7 h. ago The Guardian view on special Trump treatment for Hungary: roll on the next election | Editorial

As polls suggest that Viktor Orbán’s authoritarian rule is under threat, Brussels can only wait and hopeDuring the US presidential election campaign of 2016, Viktor Orbán was the only European Union leader to back Donald Trump. Which was hardly surprising. Whether in relation to the the normalisation of great replacement theory, or the bullying and harassment of the media, Mr Orbán more or less wrote the playbook for the Maga movement. The former White House strategist Steve Bannon has eulogised Hungary’s prime minister as the “Trump before Trump”.Last week, ahead of crucial Hungarian elections in less than six months’ time, the US president returned some political favours. As Mr Orbán seeks a fifth consecutive term presiding over a nation which he boasts of having turned into an illiberal democracy, his Fidesz party trails in the polls. As well as a few signed Maga baseball caps, an Orbán visit to Washington yielded considerably more valuable pre-election gifts. Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago Top diplomats will talk with Ukraine's foreign minister at the G7 meeting in Canada

Top diplomats from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies are meeting Ukraine’s foreign minister in Canada as Ukraine tries to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country ahead of winter

Politics

21 h. ago The EU has let US tech giants run riot. Diluting our data law will only entrench their power | Johnny Ryan and Georg Riekeles

The GDPR is Europe’s defence against digital oligarchy, child harm and foreign political interference. Deregulation plans are misguidedEurope is hurtling toward digital vassalage. Under Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, EU laws to tackle tech giants have been either not applied or delayed, for fear of offending Donald Trump. Now leaked documents reveal that the European Commission plans to gut a central part of Europe’s digital rulebook. This will hurt Europe’s innovators and hand the future of Europe’s tech sovereignty to US firms.Once Europe’s most hyped law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is now on the chopping block. Powerful forces within the European Commission, supported by the German government, hope that deregulation will boost Europe’s tech sector, particularly AI. This is a grave mistake.Johnny Ryan is director of Enforce, a unit of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. Georg Riekeles is the associate director of the European Policy ...

Science

57 h. ago The Latest: Supreme Court upholds its decision legalizing same

The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide

Events

5 d. ago Trump suggests he’s open to exempting Hungary from sanctions on Russian oil

US president also praises Viktor Orbán’s hardline stance on immigration during White House summitDonald Trump has suggested that he could exempt Hungary from sanctions on importing oil from Russia as he praised Viktor Orbán’s hardline stance on immigration during a cozy White House summit.Trump also called on European leaders to show more respect to the Hungarian prime minister, who has clashed repeatedly with fellow EU heads of government over issues of migration, democracy and rule of law. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Kremlin denies rumours Lavrov sidelined by Putin over failed Trump summit

The seasoned diplomat was conspicuously absent from a significant Kremlin meeting

Politics

5 d. ago Putin ‘sidelines’ Russia’s veteran foreign minister after ‘blaming him for collapse of Trump summit’

Putin and Trump were expected to meet in Hungary - until Lavrov spoke with Marco Rubio last month

Politics

5 d. ago Belgian drone sightings could be linked to talks on using frozen Russian assets, says German minister – as it happened

This blog is now closedThe 35-year-old French man suspected of ramming his car into pedestrians and cyclists on Île d’Oléron earlier this week have been charged with attempted murder, French media reported.The local prosecutor’s office has also asked for him to be detained ahead of the trial. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago European Commission mulls AI Act delays after Trump and business pressure

Spokesperson says ‘reflection is still ongoing’ over whether to postpone ‘targeted parts’ of legislationBusiness live – latest updatesThe European Commission is considering plans to delay parts of the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, after intense pressure from businesses and Donald Trump’s administration.The commission confirmed that “a reflection” was “still ongoing” on delaying aspects of the regulation, after media reports that Brussels was weighing up changes with the aim of easing demands on companies. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Belgian drone sightings could be linked to talks on using frozen Russian assets, says German minister – Europe live

Boris Pistorius warns that Russia continues to seek to ‘sow doubt, divide us and influence elections’ in EuropeBack to Belgium, news agency Belga is reporting that ministers have provisionally reached an agreement on the proposed €50m package of measures to strengthen the country’s anti-drone systems.The proposal still requires some finetuning before it can be formally adopted by the government, the agency added. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Viktor Orban is back in the White House again – doing Putin’s dirty work for him

Viktor Orban and Donald Trump are no fans of democracy, pro-Putin, and have one point of friction which will not ignite during their meeting in Washington DC. World affairs editor Sam Kiley explains why this is good for the Kremlin

Politics

5 d. ago EU tightens rules on visas for Russians amid ongoing Ukraine aggression – Europe live

Russian nationals will no longer be able to receive multiple-entry visas, and have to apply individually every time they plan to travel to the EUThe European Commission has adopted stricter rules for issuing visas to Russian nationals to enter the European Union in response to what it said were “increased security risks stemming from Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine.”Under the new rules, “Russian nationals will no longer be able to receive multiple-entry visas,” and have to apply individually every time they plan to travel to the EU, the commission said. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Airports in Belgium disrupted again by suspected drone sightings – Europe live

Drone sightings reported near Brussels and Liège airports just hours after national security council meeting on the emerging threatsBrussels and Liège airports in Belgium faced disruptions overnight once again over suspected drone sightings, just hours after the Belgian government’s national security council discussed its response to the emerging threats.Both airports reported limited effect on their operations. Continue reading...

Society

6 d. ago US and European energy leaders in Greece to talk ways to better supply Ukraine

Energy ministers from the United States and Europe have gathered in Athens as the Trump administration seeks to increase gas exports to Europe

Politics

9 d. ago Ukraine Russia war latest: Trump claims Moscow is carrying out ‘secret’ underground nuclear weapons tests

Trump told reporters he was N’not really” considering a deal to sell Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, but could change his mind

Events

1 week ago Trump's comments on nuclear testing upend decades of US policy. Here's what to know about it

President Donald Trump has suggested the U.S. will restart nuclear weapons testing, a move that upends decades of American policy

Events

1 week ago San Francisco mayor proposes denser housing to tackle affordability crisis

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is pushing to build more homes to address the city's housing crisis

Events

2 w. ago US withdrawing some troops from Europe after Trump’s warning to Nato allies

Trump said in September that Washington could increase its troop presence in Poland

Events

2 w. ago Forget diplomatic niceties: it's beyond time Europe denounced Trump's trashing of democracy in the US | Paul Taylor

The convention to stay out of allies’ internal affairs does not apply. What happens in America does not stay in AmericaWhat do you do when you discover your best friend is abusive to their partner at home? That question, or something similar, should be addressed to European leaders – and indeed to all of us in the European public space, who are watching, often speechless, as Donald Trump takes a cudgel to the institutions of American democracy.For the last nine months, European leaders have bitten their tongues, looked the other way and engaged in flattery, appeasement and wild promises to keep the US president sweet and engaged in European security. The overwhelming imperative for Trump to stand with Europe against Russia over its war on Ukraine – or at least not against us and alongside Vladimir Putin – has led them to swallow unrealistic defence spending targets and unbalanced trade terms. For what gain?Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre Continu...

Politics

2 w. ago Zelensky says Ukraine will work on ceasefire plan ‘in next 10 days’ and urges Trump to ramp up pressure on Putin

The Ukrainian president has been pushing for US weapons to pressure Putin into agreeing to a ceasefire

Politics