By courting the far right, the man tipped to be Germanyโ€™s next chancellor may have sealed his own downfall | Florian Ranft

Conservative Friedrich Merz shattered a political taboo. His blunder gives the centre-left a chance in the 23 February electionThere are moments in every election campaign when the fate of a key protagonist takes a decisive turn, often after an unforce…

Time to sign?

SNEAK PEEK โ€” JD Vance lands in Paris as the U.K. tries to get on message.ย  โ€”ย Peter Kyle says an AI bill will avoid upsetting voluntary agreement with AI labs. โ€”ย The U.K.โ€™s own mini-summit kicks off in London. Good morning and happy Tuesday, This is Tom, coming to you from a cold press room in [โ€ฆ]

Virkkunen stands firm on American pushback against EU tech laws

SNEAK PEEK โ€” The EU plans to raise the American pushback against tech law with the U.S., said tech boss Henna Virkkunen. She also promised a more โ€œinnovation-friendlyโ€ AI regulatory framework. โ€” Rolling out AI should mean talking to workers and helping them gain new skills, said EESC president Oliver Rรถpke. Failing to get it [โ€ฆ]

Far-right populists much more likely than the left to spread fake news โ€“ study

Amplifying misinformation is now part of radical right strategy, says Dutch study of tweets by MPs in 26 countriesFar-right populists are significantly more likely to spread fake news on social media than politicians from mainstream or far-left parties…

Hamas must release remaining hostages by midday Saturday, Trump warns

โ€œAfter that, I would say, all hell is going to break out,โ€ he threatened.

Inside the divided coalition coming for the Green Deal

Intentionally or not, concerned businesses, the ascendant far right and traditional conservatives are coming together to rewrite green rules.

Riding out the Trump tiger until heโ€™s exhausted

How should one handle the 47th U.S. president? Kiss the ring, resist, offer deals and wait for exhaustion to set in.

As Trump torches overseas aid, will Britain step up?

Britain used to lead the world on international development. But in the era of right-wing populists, its Labour government is now treading carefully.

Ukraine war briefing: Power restrictions as Russia hits energy system

Trump says Ukraine โ€˜may be Russian somedayโ€™; Biden-approved weapons still flowing, says Kellogg. What we know on day 1,084See all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine implemented emergency power restrictions on Tuesday morning as the energy minister, German…

Trump could remake USAID to promote fossil fuels

The presidentโ€™s allies want foreign aid repurposed to encourage more oil and gas development around the world.

Muskโ€™s shadow hangs over Macronโ€™s AI summit

The special relationship that the French president tried to nurture with the tech billionaire never really bore fruit.

Macron picks close ally to lead court that could decide Le Penโ€™s fate

Richard Ferrand’s appointment drew criticism even before being made official.

The Guardian view on Kosovoโ€™s election result: a gateway to rapprochement with the EU

A new coalition government may seek to rebuild bridges with western partners, at a perilous geopolitical momentSeventeen years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, its future remains shadowed and compromised by relations with Belgrade. More …

Romaniaโ€™s Klaus Iohannis announces heโ€™ll resign as president

Longtime leader heads for the exit amid political turmoil in Bucharest.

Can Trump keep his promise to end the war in Ukraine? Itโ€™s possible โ€“ but it wonโ€™t be easy | Christopher Chivvis

The president has made big statements. But securing real peace will involve a mix of global diplomacy, threats and sweetenersโ€ข Christopher S Chivvis is a senior fellow and director of the Carnegie Endowmentโ€™s American statecraft programmeAmid the maels…

Romania’s President Iohannis resigns in face of impeachment threat from hard-right opposition

Outgoing Romanian president Klaus Iohannis resigned Monday ahead of a mounting impeachment threat pushed by a coalition of hard-right parties. Iohannis’s mandate was extended in December after the Constitutional Court cancelled last year’s presidentia…

Europe’s far right in Trump’s shadow

Buoyed by Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the far-right Patriots for Europe group met in Madrid on Saturday. Their leaders’ speeches were marked by contradictions, demonstrating the ambiguities that prevail within the third largest group in t…

Europe’s far right in Trump’s shadow

Buoyed by Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the far-right Patriots for Europe group met in Madrid on Saturday. Their leaders’ speeches were marked by contradictions, demonstrating the ambiguities that prevail within the third largest group in t…

Trump, tariffs and Germany: Do populists rule the world?

