Author: staff

Once viewed as a niche interest, anime and comics have evolved into a global travel driver, with fans increasingly crossing borders in search of immersive themed experiences, conventions and real-world locations linked to their favourite series. From themed hotels to major fan events, so-called “anime pilgrimages” – known in Japan as seichi junrei – are fuelling a growing boom in anime tourism across Asia. New data from Trip.com shows searches for anime and comic-related travel experiences in Asia surged by 195% year-on-year, led largely by travellers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines and South Korea. The trend was also…

Published on 23/05/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 The Chinese will “not win” from a foreign trade policy that jeopardises Europe’s industry and market, the French Minister for Foreign Trade Nicolas Forissier has told Euronews, as the EU executive mulls a clampdown on a glut of cheap Chinese imports. “The Chinese have to understand that they won’t win anything if they destroy the European industry and then the European market, which is an essential market for them,” Forissier told Euronews’ 12 Minutes With interview programme on Friday. “We must no longer be naive,” Forissier added, saying that there is a “change of…

In the United States, the battle to inherit Donald Trump’s political movement is already underway — even though the 2028 Republican primary is still a long way off. At present, the contest increasingly looks like a two-man race between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Both are seeking to position themselves as the natural successor to Trump, while embodying two very different visions of what a “post-Trump MAGA” (“Make America Great Again”) movement could become. For now, Vance remains the frontrunner. He has the structural advantages that typically make vice presidents difficult to beat in presidential…

POLITICO has obtained a draft of the executive order on artificial intelligence that President Donald Trump had been expected to sign Thursday afternoon, only to abruptly postpone the event. The document — available here and below — was meant to address concerns that advanced AI products from companies such as Anthropic could unleash devastating cyberattacks and wreak other havoc if they fell into the wrong hands. It called for creating a voluntary oversight system in which developers of advanced AI models could submit their products to a review by federal agencies as much as 90 days before releasing them, POLITICO previously reported. Among other…

In a letter to the European Commission on Friday, Kövesi said that the “hasty” move by the government in Athens “has a negative effect on the EPPO’s ability to effectively investigate and prosecute offences under its competence in Greece.” She also has sent a formal complaint regarding the amendment to Greek Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis. In her letter to the Commission, Kövesi said the Greek Supreme Judicial Council recently refused to renew the mandate of three European Delegated Prosecutors for five years, as requested by EPPO, which “has a negative effect on the EPPO’s independence in Greece.” The prosecutors are…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa signed on Friday a revamped trade deal with Mexico as part of the EU’s efforts to expand its influence in Latin America, shortly after the Mercosur pact entered into force. The deal was signed at an EU–Mexico summit in Mexico, with von der Leyen and Costa joined by the country’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, amid rising geopolitical tensions and shifting global alliances following the return of US president to the White House. The economic partnership between the two medium-sized powers reflects efforts on both sides to reduce their…

Janša narrowly lost the Slovenian election in March to liberal candidate Robert Golob, who subsequently failed to form a government and resigned himself to leading Slovenia’s opposition. “Others have tried to form a majority coalition, but they have failed. We approached it differently, on a programmatic basis, step by step,” Janša said Friday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Janša on his return to power, saying she looked forward to “our cooperation to tackle our common challenges.”

That can send drones toward neighboring NATO territory — something Baltic and Ukrainian officials say is now happening. For Kyiv, the balance is delicate. Ukrainian officials have apologized for incidents involving stray drones, while insisting that strikes on Russian military and economic targets are lawful acts of self-defense. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown no sign of halting the bombing campaign, which he calls “sanctions” aimed at bringing Russia to its knees. Russia’s air defenses are becoming increasingly porous, prompting it to try to use political pressure to halt the Ukrainian attacks. “Russia wants to discredit Ukraine in the eyes…

European countries have steadily increased their criticism of Israel in recent months, and even staunch supporters like Merz and Meloni — the EU’s most prominent conservative leaders — have taken a notably tougher stance on expansionist ambitions. A video this week showing Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting activists who Israel detained en route to deliver supplies to Gaza drove the criticism to new heights. In their joint statement, the French, German, Italian and British leaders called on Israel to end settlement expansion, ensure accountability for settler violence and “respect the Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem’s Holy Sites and the…

Granting “associate membership” to Ukraine risks leaving the country in limbo that could make it lose momentum to complete the path to a full membership status, said Helen McEntee, Ireland’s foreign minister. The remarks come in response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s unprecedented plan to create a tailor-made status for Ukraine, which McEntee considers might create a two-tiered approach to EU membership. “We need to make sure that there isn’t a two-tiered approach or we apply [the accession process] equally to each country,” McEntree said on Friday during a briefing with journalists attended by Euronews. Her remarks carry particular weight…