In Transylvania, fear haunts Romaniaโ€™s troubled democracyย 

The birthplace of modern Romania is losing faith in politics, 36 years after Communism fell, amid threats of reprisals at Sundayโ€™s election.

The shadowy warlord behind Romaniaโ€™s wrecked electionย 

Romaniaโ€™s 2024 presidential election was controversially canceled for suspected foreign interference. Horaศ›iu Potra, an ally of banned candidate Cฤƒlin Georgescu, is accused of plotting an insurrection.

Israel launches new operation in Gaza after Trump leaves Middle East

The new military operation follows reported differences between Israel and Trump.

UK-EU summit will be step on path to better relations, says Rachel Reeves

Exclusive: Chancellor tells Guardian that UK will retain red lines such as no free movement but โ€˜there will be future areas where we can do moreโ€™Defence, fishing and study abroad: what is at stake in the first UK-EU summit?The UK-EU summit on Monday is…

Donโ€™t mention the Green Deal! EPP scrubs wording from Parliament water report

The center-right party of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is shifting away from green issues as it aligns itself with farmers and industry.

Can Zelenskyy convince Trump that Putin is stringing him along?

Could this be the moment Trump finally concedes that Putin has no serious interest in negotiating an end to the war he started three years ago?ย 

Romaniaโ€™s Simion wants a broad coalition. Good luck with that.

Hard-right presidential candidate George Simion is extending a warm hand to other parties, but getting the cold shoulder.

Actor banned from Cannes red carpet after accusations of rape

Theo Navarro-Mussy has a secondary role as a police officer in the film Dossier 137 by Dominik Moll which is to premiere on ThursdayThe Cannes film festival said it had banned an actor in a prominent French film from the red carpet on Thursday because …

Britain needs a labor shortage, not EU youth mobility, says Farageโ€™s deputy

โ€œI want there to be a labor shortage, because thatโ€™s the way to getting productivity improvements,โ€ Richard Tice tells POLITICO as he heaps scorn on EU-UK summit.

โ€˜Migration is not always a story of sufferingโ€™: the Dutch museum telling the full story of global diaspora

Set to become a major cultural destination, Fenix Rotterdam shows the harsh realities of the migrant experience alongside esoteric art โ€“ giving a necessary and nuanced view of the subjectโ€™s fraught politicsWhat does a boat seized from the Italian islan…

‘Red meat and cars’: French menโ€™s carbon footprint 26% higher than women’s, study finds

A study released on Wednesday investigating the gender gap in carbon emissions found that women in France emit 26 percent less carbon than men with their diet and transport choices. Researchers say household structure plays a โ€œkey roleโ€ in shaping the…

Car use and meat consumption drive emissions gender gap, research suggests

The French study of 15,000 people shows men emit 26% more pollution due to eating red meat and driving moreCars and meat are major factors driving a gender gap in greenhouse gas emissions, new research suggests.Men emit 26% more planet-heating pollutio…

Trump says heโ€™ll lift Syria sanctions, urges Iran to negotiate

Prioritizing peace and lucrative deals, the president laid out a new U.S. approach to the Middle East.

Fact check: What are the German coalitionโ€™s plans to clamp down on disinformation?

Misleading claims that the “black-red” coalition government led by Friedrich Merz is set to introduce “censorship laws” under a “Ministry of Truth” are circulating online. Euroverify has the facts.

Trumpโ€™s Gulf tour doesnโ€™t bode well for Israel

For the U.S. president, Gaza is a sideshow, and he doesnโ€™t want it disrupting his bigger diplomatic agenda of resets and mega deals.

Naked dressing: why Cannes is demanding celebrities wear clothes on the red carpet

The film festival seems to have rejected one of this seasonโ€™s hottest fashion trends – wearing very little at all. But why all the worry? Name: Naked dressing.Age: You could say the trend goes back to Genesis โ€ฆ Continue reading…

How the Fuels Sector Supports Aviationโ€™s Green Goals

Europeโ€™s refiners are already delivering the sustainable aviation fuels needed to meet EU climate goals, and we are ready to do more. What we need now is collaboration over confrontation.

โ€˜To name is to claim:โ€™ Inside Trumpโ€™s cartographical compulsion

Itโ€™s ingrained in his background in real estate and branding.

Zelenskyy welcomes Putinโ€™s indication of readiness for peace talks

Russia showed willingness to negotiate with Ukraine for the first time since 2022.

