Author: staff

Beijing has warned of retaliatory measures against countries that reach trade agreements with the United States at the expense of China’s interests, as other nations are dragged into the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.In its latest response to the steeply increased US tariffs, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that Beijing “respects all parties’ efforts to resolve their trade disputes with the US through equal consultation.” However, China will not accept any US-led trade deals that harm its interests and will “respond resolutely and reciprocally with countermeasures” to safeguard its rights and interests.In the statement,…

Those candidate countries include Western Balkan countries as well as Ukraine and Moldova which are progressing well (if slowly) on the EU pathway, but also Turkey and Georgia, which have stalled due to democratic backsliding and concerns over the rule of law. While some of the Canadian vibes are good, any decision would, ultimately, belong to the European Commission and the bloc’s member countries. As a note of caution for any excitable europhiles in Ottawa, when the EU’s southern neighbor Morocco applied for membership in 1987, its application was declined on the grounds that it was not a European state.…

He was Brussels’ “chief psychoanalyst,” reminisces one EU official who was there at the time. “He would talk to prime ministers in a personal, insider way,” said the official, granted anonymity to talk in confidence even after all these years. “In the Commission, it was the same. ‘What does this one want?’ ‘What is he asking for?’ ‘Can we make a deal?’ ‘Call them up!’ he would say. “He was the boss, but he won people over. The commissioners were allowed to talk. This was a truly collegial college — people were allowed to exist.” But even under Juncker, the…

It’s a challenge that’s rooted not just in recruitment numbers, but in decades of political decisions that pushed the military to the margins of society. After a sweeping post-Cold War downsizing in 1994 under Chancellor Helmut Kohl, military bases were shut down — especially in cities. With that, according to Carlo Masala, a professor at the Bundeswehr University in Munich and an adviser to the military, the army faded from public life. “Their bases today are out in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “There’s no direct contact for young people.” That disconnect has only deepened in recent years. Conscription…

The remarks point to EU resolve to enforce an extensive package of digital rules that have come in for bitter criticism from senior members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Vice President JD Vance has led the charge against European laws such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), which governs content, or the AI Act, arguing that they censor free speech and stifle innovation in Europe. Two months before the U.S. presidential election, Vance drew a direct link between Washington’s continued participation in NATO and Europe’s digital rulebook, saying the United States could withdraw from the alliance if the EU…

In a world less constrained by international norms and rules, and increasingly governed by sheer power, the strictures that long constrained nuclear proliferation are in danger of loosening — if not untangling altogether. Jan 8 6 mins read

While the Israel military stated that it “regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians,” it argued its soldiers were conducting a “vital mission” targeting Hamas terrorists and reiterated the claim that Hamas uses medical and humanitarian infrastructure “for terrorism, including using ambulances to transport terrorists and weapons.” The report says that “in general” there was no attempt to conceal the event, despite recognizing soldiers buried the bodies and crushed the ambulances, asserting that doing the latter “was wrong.” The military first claimed soldiers opened fire on vehicles without lights or markings approaching in the dark. But after a video recovered from…

Vance’s motorcade remained in the Vatican for 17 minutes altogether, according to media reports. On Saturday, Vance met with the Vatican’s top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, amid friction between Washington and Pope Francis over U.S. President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy. “A cordial conversation took place” between the pontiff and Vance, the Vatican said in a statement. “There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners,” it said. The pontiff in February penned a strongly worded letter to bishops in the…

Zelenskyy vowed to “mirror” Putin’s actions in the Kursk, Belgorod, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, among others. “Ukraine, together with our partners, is ready to move towards peace as constructively as possible, but we need Russia’s readiness,” Zelenskyy reiterated in another message. He also demanded Russia comply with the ceasefire, and insisted on extending it for 30 days. The U.S. has been trying to broker a truce agreement between both sides for weeks, but Moscow rejected a recent offer for a month-long full ceasefire, which Ukraine had already agreed to. While Putin did agree to halt attacks on energy facilities and…

As Macron schmoozes with the king in Windsor Castle, the U.K. and the EU are expected to seal a defense and security pact at a London summit on May 19 to boost military spending across Europe. While defense has served as the first steppingstone in efforts to rebuild EU-U.K. ties, its implications on trade loom large, as the pact could pave the way for further negotiations such as an agri-food standards agreement to reduce trade bureaucracy and EU plans like improved mobility for young people and students. In fact, defense pact is hinging on whether the U.K. will make concessions…