Sky Newsโ€™ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politicoโ€™s Anne McElvoy look at the day ahead in British politics. Overnight, US President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into America would come into affect โ€œsoonโ€. Sam and Anne discuss what this could mean for the UK which imports 10% of [โ€ฆ]

Von der Leyen to host CEOs after unveiling EUโ€™s economic plan

Leaders from the bloc’s biggest companies will convene in Antwerp for the Feb. 26 event.

The EUโ€™s new AI mantra: Weโ€™re open for business

The European Union has pivoted to cheering AI innovation, laying less emphasis on rules that curb potential threats.

Inside the new plan to seize Russiaโ€™s shadow fleet

European countries are pushing for new powers to squeeze Moscowโ€™s shadow fleet after a spate of incidents in the Baltic Sea.

Suggestions for U.S. success in the Middle East

An aide-mรฉmoire to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from a former adviser to Tony Blair.

Kosovo PM Albin Kurti wins election amid tensions with Brussels and Washington

His ruling party fell short of a majority and will need to find a coalition partner if it hopes to continue in power.

Merz and Scholz clash on migration, economy and Trump: โ€˜How dumb can somebody be?โ€™

Center-right and center-left chancellor candidates clashed in a fiery debate, exposing deep divisions just weeks ahead of a national election.

Germany’s Scholz slams CDU rival Merz for accepting far-right support in heated debate

Germanyโ€™s Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday clashed with opposition leader Friedrich Merz in a heated debate, accusing him of accepting favours from the far-right AfD party. Merzโ€™s conservative CDU party received backing from the AfD to push through a …

The real significance of Trumpโ€™s tariffs

It represents another major effort to expand presidential authority.

As Trump steamrolls Washington, courts flex their power to slow him down

Numerous federal district judges around the country have blocked major portions of Trumpโ€™s early agenda โ€” but Supreme Court showdowns loom.

The Future of Temporary Protection in Tรผrkiye: Return of Syrians after the Fall of Assad

 

Dr. AyลŸe Dicle
Ergin, Assistant
Professor, Bilkent University Faculty of Law

 

Photo credit: Henry
Ridgwell, Voice of America news, via Wikimedia
Commons

 

As of today, the vast majority of
approximately 2.8
million Syrians in Tรผr…

In Madrid, Europe’s far right looks to Trump as a role model

Patriots for Europe, the far-right group created in July in the European Parliament, held its first summit in the Spanish capital on Saturday. From Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, all see Trump as a harbi…

Hundreds of thousands protest far right in Germany

Moreย thanย 200,000ย protestersย ralliedย inย Munich,ย Germany,ย onย Saturdayย againstย far-rightย extremismย aheadย ofย theย country’sย generalย election. Theย far-right,ย anti-immigrantย Alternativeย forย Germany,ย orย AfD,ย isย inย secondย placeย inย recentย pollsย andย hasย prompte…

EU far-right parties rally in Madrid behind slogan ‘Make Europe Great Again’

After last year’s European Parliament elections, in which far-right parties performed strongly in several countries, a rally Saturday in Madrid was a meant as a show of force by the EU parliament’s biggest far-right bloc. The rally adopted the slogan …

Looking at Trump, Europeโ€™s far right vows to โ€˜reconquerโ€™ the continent

โ€œOur friend Trump, the Trump tornado, has changed the world in just a couple of weeks,โ€ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbรกn tells far-right rally in Madrid.