Vladimir Putin’s Red Square parade celebrates the offensive in Ukraine

Soldiers and weaponry from the Ukrainian front were featured in the parade to honor the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender, attended by international leaders like China’s Xi Jinping.

Leaders of UK, France, Germany and Poland to visit Ukraine in joint show of support

Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk to make symbolic visit day after Putin paradeThe leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland are due in Kyiv on Saturday for a symbolic visit to Ukraine, a day after Vladimir Putin hosted…

Macron, Tusk slam leaders attending Putinโ€™s Victory Day parade

The two leaders were in Nancy to sign a bilateral treaty, aimed at strengthening defense ties in the wake of Russia aggression against Ukraine.

Chinese troops march with Russian forces as Xi joins Putin for Victory Day parade

Moscow stages largest Victory Day parade since start of Ukraine war with Putin using celebrations to justify invasionRussian troops fighting in Ukraine marched together with Chinese forces on Moscowโ€™s Red Square to mark the 80th anniversary of Nazi Ger…

Fico shakes Putinโ€™s hand as Russiaโ€™s war victory parade kicks off

Slovak PM is the only EU leader to attend Red Square festivities.

The Berlin art legend who found his calling in sneaking into other artistsโ€™ shows

Disillusioned with art that didnโ€™t engage the public, Mr Jambon found deeper meaning in striking up conversations at openings. After 6,000 shows in 25 years, could the โ€˜galleries projectโ€™ come to an end?As the crowd outside a gallery in central Berlin …

Pope Leo XIV seen as bridge builder after Francisโ€™ turbulent reign

New pope marks continuity with Francis’ progressivism, but offers a steadier hand after a divisive 12 years.

How Britain got to the front of Donald Trumpโ€™s trade queue

From last-minute pork demands to parties in the embassy, this is how Britain charmed the unpredictable president โ€” and why it could all still unravel.

Britain secures Trump tariff deal for auto and steel industries

The narrow deal slashes additional 25 percent tariffs on the U.K.โ€™s automotive, steel and aluminum sectors imposed in early April.

Polish presidential candidate in trouble over apartment deal

Karol Nawrocki’s claim to be a man of the people who owns only one flat has landed him in political hot water.

How Britain lost respect for its veterans

Former service personnel who have seen the treatment of veterans in America think the U.K. could learn something โ€” and make good up for successive broken promises.

PMQs: Badenoch misses open goal on India trade deal

The Tory leader opted not to press her party’s attacks on the British-India trade deal and instead attacked Keir Starmer on winter fuel and net zero.

Starmer plan challenged by Red Wall MPs

Sky Newsโ€™ Sam Coates and Politicoโ€™s Anne McElvoy preview how the day will play out in British politics. As the fallout continues to grow following the local elections, Keir Starmer faces a challenge to his plan for change from his own MPs โ€“ are things going to get worse for Labour, before they get better? [โ€ฆ]

โ€˜You feel the huge weight of historyโ€™: the room where Nazi Germany surrendered

Military armistice ending second world war was signed in this nondescript Reims schoolhouse before VE DayFor a building that witnessed one of the pivotal moments of European history, it is oddly unremarkable: a nondescript red-brick schoolhouse on an u…

Come back, Boris? Battered Tories pine for a winning formula

Dire local election results leave some Conservatives wondering if their former leaderโ€™s magic could turn things around.

EU scientists sound alarm over escalating spring drought

Dry conditions are spreading to virtually every area of the continent.

Von der Leyen knocks Trumpโ€™s war on universities as โ€˜gigantic miscalculationโ€™

The European Commission chief and French President Emmanuel Macron are trying to woo American researchers with a new program called “Choose Europe for Science.”

Meet George Simion, the hard-right Romanian election winner โ€ฆ whoโ€™s banned from Ukraine

The nationalist chief vociferously supports Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni โ€” and he leads the presidential race ahead of May 18’s critical second round.

Trumpโ€™s immigration โ€˜shock and aweโ€™ is losing in the court of law

Dozens of judges across the country โ€” appointed by presidents of both parties โ€” have ruled against Trumpโ€™s audacious immigration policies.

