Venezuela and mounting domestic challenges have prompted Pedro Sánchez to take a standSpain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, rarely utters the words “Donald Trump” in public. Since the US president took office, Sánchez has typically referred to the US administration and its president without explicitly naming him. This was initially interpreted as a calculation designed to avoid personal confrontation, but even without using Trump’s name, Sánchez has managed to deliver harsher criticism of the US president’s aggression than any of his fellow European leaders.This week, Sánchez did not wait for a joint EU statement to issue judgment on the US’s illegal military intervention to capture the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro: he swiftly joined Latin American countries in condemning it. A few hours later he went even further, saying the operation in Caracas represented “a terrible precedent and a very dangerous one [which] reminds us of past aggressi...

Politics

4 d. ago Europe’s failure to condemn Trump’s illegal aggression in Venezuela isn’t just wrong – it’s stupid | Nathalie Tocci

The more European countries act as colonies, unable and unwilling to stand up to Trump, the more they’ll be treated as suchThere is no two without a three, as we say in Italian. After their complicit silence on Israel’s war crimes in Gaza and their tacit acceptance of the US/Israel attack on Iran, Europeans now hesitate to condemn the US’s audacious military operation to bring about regime change in Venezuela. With few notable exceptions – such as Spain, the Netherlands and Norway – most European leaders have fudged their response. Spain, in fact, has acted without its EU partners, condemning the US attack alongside a group of Latin American countries. European governments seem unable to utter in the same breath that, although Nicolás Maduro was an illegitimate dictator, the US attack to topple him is a gross violation of international law.The French president, Emmanuel Macron, the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, at least...

Events

4 d. ago Five countries Donald Trump could turn to next after Venezuela takeover

The world is bracing for Donald Trump's next move as he threatens action against host of countries including allied territory, the Middle East and more South American land-grabs

Politics

4 d. ago Female solo traveller reveals the country she will never return to due to its 'horrific' treatment of women

American traveller Chloe Jade, who has visited 167 countries and has acknowledged 'hardship' experienced by locals in some nations, has shared three places she has has no plans to return to.

Politics

2 w. ago King Charles and Prince William set to visit the US in 2026 to woo Donald Trump amid trade talks

The visits are being timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of American independence and come as negotiations continue between the two countries over a trade deal.

Politics