30 h. ago There is a way to turn Trump’s chaos into an opportunity. Here is what European leaders must do | Paul Taylor

The EU, the world’s biggest single market, can reposition itself and become less reliant on exporting goods to the US and ChinaThis is why America first doesn’t have to mean Europe last.Europeans have had plenty to mope about since Donald Trump entered the White House not quite three months ago. The US president has said that the EU was created to “screw the United States” and slapped punitive tariffs on European goods. He has cast doubt on the US commitment to defend Nato allies. He has cosied up to Vladimir Putin, insulted Volodymyr Zelenskyy and tried to settle Russia’s war in Ukraine on terms that would undermine European security. His vice-president has denigrated European democratic values, and his national security team has spewed venom in a Signal chat at “pathetic” Europe.Finally complete the European capital markets union and banking union to unleash the cross-border investment power of some €3tn in European savingsStrike trade deals with countries and regions around the w...

Politics

2 d. ago Orbán’s stance on Ukraine pushes Hungary to brink in EU relations

Member states are considering removing the country’s voting rights after its attempts to stymie support for KyivThe posters are going up all over Hungary. “Let’s not allow them to decide for us,” runs the slogan alongside three classic villains of Hungarian government propaganda.They are: Ukraine’s wartime leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; the European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen; and Manfred Weber, the German politician who leads the centre-right European People’s party in the European parliament, which counts Hungary’s most potent opposition politician among its ranks. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago US ready to abandon Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress, says Marco Rubio

Secretary of state threatens to pull plug ‘within days’, as Kyiv says it has signed mineral deal memorandumRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesThe US will abandon its efforts “within days” to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine unless there are clear signs a settlement can be reached, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said, as Kyiv says it has signed a memorandum with the US over a controversial minerals deal.Speaking in Paris on Friday after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders, Rubio said Donald Trump was still interested in a deal. But he added that the US president had many other priorities around the world and was willing to move on unless there were signs of progress. Continue reading...

Economics

4 d. ago Giorgia Meloni to try to act as bridge between EU and US with Trump meeting

Italian PM’s summit with US president provokes trepidation among some European allies• Europe live – latest updatesGiorgia Meloni will attempt to burnish her credentials as a possible bridge between the EU and the US during a high-stakes summit with Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday, the first European leader to meet the US president since he announced and then paused some of his planned trade tariff hikes.Italy’s far-right prime minister, who has nurtured friendly relations with Trump, arrived in Washington on Wednesday night. The pair will have lunch at 12pm local time before the meeting in the Oval office, which will be attended by a pool of White House reporters and Italian journalists. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Giorgia Meloni aiming to act as bridge between EU and US in Trump meeting

Italian PM’s summit with US president has provoked trepidation among some European allies• Europe live – latest updatesGiorgia Meloni will attempt to burnish her credentials as a possible bridge between the EU and the US during a high-stakes summit with Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday, the first European leader to meet the US president since he announced and then paused some of his planned trade tariff hikes.Italy’s far-right prime minister, who has nurtured friendly relations with Trump, arrived in Washington on Wednesday night. The pair will have lunch at 12pm local time before the meeting in the Oval Office, which will be attended by a pool of White House reporters and Italian journalists. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago US officials to meet European leaders in Paris to discuss Ukraine war

Trump envoys to meet Macron as well as British and German politicians to discuss concerns about RussiaTwo of Donald Trump’s top national security aides will hold talks in Paris on Thursday with European politicians and security advisers, as the US and Europe search for common ground on ending the Ukraine war and averting an Iran conflict.The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, are expected to hear concerns about Russia amid so-far fruitless US attempts to arrange a ceasefire three years after Russia invaded its neighbour. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago City with 'festivals in its DNA' to host major summit of European arts event leaders

The event is to take place at the base of the Edinburgh International Festival

Politics

7 d. ago Mickey Rourke's 'slashed' Celebrity Big Brother pay check uncovered after axing

Mickey Rourke agreed with Celebrity Big Brother bosses that it was time for him to be axed from the show, but his early departure has left him with just a fraction of the pay he was expecting

Politics

1 week ago Shipping companies to pay for carbon dioxide produced by vessels

Compromise deal falls far short of carbon levy poor countries were hoping forShipping companies will have to pay for the carbon dioxide produced by their vessels for the first time, under new rules agreed by the world’s maritime watchdog.But the regulations agreed on Friday fall far short of the levy on CO2 that poor countries were hoping for, which would have funded their efforts to combat the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Marine Le Pen ruling is fuel for the global right’s attacks on court authority

Rightwing and populist leaders are seizing on conviction to push narrative they are being silenced – but legal experts disagreeThe three-word message, launched minutes after the verdict came in, was succinct in its solidarity. “Je suis Marine!” Hungary’s Viktor Orbán posted on social media after France’s far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, was found guilty of embezzling European parliament funds and barred immediately from running for public office.Messages soon came tumbling in from Brazil to Belgium, hinting at how rightwing nationalist and populist leaders had seized on the ruling to push their own narrative. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Trump reveals his bold response to world leaders who BEGGED for tariff trade deal... as he gives chilling warning to China

The president, 78, told reporters onboard Air Force One that he has spoken to European and Asian leaders since his worldwide tariffs went into effect - devastating the world's stock markets.