Rumours, rock-star cardinals and street cleaning: Rome gets ready for conclave

Papal electors gossip in bars and restaurants and try to avoid journalists seeking clues to Pope Francisโ€™s successorSome journalists brave the warm spring sun, others seek respite in the shade of the Vaticanโ€™s colonnades. Whatever their strategy, the a…

Battle for next pope is about whether Rome is still the Churchโ€™s power base

As pre-conclave lobbying intensifies, top Vatican diplomat Pietro Parolin has become a point of convergence for cardinals looking to restore Vatican’s primacy.

Weather tracker: State of emergency as high winds and floods hit New Zealand

Met Service issues red warning amid deepening low pressure, while Europe experiences above average temperaturesStrong winds and flooding spread across New Zealand last week, with a state of emergency declared in Christchurch, after the country was batt…

Britainโ€™s shrinking fraud watchdog

Political forces โ€” from Trump’s deprioritization of bribery to Britain’s dash for growth โ€” mean the Serious Fraud Office is in a fight for relevance.

UK local elections 2025: How to watch like a pro

Swot up on the local votes that could have massive ramifications in Westminster โ€” and deal a boost to right-wing populist Nigel Farage.

Trumpโ€™s trade policy offers the EU an unexpected opportunity โ€” if it can grab it

Europe has the chance to become one of the leaders of a free, responsible and democratic world. But it needs to take its fate in its own hands.

The ultra conservatives wanting to make the Vatican great again

With Trump back in the White House, the alt right are attempting a hostile takeover of the group deciding on the next pope.

The mechanics behind Spainโ€™s mega-blackout

People rarely think about Europeโ€™s criss-crossing energy system. We tell you how it works, what went wrong (and right) on Monday and what happens next.

Spanish grid operator rules out cyberattack in its facilities after power cut

There has not been any type of intrusion in the electrical network control systems,” authorities say.

Spanish grid operator rules out cyberattack in its facilities after power cut

There has not been any type of intrusion in the electrical network control systems,” authorities say.

Spain and Portugal power cut: experts rule out cyber-attack

Rare weather conditions also thought unlikely to be behind blackout as 99.95% of Spainโ€™s electricity supply is restoredEurope live โ€“ latest updatesExperts investigating the largest power cut in recent European history, which plunged cities in Spain and…

โ€˜Numerous signs of tortureโ€™: a Ukrainian journalistโ€™s detention and death in Russian prison

The Guardian, working with media partners, has tracked down first-hand accounts to reconstruct Viktoriia Roshchynaโ€™s final monthsThe exchange took place on a lonely forest road in February. Moving along a line of refrigerated lorries, the teams in hazm…

99 percent of Spainโ€™s power supply restored after blackout, authorities say

Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez is set to meet the National Security Council as Spain seeks to figure out what happened.

An ugly Ukraine deal was predictable โ€” but this will merely pause Russiaโ€™s revanchism

Without U.S. security guarantees and a firm โ€œporcupine strategyโ€ to make sure Kyiv is heavily armed, this deal will just be a way station in Putinโ€™s bid to subjugate the country.

US fighter jet falls overboard while avoiding Houthi attack

The $60M mishap adds to an increasingly expensive price tag in the administrationโ€™s effort against the Iran-backed group.

Freak disappearance of electricity triggered power cut, says Spain PM Sรกnchez

“This has never happened before,” said Sรกnchez, warning it may take longer than expected to restore power.

Why did the lights go out in Spain and Portugal?ย 

And what does it mean for Europe, its power grids and its electricity?

Portuguese leaders postpone TV debate due to power cut

With most of the country without power, both leaders agreed to postpone their televised clash.

Major power outage in Spain and Portugal disrupts transport, communication

Spain and Portugal were hit by a major power outage on Mondayย knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines.ย The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime ministerโ€™s residence, and Spanish Prime Ministe…

Battle over top Italian insurer Generali pits oligarchs against Milan elite

A fight for control over a vast chunk of Italyโ€™s debt pile tests Romeโ€™s influence and could reshape the Italian financial system.

The billionaire who wants to Make France Great Again

Pierre-ร‰douard Stรฉrin is hoping to use his financial firepower to remold French politics in line with his conservative ideals.

Trump wants free pass for US ships in Panama, Suez canals

Both canals are are essential for global trade and military operations.

