Author: staff

China accused the United States on Thursday of distorting facts and smearing its political system, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said censorship could not “erase” the memory of Beijing’s crackdown on Tiananmen Square protesters. On 4 June 1989, the Chinese government sent troops and tanks to crush protests calling for political reform in and around the central square in the capital Beijing. The death toll remains unknown and discussion of what happened is censored in mainland China. Rubio said at a news conference on Wednesday that “no amount of censorship can erase the past.” “Those who sacrificed to uphold…

This week’s social debate seems to revolve, on this occasion, around the controversy affecting the huge Spanish‑language music phenomenon. We are talking, of course, about the Casita of Benito Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny: a segment of his concert in which several public figures (until recently, mostly women) dance live in front of the cameras. The event has been criticised by conservative feminists such as Paula Fraga (does it objectify the women in the audience – Marta Ortega, Ester Expósito and others – who appear in it?) but defended by journalists such as Ana Requena and Alejandra Martínez. They argue that…

“Because the parties do not agree with each other, the only possible solution is a prime minister who is independent of the parties in parliament, who will succeed through individual discussions with each of these parties to lead Romania in the direction Romanians want,” Dan said on Thursday. “This means a pro-Western direction, this means preserving financial stability.”  Tomac, a former historian and journalist who has advised Dan on the interests of Romanians abroad, now has 10 days to assemble a cabinet, draw up a government program, and win the backing of parliament. Tomac said he would lead a “technical…

Published on 04/06/2026 – 19:59 GMT+2 Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt pushed back against an EU request that the country scrap internal border checks, arguing that they remain “necessary.” Speaking as EU interior ministers met in Luxembourg on Thursday to discuss the bloc’s recent migration pact, Dobrindt said his country’s border checks are “working.” “The significant number of pushback, illegal migration, the seizure of smuggling gangs, all of this shows how effective these border roles are and that is why we want to continue them,” he told journalists. “We are always flexible, always talking, always adaptable. But yes, we want…

“I was informed that it [took] more than six rounds of talks between the U.S. and the China to prepare the summits which took place between President Trump and President Xi,” he told reporters at a press conference following an OECD ministerial meeting in the French capital. “I think that we have to get to the same level of intensity of the negotiations.” The EU’s goods trade deficit with China widened to €360 billion last year from €312 billion in 2024. It expanded even more sharply in the first quarter of 2026, trade figures show. EU leaders plan to discuss how…

Just days before Armenia’s decisive elections on Sunday, the European Commission declared it was “standing firmly” in its backing of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, stating it was preparing a support package of measures to alleviate mounting Russian economic sanctions against Yerevan due to its pro-Western, pro-EU turn. “By extending export restrictions on Armenian products, Moscow is weaponising economic relations for political pressure,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on Thursday. “We know this playbook all too well. This is why Europe stands firmly with Armenia,” von der Leyen added. Von der Leyen said the…

Accusé par le gouvernement de torpiller l’actualisation de la loi de programmation militaire au Sénat, nargué par Laurent Wauquiez et critiqué par Jean-François Copé et Xavier Bertrand… Anthony Lattier discute avec Elisa Bertholomey et Laura Kayali de la dure semaine de Bruno Retailleau, le candidat LR à la présidentielle, dans le nouvel épisode du Playbook Paris, le podcast de POLITICO.

Published on 04/06/2026 – 15:28 GMT+2 The owner of an illegally operated care home in Sri Lanka was remanded in custody on Thursday, a day after a fire killed 12 residents and injured six others, officials said. Isuru Anushka, of the Maupiya Sewana home located south of the capital Colombo, was ordered to be held until 11 June as investigations opened into Wednesday’s fire, one of the deadliest on the island for decades. A magisterial inquiry into the incident was told by officials that the facility was not authorised to operate as a care home and had not met the…

Published on 04/06/2026 – 16:14 GMT+2 Global steelmaking capacity continues to expand despite weak demand, threatening to push prices lower and distort competition. Steel is a critical material for a wide range of industries, from construction and manufacturing to electric vehicles and data centres. The OECD says government subsidies are a major driver of global overcapacity, with much of the increase in steelmaking capacity over the past two decades taking place outside OECD countries, often with state support. In 2024, the median Chinese steel firm received subsidies equivalent to 15 times those received by producers elsewhere, relative to total assets,…

For the first time since Europe’s air transport recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, passenger traffic has fallen year-on-year. The number of flyers across the European airport network dropped by -0.7% in April 2026 compared to the same month last year, according to European airport trade body ACI EUROPE. The group says that while marginal, the decline “marks a significant milestone”. Why are fewer people flying in Europe? ACI EUROPE says April’s performance reflects a combination of factors, including the conflict in the Middle East, the partial shift of the Easter holidays into March this year, and industrial action heavily affecting…