Events

2 w. ago European football: Pablo Barrios strikes late as Atlético keep leaders honest

Win over Sevilla closes gap to Real Madrid and BarcelonaGladbach’s teenage goalkeeper’s clean sheet streak endsPablo Barrios scored deep in added time to give Atlético Madrid a much-needed 2-1 La Liga win at Sevilla on Sunday that ended their month-long six-game winless run in all competitions.Eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 on penalties by old rivals Real Madrid and knocked out of the Copa del Rey in the semi-finals by Barcelona, Atlético kept their slim hopes of claiming the league title alive after the leaders, Barça, and Real both dropped points on Saturday. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Airport Theory’ is a ridiculous conceit. Here’s mine, though

The Man Who Pays His Way: Do you agree that ‘early is on-time and on-time is late’?

Politics

2 w. ago What does Australian sovereignty look like? It’s a question we now must answer thanks to Donald Trump | Julianne Schultz

Confidence in American reliability is tumbling in every poll. As tariffs kick in, how can we adjust to not having a great superpower as our protector?Prof Hugh White, the esteemed yet critical analyst of Australian defence policy, took a deep breath, surveyed the men he had spent a lifetime debating, and said: “Donald Trump is doing us a favour.” He is proving that our old assumptions are “all wrong”.White knew this was a provocation, but maybe one whose time had come. Malcolm Turnbull agreed that this was a debate we needed to have. As the shopping list election campaign sidesteps the changed world order, the 29th prime minister used his convening power to host a forum at the press club about the bigger underlying issues.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago EU leaders hold their first summit with Central Asian states

The leaders of the European Union and five countries of Central Asia are holding their first summit to discuss ways to boost trade and other ties

Politics

2 w. ago EU urged to put human rights centre stage at first central Asia summit

Bloc to discuss trade, security and energy with leaders of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and TurkmenistanThe EU is being urged to put human rights centre stage as it begins its first summit with the leaders of central Asia.The president of the European Council, António Costa, and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, are meeting the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on Friday. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Macron suggests pause on US investment as EU leaders condemn Trump tariffs

Von der Leyen calls tariffs ‘a major blow to world economy’ while calling for last-ditch negotiationsEuropean leaders have condemned Donald Trump’s tariffs as “fundamentally wrong” and creating an “immense difficulty for Europe”, while appealing for last-ditch negotiations to avert an all-out trade war.The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said Trump’s decision to impose tariffs was “brutal and unfounded” and appeared to call for a suspension of French investment in the US until the tariffs were clarified. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Israel executes unarmed Red Crescent paramedics with the west’s blessing | Ahmed Moor

American and European leaders are the authors of this latest atrocity by their Israeli colleagues in GazaThe Guardian reports that Israeli troops “killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers one by one”. “One by one” is another way of saying one person after another, which is another way of saying premeditated murder. Fifteen times over.Dr Bashar Murad, the director of health programs at the Palestine Red Crescent, told reporters that one of the men who was executed by the Israelis was on the phone with colleagues. The victim had been injured and was requesting help. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago France’s left is celebrating Le Pen’s conviction. But gloating will make it harder to beat the far right | Georgios Samaras

Beware the backlash strategies used by Trump and Berlusconi. It is vital that the National Rally leader isn’t able to capitalise on this verdictThe verdict is in: the National Rally (NR) and its leader, Marine Le Pen, have been found to have employed fictitious European parliament assistants between 2004 and 2016. The fraudulent scheme enabled the misappropriation of around €2.9m in European funds, and Le Pen has now been barred from holding public office for five years. Could this mark the end for the National Rally? Highly unlikely – and the reason lies in the party’s strategy.During the trial, Le Pen deliberately maintained silence in response to the allegations – a tactic some outlets dismissed as evidence of a weak defence, even questioning her credibility. Yet this quiet is far from a sign of weakness; it reflects a long-established approach that consistently shuns conventional manoeuvres in favour of an intentionally unpredictable stance.Georgios Samaras is assistant professo...

Politics

2 w. ago Impact of tariffs laid bare on eve of ‘significant day in history of the world’

Ireland and European leaders are braced for US President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ for the US economy.

Politics