โ€˜Grazie Francescoโ€™: silence gives way to cheers and applause for โ€˜pope of the peopleโ€™

As Pope Francisโ€™s coffin emerged into St Peterโ€™s Square, the crowd paid tribute to a leader who urged the world to build bridgesAs bells tolled and the coffin emerged from the gloom of the basilica, a hush fell across St Peterโ€™s Square, in keeping with…

Sacraments and side-chats: Popeโ€™s funeral overshadowed by Trump dealmakingย 

Emotional tributes to the popular Pope Francis came amid a diplomatic scramble to meet with the U.S. president.

MAGA vs. Pope Francis

The venomous reactions to the pope’s passing are no surprise, but it’s ironic that MAGA is marching in lockstep with the Vaticanโ€™s cloistered and rigidly doctrinaire insiders.

The jaded English town where Nigel Farage could hammer Labour

Westminster is champing at the bit to see if Reform UK wins a crucial by-election against Labour next week. Locals are indifferent.

From Ravensbrรผck to freedom: The story of Swedenโ€™s daring โ€˜White Busโ€™ rescue

In April 1945, as Nazi Germany is on the brink of defeat, the Swedish Red Cross launches the largest rescue operation of World War II. The mission โ€“ arranged in secret between a Swedish aristocrat and Adolf Hitlerโ€™s right-hand man, SS chief Heinrich H…

European wines face alarming โ€˜forever chemicalโ€™ contamination, new study finds

From Austria to Spain, not a single wine tested came back clean, exposing the reach of ultra-persistent chemicals in Europeโ€™s food chain.

Democratic backsliding in Europe holds lessons for America

Authoritarians’ early popularity can delay resistance โ€” but thatโ€™s when the real damage gets done.

Longtime US allies say they have ways to fight back against Trump, and theyโ€™ll use them

Plans are being drawn up and, as one EU diplomat said, โ€œWeโ€™ll take decisions to protect ourselves.โ€

Gen Z, media illiterates

The almighty algorithm is fueling conspiracy theories among young people and ruining their ability to tell fact from fiction on the internet.

UK wonโ€™t rule out lowering car tariffs in US trade deal

U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is meeting her counterpart Scott Bessent in Washington this week.

PMQs: Badenoch wins by cornering Starmer on trans ruling

The Tory leader repeatedly asked the prime minister if he would apologize for his changing stance on gender policy.

The left is rising, and the far right is reeling. Will I finally see the Finland I dreamed of? | Mike Watson

My adopted home has been a dark place of late. But in last weekโ€™s local elections, voters turned against cruel politics โ€“ and raised hopes of a more progressive futureThe Finns say โ€œspring comes in swingingโ€ โ€“ when winter gives way to spring, and green…

The US cavalry isnโ€™t coming: How Europe moves its armies without American assistance

Europe has built its war-fighting plans on speeding American reinforcements to the front lines. The prospect of that not happening is throwing military mobility plans into disarray.

Trumpโ€™s trade war will have โ€˜profound impactโ€™ on UK economy, says Reeves

The U.K. chancellor is in Washington this week for talks with finance ministers including U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

IMF slashes world growth forecasts due to trade war

The multilateral lender thinks the U.S. will be hurt more than either Europe or China by Donald Trump’s tariff blitz.

Can France and Germanyโ€™s new love-fest survive their lingering differences?

Paris and Berlin have been at loggerheads for years, but things are at last looking up.

Trump may get a nuclear deal โ€” on Iranโ€™s terms

Given Tehranโ€™s weakened state and Washingtonโ€™s eagerness for a deal, success is possible. However, it’s more likely to resemble the 2015 one Trump abandoned.

POLITICO at 10: The EU fights for its independence

A decade after we launched in Brussels, Europe’s place in the world is ever more uncertain. The battle for relevance will dominate the next 10 years.

Israeli military says review into its killing of Gaza aid workers found โ€˜professional failuresโ€™

One deputy commander will be dismissed, and a commanding officer will receive a reprimand.

โ€˜Children with cancer cannot waitโ€™: the human cost of clinical trial delays after Brexit

Exclusive: Price of importing drugs for a Paris and Birmingham study has almost quadrupled to ยฃ175,000NHS cancer patients denied life-saving drugs due to Brexit costs, report findsBritish clinical trials of revolutionary cancer treatments are being der…

NHS cancer patients denied life-saving drugs due to Brexit costs, report finds

Exclusive: Britons found to have โ€˜lost outโ€™ while rest of Europe benefits from golden age of research and treatmentsโ€˜Children with cancer cannot waitโ€™: the human cost of clinical trial delays after BrexitBritish cancer patients are being denied life-sa…