Merzโ€™s gamble: Germanyโ€™s centre-right leader splits voters by flirting with hardline AfD

Would be chancellor Friederich Merz breaks post-war convention of no political deals with far rightOn a foggy, frigid morning in Saxony, far-right MP Renรฉ Bochmann could not believe his partyโ€™s luck in the final days of the German election campaign, wi…

Inside USAIDโ€™s undoing

Aides to the president and Elon Musk suspected USAID officials were trying to go around a funding freeze.

EU far-right parties rally in Madrid behind slogan ‘Make Europe Great Again’

After last year’s European Parliament elections, in which far-right parties performed strongly in several countries, a rally Saturday in Madrid was a meant as a show of force of the EU parliament’s biggest far-right bloc. The rally adopted the slogan …

Germanyโ€™s Habeck casts doubt on coalition with conservatives

The possibilities for conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz to form a coalition government are looking increasingly uncertain.

Patriots for Europe pitches ‘alternative’ leadership to EPP, Socialists in Trump eraย 

The EU is “out of the (global) game”, Spanish MEP Jorge Buxadรฉ told Euronews. His far-right group plans to continue cooperating both nationally and transatlantically to gain more political power in Europe.

Sweden to tighten gun laws in wake of ร–rebro mass shooting

โ€˜We have to ensure that only the right people have guns in Sweden,โ€™ says prime minister, Ulf KristerssonSwedenโ€™s government has announced plans to strengthen its gun laws, including by restricting access to semi-automatic weapons, after the countryโ€™s w…

Trumpโ€™s aid freeze leaves UN food agency scrambling, with millions at risk

Despite a U.S. waiver, food shipments are stalled, funding is uncertain and Europe may have to fill the gap.

What does Trump really want from Canada?

โ€œThe current game is maximum chaos,โ€ one industry leader says of the current state of Canada-U.S. relations

Germanyโ€™s likely next chancellor wants to tell Trump to rein in Musk

โ€œI do not approve of someone in Trumpโ€™s orbit attempting such direct interference in Germanyโ€™s elections,โ€ says Friedrich Merz.

How Peter Mandelson can survive Trumpโ€™s Washington

Top tips for Britainโ€™s new ambassador from people whoโ€™ve done the job and lived to tell the tale.

Germanyโ€™s old-school conservatism is well and truly over

Even if Merz stumbles across the finish line and secures a coalition government, the death knell for Christian democracy may well have been sounded.

How Germany found itself holding an Italian election

POLITICO has processed 35 years’ worth of election data to find out why this month’s vote is messier than ever โ€• and what will happen next.

How political is your pizza? The Mediterranean Diet and Europeโ€™s food battles

Pasta, pizza, and Parmigiano โ€” delicious? Absolutely. But in 2025, theyโ€™re also deeply political. This week on EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton digs into how food has become a battleground, with POLITICO agriculture reporter Alessandro Ford explaining how Italyโ€™s far-right โ€” and politicians across Europe โ€” are using the Mediterranean diet to push back against [โ€ฆ]

The Trump war no one is talking about

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably being shot by Donald Trump Jr.

Putinโ€™s disinformation networks flood social media in bid to skew German election

A Kremlin-backed campaign is trying to influence voters ahead of Feb. 23 poll, according to government report obtained by POLITICO.

Like an episode of The Wire: Brussels gang wars spiral out of control

โ€œMafiaโ€ shootings with Kalashnikovs trigger alarm in the city as politicians convene an emergency meeting.

German election frontrunners push for nuclear comeback

Germanyโ€™s nuclear exit was meant to be final. But with energy costs soaring, conservatives are reopening the debate.

Merkel โ€˜could not remain silentโ€™ as she jabs Merz again over far-right AfD vote

Former German leader reiterates swipe at chancellor candidate from her own Christian Democratic Union ahead of Feb. 23 election.

