Author: staff

Europe is shifting into defence mode. From warnings of a possible clash with Russia to calls for hundreds of thousands of troops, EU leaders say the threat is real and growing. Brussels has introduced its most ambitious military plan to date, called Readiness 2030. The plan includes substantial new funding and aims to improve the speed at which troops can be moved across Europe. But is the EU actually ready for war? Can Europe defend its borders if tensions escalate? Will cutting red tape and upgrading infrastructure be enough to move armies in time? And as Brussels pours billions into…

“If Europe were to name a special envoy, the question is who does that person represent? Who do they report to?” Volker asked. “If it were [Commission President Ursula]von der Leyen, that sidelines Kaja Kallas and the External Action Service [the EU’s diplomatic corps] — most envoys have typically been within the action service, but then that would be at such a low level when they need to talk to Putin directly, it wouldn’t work. “But then I can just imagine the discussions in the Commission if it were to be the Council who had an envoy. That would never…

Good morning from Brussels. I’m Mared Gwyn. As you were sleeping, US President Donald Trump warned of “very strong action” if Iran carries through on its threat to execute protesters. The President earlier dismissed Tehran’s offer of talks and told Iranian citizens that “help is on its way.” The Wall Street Journal reports that Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia have been lobbying the US administration to refrain from intervening militarily as speculation over Trump’s next move mounts. The death toll from the regime’s brutal crackdown on demonstrators has now surpassed 2500 according to activist groups, dwarfing the death tolls from…

After formal talks in Tokyo on Tuesday, the two leaders relaxed with an unexpected drum session set to K-pop hits. Wearing matching blue gym suits, they sat side by side and played along to songs including BTS’s Dynamite, as shown in a short video released by the Prime Minister’s Office. The moment was Takaichi’s idea, drawing on her past as a keen drummer. Lee said playing the drums had long been a personal wish and thanked his host for the chance. He added that, like finding a shared rhythm, Japan and South Korea could build trust step by step. The…

China’s trade surplus surged to a record of almost $1.2 trillion (€1.031 trillion) last year, the government said Wednesday, as exports to other countries made up for slowing shipments to the United States in what was a turbulent year of global trade. Beijing’s exports rose 5.5% in 2025 to $3.77 trillion (approximately €3.644 trillion using the 2024 year-end exchange rate), but imports for the year were flat at $2.58 trillion (approximately €2.492 trillion), resulting in a record trade surplus of $992 billion (approximately €958 billion). According to Customs data, the surplus was boosted by trade gains in December, with exports…

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The foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark will meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance alongside Rubio at the White House on Wednesday. They are hoping for “an honest conversation with the administration,” according to another EU diplomat familiar with plans for the meeting. The art of the deal Asked to describe a possible endgame on Greenland, the first EU diplomat said it could be a deal that would give Trump a victory he could sell domestically, such as forcing European countries to invest more in Arctic security as well as a promise that the U.S. could profit from Greenland’s mineral…

Indeed, there are grounds to suspect the Kremlin must have found Maduro’s surgically executed removal and its stunning display of U.S. hard power quite galling. As POLITICO reported last week, Russia’s ultranationalists and hard-line militarists certainly did: “All of Russia is asking itself why we don’t deal with our enemies in a similar way,” posted neo-imperialist philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, counseling Russia to do it “like Trump, do it better than Trump. And faster.” Even Kremlin mouthpiece Margarita Simonyan conceded there was reason to “be jealous.” Indeed, there are grounds to suspect the Kremlin must have found Maduro’s surgically executed removal…

France’s far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen appeared in a Paris courtroom on Tuesday as judges began hearing her appeal against a conviction that could bring her presidential ambitions to an abrupt end. The 57-year-old National Rally (RN) leader is seeking to overturn a ruling delivered in March 2025 that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. The court handed down a five-year ban on holding public office with immediate effect, alongside a sentence of four years in prison — two of which are suspended — and a €100,000 fine. Le Pen arrived at the courthouse without speaking to reporters.…

Updated: 13/01/2026 – 19:01 GMT+1 Cuba is facing the prospect of a new wave of emigration as instability in Venezuela threatens to deepen the island’s ongoing economic crisis. After five years of hardship marked by blackouts, soaring prices, and shortages, millions of Cubans have already left the country. … More