Author: staff

Don’t be fooled by Sunday’s triple election: The hard right is stronger than ever. Centrists breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday as their candidates beat right-wing rivals in three coinciding elections across Europe. In Romania, the centrist Nicușor Dan exceeded expectations in beating far-right firebrand George Simion in a presidential election runoff. In Poland, liberal Rafał Trzaskowski squeezed past his Law and Justice-backed rival Karol Nawrocki to gain the most votes in the first round of the presidential election. And in Portugal’s snap election, far-right Chega surged against parties that held the center, though none won a majority. Onlookers…

Democrats quickly denounced the deal over ethical, security and even constitutional concerns, with some Republicans and stalwart MAGA allies, such as Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, also voicing their trepidation. But the donation is totally above board, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani stressed Tuesday, calling it “a normal thing that happens between allies.” “I don’t know why people consider it as bribery or Qatar trying to buy influence with this administration,” he said at the Qatar Economic Forum. “There was a lot of controversy that’s been created out of this, what I call an exchange between two countries,”…

China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), the world’s biggest electric vehicle battery maker, saw its shares soar on the first trading day in Hong Kong after the company made its debut there on Tuesday. The secondary listing of CATL’s shares raised at least $4.6 billion (€4.08bn) for the company, which already has its A-shares traded in mainland China, in Shenzhen. The solid reception for CATL in Hong Kong suggests there is still an appetite among international investors for leading Chinese manufacturers despite trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.It sold more than 135 million shares at their maximum offer price, HK$263 (€29.8)…

Pistorius also said Germany “won’t be able to” meet NATO capability goals with a defense budget of 3 percent of GDP, opening the door to a higher spending level if required. His comments follow remarks by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul last Thursday, in which he backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for NATO members to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP from the existing 2 percent target. “We will follow him in this respect,” Wadephul said in Antalya, Turkey after a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to make the Bundeswehr the strongest conventional army…

“We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response,” they added. The rare, joint intervention by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earned a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu, who hit out at the three leaders in a statement of his own late Monday. “By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and…

The US Senate has confirmed Charles Kushner, the father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France.The 70-year-old real estate developer, who received a presidential pardon from Trump in December 2020 over convictions for witness tampering and tax evasion, was confirmed by a 51-45 vote in the Senate on Monday.When Trump announced his desire to nominate Kushner in November, the US president called him “a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, and dealmaker.” Kushner’s son Jared is a former White House adviser who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka.At his confirmation hearing on 1 May before…

Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. It’ll be a day when the PM goes again at selling the merits of his EU deal. One former cabinet minister tells the podcast it’s all “concrete and waffle”. Welfare is on the agenda today too – with a DWP committee session on child welfare. And, did someone mention Nick Clegg? The former Deputy PM has used the c-word about the Lib Dems. Sam and Anne discuss coalition after another favourable poll for them.

The Taiwanese president said on Tuesday that trade tensions between the United States and Taiwan were merely “frictions between friends”, expressing optimism as tariff negotiations continue with Washington.US President Donald Trump imposed 32% tariffs on all imports from Taiwan as part of sweeping duties levied against all US trading partners last month. The tariffs on Taiwanese goods were subsequently lowered to 10% for 90 days to allow for trade negotiations. Officials from both sides held a first round of talks last month, to be followed by another in the coming weeks.In a speech marking his first year as president and…

Quintin is well aware of the political minefield, and says it’s all the more reason to act quickly: He plans to send his proposal to parliament by Belgium’s national day, July 21, and merge the police forces in 2027. Brussels is the only large Belgian city to have several police forces, and the minister says that “anomaly” needs correcting. “The coordination issue, which arises every time something happens in Brussels, wouldn’t come up anymore.” In an apparent nod to the concerns of mayors, the minister has underlined the need for the police to remain embedded in Brussels’ various communes. He…

According to a document obtained by POLITICO, countries want Brussels to go further by establishing an EU-wide age of digital adulthood, below which minors would need parental consent to log onto social media — meaning that kids couldn’t automatically access any of the most popular apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. The proposal is set to be discussed by EU digital ministers at a meeting in early June. It comes as Denmark prepares to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU for a six-month stint in which Copenhagen has already committed to action in Brussels. “Protection…