Centre-right has renounced Green Deal, claims Timmermans | Radio Schuman

In a press point with journalists on Wednesday, ex-European Commissioner for the Green Deal Frans Timmermans castigated the far and centre-right for its approach to the Green deal.

La Scala, the theater of Italy’s passions

Dominique Meyer, the French director of Milan’s opera, is due to step down in early March. He will be replaced by an Italian, as has been the case in many of the country’s cultural institutions since Giorgia Meloni’s far right came to power. In additio…

Britainโ€™s handover of the Chagos Islands is pleasing nobody

Labourโ€™s decision to grant the geopolitical archipelago to Mauritius has sparked criticism from all sides.

Hereโ€™s what Germanyโ€™s next government will look like

Germanyโ€™s conservatives are desperate to avoid a three-party coalition, but the outcome depends on how many small parties make it into parliament.

The US is โ€˜no longer the America we used to know,โ€™ warns Germanyโ€™s Merz

“The way they’re pardoning people who have been sentenced to years in prison, that will have consequences for America,” Merz cautioned.

French PM Franรงois Bayrou survives first confidence vote

National Rally and Socialists did not back no-confidence motion tabled by hard-left France Unbowed The French prime minister, Franรงois Bayrou, has survived an initial confidence vote in parliament called for by the hard left, after the far-right Nation…

French PM Bayrou survives no-confidence vote thanks to far right

The decision by the National Rally gives Bayrou some breathing room.

Trumpโ€™s Gaza fantasy is a recipe for a forever war

U.S. president is pressing countries to take in Palestinians by threatening to cut aid, but it’s too dangerous for Arab leaders to accept that blackmail.

EU court upholds โ‚ฌ320M fine against Poland for violating rule of law

Fine related to controversial Polish judicial reforms by previously ruling PiS party.

BoE prepares to cut rates as economic risks take precedence

The outlook has darkened since Rachel Reeves’ budget, and a relative degree of indulgence for the U.K. from Donald Trump isn’t enough to make it better.

Foundations laid for tribunal to try Putin for Ukraine invasion, EU says

Tribunalโ€™s creation was first proposed days after the full-scale invasion, but for nearly three years, lawyers have struggled to find the right courtroomInternational lawyers have โ€œlaid the foundationsโ€ for a special tribunal to try Russia for the crim…

UK waits nervously for Trump to back Chagos Islands deal

U.S. president’s shake-up of the security apparatus has complicated scrutiny of controversial British deal over Diego Garcia military base.

The Guardian view on Labourโ€™s Brexit hesitancy: Tories collapse and Farage fills the void | Editorial

Sir Keir Starmerโ€™s caution has yet to persuade voters, while discontent fuels a resurgent right that thrives by boosting anti-immigrant, climate-sceptic viewsOver the past 15 years, British politics has been defined by the tension between ideals and pr…

Rightwing MEPs threaten huge funding freeze for environmental NGOs

Freeze to EUโ€™s LIFE programme funding would deprive 30 NGOs of up to 70% of annual incomesSeveral environmental NGOs could be effectively shut down in Europe, if a defunding push by rightwing MEPs is successful, campaigners say.At the same time that ce…

Has Brexit finally paid off? What Trumpโ€™s tariff reprieve means for Starmer

The U.S. president hinted heโ€™ll spare Britain from his trade war, while hammering the EU. But as Nigel Farage surges in the polls, Keir Starmer isnโ€™t safe from Brexit yet.

German election poll: Merzโ€™s far-right gambit costs conservatives

The first major survey of voters after frontrunner Friedrich Merz’s controversial alignment with the far right suggests the gambit failed.

War of attrition strains Ukraineโ€™s army

Ukraine wants Donald Trump’s support, but has suffered thousands of casualties and desertions as it holds the line against Russia.

EU leaders deflect Trump on Greenland and on tariffs

EU leaders are looking for a way to keep Trump from invading the Danish territory.