16 h. ago Macron reportedly warned European leaders ‘there is a chance that the US will betray Ukraine’ – Europe live

German magazine Der Spiegel has reported the warning, quoting a leaked note from a recent call between the European leadersBut on a more serious note, we are hearing that German chancellor Friedrich Merz has postponed his planned visit to Norway scheduled for Friday and will travel to Brussels instead.Merz will travel to Belgium for a private dinner with Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, his spokesperson said in comments reported by Reuters. Continue reading...

Events

36 h. ago European Commission plans ‘reparations loan’ to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets

Leaders focus on bolstering Ukraine’s finances as US-Russia talks to end war make little progressThe European Commission will move ahead with controversial plans to fund Ukraine with a loan based on Russia’s frozen assets, but in a concession to concerns raised by Belgium, which hosts most of the assets, the EU executive has also proposed another option: an EU loan based on common borrowing.The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday the two proposals would ensure “Ukraine has the means to defend [itself] and take forward peace negotiations from a position of strength”. Continue reading...

Events

37 h. ago Nato ‘ready to do what it takes’ to protect Europe, as Russia denies rejecting Ukraine peace plan – Europe live

Mark Rutte’s response comes after Vladimir Putin’s comment that Russia was ‘ready’ for war with EuropeEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is now briefing the media after the commission’s weekly meeting, presenting the bloc’s plan to help fund Ukraine’s continuing fight against Russia.I will bring you the key lines here. Continue reading...

Politics

38 h. ago EU pushes ahead with plan to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine as Moscow denies rejecting US peace plan

Kremlin says Putin did not reject peace plan but found some parts of the deal ‘unacceptable’European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is now briefing the media after the commission’s weekly meeting, presenting the bloc’s plan to help fund Ukraine’s continuing fight against Russia.I will bring you the key lines here. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Von der Leyen warns against ‘carving up’ of Ukraine amid crunch US

Commission president says undermining of sovereign European nation would ‘open the doors for more wars’The European Commission president has warned against “the unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation” as Europe scrambles to assert influence over the US’s attempt to end the war in Ukraine.Speaking to European lawmakers in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen said Russia showed “no signs of true willingness to end the conflict” and continued to operate in a mindset unchanged since the days of Yalta – the much-criticised and misunderstood 1945 summit to settle the postwar order. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago EU chief warns against ‘unilateral carving up of nation’ with Ukraine deal – Europe live

Comments by Ursula von der Leyen come as Europe scrambles to respond to US efforts to end the warIn case you missed it, US president Donald Trump defended his peace envoy Steve Witkoff overnight after Bloomberg reported that he allegedly advised Putin’s aide Ushakov on how to speak with Trump and conduct the talks.Trump did not appear too bothered by it, though. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Macron and Merz must look at themselves if they want to stop Europe sliding to the far right | Shada Islam

Political elites in Europe’s ‘mature’ democracies warn of external threats – but at home they normalise racism and undermine the rule of lawEurope’s leaders cannot stop talking about democracy. President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to kickstart a democratic “resurgence”, and Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, has warned of an “axis” of autocratic states targeting liberal democracy in Europe. Having promised to “fight” for what she calls European “values”, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has just announced a new “democracy shield” and a Centre for Democratic Resilience to prevent foreign interference and deal with external threats. I keep hoping for similar scrutiny of democratic backsliding within the EU – but so far it has not happened.Foreign interference, disinformation and the creeping illiberalism of Hungary, Poland and Slovakia deserve attention. But lost in this fretting is a more inconvenient truth: within Europe’s “mature” democracies, ...

Politics

1 week ago Bears in the backyard, wolves at the door: Greek villages have a growing predator problem

Populations of brown bears and wolves are burgeoning in Greece, thanks to conservation efforts

Politics

3 w. ago Ukraine's army chief visits besieged city as Zelenskyy confronts graft scandal

Ukraine’s top military commander says he has visited troops holding the front line in the key eastern city of Pokrovsk, which is besieged by a bigger Russian force, to coordinate operations in person

Politics

3 w. ago Starmer and Von der Leyen agree on need for rapid progress on Brexit reset deal

They agreed formal talks would begin on food and drink and emissions trading deals.

Economics

3 w. 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

3 w. ago Von der Leyen dodged Starmer request for meeting on EU money demands

European Commission president had ‘scheduling’ issues at COP30 summit in Brazil and did not meet the UK premier

Politics

3 w. ago EU plans Centre for Democratic Resilience to fight online disinformation

Move follows ‘escalating hybrid attacks’ by Russia and other foreign powers spreading fake articles across social mediaThe EU executive plans to create a Centre for Democratic Resilience to counter disinformation from Russia and other authoritarian regimes, according to a leaked paper.The European Commission intends for the centre to bring together expertise across the EU and from countries seeking to join the bloc to fight foreign information manipulation and interference. The idea forms the centrepiece of the so-called “democracy shield” pitched by the commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, when she sought a second term before the 2024 European elections. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago EU plans hub to tackle disinformation threat from Russia and others

Move follows ‘escalating hybrid attacks’ by Russia and other foreign powers spreading fake articles across social mediaThe EU executive plans to create a Centre for Democratic Resilience to counter disinformation from Russia and other authoritarian regimes, according to a leaked paper.The European Commission intends for the centre to bring together expertise across the EU and from countries seeking to join the bloc to fight foreign information manipulation and interference. The idea forms the centrepiece of the “democracy shield” pitched by the commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, when she sought a second term before the 2024 European elections. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Fury at 'outrageous hit job' on British taxpayers as Brussels 'demands UK pays into EU budget' for first time since Brexit under Starmer's 'reset'

The Prime Minister and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck a new agreement in May that Sir Keir claimed would 'move on' from past spats.

Economics

3 w. ago Brussels 'to step up demands' for Britain to pay into the EU's budget for the first time since Brexit as part of Keir Starmer's 'reset' deal

The Prime Minister and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck a new agreement in May that Sir Keir claimed would 'move on' from past spats.

Economics

4 w. ago EU agrees on new emissions targets before global climate summit in Brazil

The European Union has announced plans to slash carbon emissions by 90% by 2040

Events

4 w. ago Putin orders increased drone 'incursions' in Europe as Russia ramps up 'hybrid war'

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the pattern as 'hybrid warfare'. She said Russia's goal is to 'sow division' inside Europe.

Events

last month Australia adds Reddit and Kick to social media platforms banning children under 16

Australia has added Reddit and Kick to its list of social media platforms that must ban children under 16 from having accounts

Events