european union

Dollar, Stocks Sink as Gold Hits High on Trump Tariffs

The dollar and equity markets tumbled Thursday after President Donald Trump's latest tariffs salvo against countries worldwide, fanning a trade war that many fear will spark recession and ramp up inflation. The dollar slumped by as much as 2.6 percent versus the euro, its biggest intraday plunge in a decade, and suffered sharp losses also against ...

Rubio Says US Committed to NATO - But Tells Allies to Spend More

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told nervous NATO members on Thursday that Washington remained committed to the alliance, but said they must agree to massively ramp up their spending targets for defense. President Donald Trump has rattled Europe by casting doubt on his willingness to defend all allies, and by reaching out to Russia over the war ...

Azerbaijan Presses Armenia to Meet 'Demands' for Peace Deal

Azerbaijan on Wednesday insisted that arch-foe Armenia must meet Baku's "legitimate demands" before the Caucasus neighbours can sign a peace treaty, the text of which they agreed upon last month. The two ex-Soviet republics announced on March 14 they had wrapped up talks aimed at resolving their decades-long conflict, with both sides agreeing on ...

Ineligibility and Prison: The End of Marine Le Pen’s Presidential Dreams?

Five years of ineligibility with immediate effect and four years in prison, two of which are to be served, in the fake jobs scandal at the European Parliament. This ruling, handed down today by the Paris Criminal Court, may well wipe out Marine Le Pen’s chances of running in the 2027 presidential election. It’s nothing less than a major ...

Le Pen's French Presidency Bid in Jeopardy after Election Ban

A French court on Monday threw into severe doubt far-right leader Marine Le Pen's 2027 bid for president, handing her a five-year ban on running for office after convicting her over a fake jobs scheme. She was also given a four-year prison term by the Paris court but will not go to jail, with two years of the term suspended and the other two ...

UK Imposes Travel Permit on Europeans from Wednesday

In a shake-up of long-standing travel rules, European nationals heading to the UK will from Wednesday need a mandatory entry permit, which the British government says will strengthen border security. The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) can be bought online in the next few days for £10 (12 euros), but the price is rising swiftly from April ...

UN Chief Urges S.Sudan Leaders to 'Put Down The Weapons'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged all parties in South Sudan to "put down the weapons" amid warnings that the impoverished African country may be headed back into civil war. "South Sudan may have fallen off the world’s radar, but we cannot let the situation fall over the abyss," Guterres told reporters. The country's ...

Kremlin: EU Refusal to Ease Russia Sanctions Shows it "Doesn't Want Peace"

The Kremlin said Friday that the EU's refusal to ease sanctions on Russia shows the bloc does not want peace in Ukraine. Moscow is demanding the West remove sanctions on Rosselkhozbank -- the Russian Agricultural Bank -- as a precondition to restoring a deal on the safe passage of Ukrainian cargo in the Black Sea. "An integral part of the Black ...

French FM Says China can Help Bring Russia to Ukraine Negotiating Table

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Beijing on Thursday to help bring Russia to talks over ending its war in Ukraine as he met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. France and China have sought to boost ties in recent years, but Paris has also pressed Beijing on its relations with Moscow, which have strengthened since the invasion of ...

Ireland Increases Its Aid to Lebanon with a €2.5 Million Donation

Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji announced on Wednesday an additional €2.5 million donation from Ireland, aimed at funding the United Nations Humanitarian Fund in Lebanon. The announcement was made during a meeting held at the ministry, in the presence of Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris and the Irish delegation, which included ...

Armenia Parliament Votes for Starting EU Accession Bid

Armenia's parliament passed a bill Wednesday launching Yerevan's bid for European Union membership, as the historically Russia-allied country drifts further away from Moscow's orbit. The landlocked Caucasus nation has grown increasingly close to the West, frustrated by what it says was Moscow's failure to protect it from arch-foe ...

Defense: As the US Disengages, Turkey Eyes the Old Continent

While the world’s attention was fixed on the March 12 summit between Ukraine and the United States in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, another important meeting was taking place in the region – in Ankara. It brought together Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with the aim of strengthening ties between the ...