This Month
G7 leaders aim to show they’re not intimidated by Trump
Many world leaders see fewer reasons to be cowed by the US President, even as they recognise the risks if he follows through on his threats.
How Europe could go ‘MEGA’ very soon
With Donald Trump determined to “Make Europe Great Again”, the radical right has the momentum as crucial elections loom.
April
Hushed chats, willful snubs: Geopolitics on show at Pope’s funeral
Dozens of leaders from around the world gathered for the pontiff’s funeral, but all eyes were on Donald Trump to see who he would greet and who he might avoid.
‘You’re horrible people’: US threatens to abandon Ukraine peace push
Donald Trump says the US will walk away from efforts to broker a peace deal unless there is progress soon, saying any party that makes it difficult are ‘fools’.
Trump says US will ‘100 per cent’ strike trade deal with EU
The US president raised hopes of a breakthrough during an Oval Office meeting with Italy’s leader Giorgia Meloni, whom he has called “a wonderful woman”.
Trump unveils 10pc tariffs on all imports, higher for 60 countries
The president used aggressive rhetoric to describe a global trade system that the US helped to build, saying “our country has been looted, pillaged, raped, plundered”.
January
‘Fantastic woman’: Can the Trump whisperer save Europe?
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni has emerged as the US president’s favourite EU interlocutor, with hopes growing she could talk him out of a trade war.
It’s their world now. The rise of Trump’s right across the globe
As he takes power, the president boasts of an international group of right-wing proxies with equally provocative styles and a hostility towards migrants and “wokery”.
Rudd puts his feet up for summer as world braces for Trump
Ambassador to the US and former prime minister Kevin Rudd has been watching cricket back home in Australia while Donald Trump assembles his new team.
Who is Tommy Robinson, and why does Elon Musk want him freed?
The X CEO has called for the release of the jailed British far-right extremist, while asserting that UK PM Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute child rapists.
November 2024
Why November 5 will not become the Waterloo of wokery
American voters rejected the culture warriors of the left when they picked Donald Trump. But don’t imagine those views won’t still be very powerful in 2044.
August 2024
Italy considers hefty tax on visitors after over-tourism backlash
The government proposes a levy of up €25 a night for the most expensive hotel rooms to help cash-strapped cities.
July 2024
Meloni vows to ‘relaunch’ cooperation with China
Italy was the only Group of Seven country to join the massive Belt and Road Initiative, but it withdrew last year under US pressure over Beijing’s economic reach.
Von der Leyen and Starmer plan meeting to drive UK-EU ‘reset’
Britain’s new PM is seeking better trade terms with the EU, while chancellor Rachel Reeves has suggested the UK could align with EU regulations in some areas.
Meloni seeks to bring nuclear power back to Italy
Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said Rome plans to introduce legislation to enable investments in small modular nuclear reactors.
Liberals panic worldwide as Trump, Le Pen rise
Liberals are in for a long struggle as nationalist populism surges in the US and Europe.
June 2024
EU capitals to back new term for Ursula von der Leyen
The former German defence minister who was an unheralded choice for the post in 2019, received a boost last week from the bloc’s three most powerful members.
Talks on EU top jobs kick off at G7 summit
A summit of G7 leaders hosted by Italian PM Giorgia Meloni will feature private conversations with the EC president as she seeks five more years in the job.
The last best hope against populism is to expose it to government
Emmanuel Macron has concluded that power often tames radical parties or demonstrates their incompetence. His election call might be the most prudent thing he could have done.
Europe’s real threat is not the far-right
The populists who won big at Europe’s weekend elections are blind to the bloc’s severe economic decline, especially compared to Asia and the US.