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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]

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.

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.

Trump aides knew he wanted to take over Gaza but had no plan

They cast his idea to own and rebuild the strip as a negotiating ploy Wednesday, while walking back key details.

85 percent of Greenlanders donโ€™t want Trump takeover, new poll says

Survey lands as Danish prime minister tours Europe to try shore up support for keeping the Arctic island out of American clutches.

Trumpโ€™s TikTok bailout is worse than it looks

Trump has effectively created a precedent for ignore laws that he believes are politically or personally unhelpful to him.

Germanyโ€™s Habeck warns of an Austria-style right-wing wave

The economy minister and Green Party chancellor candidate says Germany could follow Austriaโ€™s far-right path, as the CDU signals willingness to erode its firewall against the AfD ahead of a pivotal election.

Trump takeover reignites EU-US personal data fears

The EU’s Court of Justice struck down the previous two data transfer agreements.
The post Trump takeover reignites EU-US personal data fears appeared first on Euractiv.

Anti-Fico protests build as Slovak PM mutters about foreign โ€˜coupโ€™

Political acrimony is rocking Bratislava.

Elon Muskโ€™s man in the European Parliament

Independent MEP Fidias Panayiotou met the billionaire in 2023 and has taken his line on some big political issues, from Ukraine to digital rules.

Donald Trump Jr.โ€™s visit was โ€˜staged,โ€™ says Greenland lawmaker

โ€œWe know how they treat the Inuit in Alaska. Make that great before trying to invade us,โ€ Pipaluk Lynge tells POLITICO.

US foreign affairs committee lauds Trumpโ€™s expansionist rhetoric

“President Trump has the biggest dreams for America and itโ€™s un-American to be afraid of big dreams,โ€ the committee wrote online.

โ€˜Itโ€™s bananas. Itโ€™s insane.โ€™ Trump critics seethe over Greenland ambitions.

The U.S. president-elect has referred vaguely to ‘national security purposes’ in explaining his fixation with owning the Artic island.

Trump trades isolationism for expansionism โ€” possibly with military force

The president-elect wants to annex Greenland and regain control of the Panama Canal.

Farage rejects Tommy Robinson after Musk backs far-right firebrand

Musk’s support for controversial rabble-rouser sparked a backlash among British politicians.

Biden blocks US Steel sale to Japanese competitor

The president has long opposed the sale to Japanโ€™s Nippon Steel.

Poland bans โ€˜hostile takeoversโ€™ of key media companies by Orbรกnโ€™s allies

Polish PM wants to protect its major broadcaster TVN from takeovers fueled by proxy capital.

Germany readies antitrust, national security defenses to defend Commerzbank from Italian takeover

Just when Germany thought it could relax, Andrea Orcelโ€™s UniCredit has come back for another bite at Commerzbank, sowing fresh panic both at the bank and among its defenders in Berlin. The Italian-based lender said Wednesday morning it had indirectly increased its stake in Germanyโ€™s second-largest bank through derivatives to around 28 percent, reviving the [โ€ฆ]

Royal Mail takeover: ‘The company will only emerge from its death spiral by limiting its public service obligations’

The sale of the British postal service to Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky was made official on Monday, December 16. The billionaire will have to contend with a decline in mail volumes, only partially offset by an increase in parcel deliveries, write…

Trump says Turkey orchestrated Assadโ€™s overthrow in Syria

U.S. president-elect said Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoฤŸan conducted an โ€œunfriendly takeoverโ€ of Syria, which Turkey has wanted โ€œfor thousands of years.โ€

โ€˜Everyone wants to go to Englandโ€™: Syrian migrants in Calais reluctant to return

Although Syrians at home and across the world have celebrated the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, many are also nervous about what the future may hold for the country following the takeover by Islamist-led rebels. At a makeshift migrant camp in Ca…

Viktor Orbรกn

Dreamer No. 4 โ€” Hungary

Elon Muskโ€™s X tells the EU: Weโ€™re a safe space for free speech

The Elon Musk-owned social media platform touts its moderation efforts in a risk assessment submitted to the Commission.

Australiaโ€™s Macquarie offers to buy UK-listed waste management firm Renewi for ยฃ700m

Firms reach preliminary agreement on financial terms of deal that values Renewi at 870p a shareBusiness live โ€“ latest updatesThe asset manager Macquarie has launched a ยฃ700m offer to buy the waste management company Renewi in the latest takeover of a L…

Brussels fines Facebook parent company โ‚ฌ800M

EU targets Meta with antitrust penalty for pushing classified ads service.

Eight suspected members of far-right terror cell arrested in Germany

Group alleged to have been plotting armed takeover of eastern regions to establish a Nazi-inspired regimePolice in Germany have arrested eight suspected members of a far-right terror cell alleged to have been plotting the armed takeover of eastern regi…

German government faces make-or-break moment in shadow of US election

A Wednesday meeting will decide whether a common plan can be hammered out for the 2025 budget gap and the country’s ailing economy.

Republicans bring back fake electors in battlegrounds

More than a dozen fake electors from 2020 are back this time. And several election deniers are among the new prospective Trump electors.

The future EU commissionersโ€™ promises: Everything you need to know

We pored over more than 400 pages of written answers so you donโ€™t have to.

UK watchdog formally investigates Carlsbergโ€™s ยฃ3.3bn takeover of Britvic

CMA sets 18 December deadline for initial review as it considers whether deal could reduce competitionThe UKโ€™s competition watchdog has launched a formal investigation into the ยฃ3.3bn takeover of the UK soft drinks maker Britvic by the Danish brewer Ca…

Paris threatens millions in penalties if paracetamol-maker leaves France after US takeover

The deal has faced intense, cross-party scrutiny in Paris.

Paris backs โ‚ฌ15B sale of paracetamol-maker to US fund after winning guarantees

French public investment bank to buy shares in Sanofi subsidiary amid American takeover.

โ€˜The threat remainsโ€™: Trumpโ€™s path to overturning a 2024 defeat

The very real scenario where Trump loses and takes power anyway.

Trump considers bucking presidential transition system

The former president is busting presidential transition norms, with implications for government coordination, cybersecurity and transparency.

Paris seeks to calm Sanofi workersโ€™ fears over American takeover

French government threatens sanctions if production leaves France; downplays vetoing the deal.

We watched 20 Trump rallies. His racist, anti-immigrant messaging is getting darker.

A POLITICO analysis of more than 20 of his rallies and campaign events shows Trump has demonized minority groups in all of them.

โ€˜Celebrated againโ€™: Portrait of German jazz-age pioneers lost after Nazi takeover return to Berlin

Jewish Museum in Berlin buys painting of Weintraubs Syncopators, who played the soundtrack to the Weimar cabaretThey could play seven instruments each, critics hailed them as the best jazz combo in 1920s Berlin, and the likes of Marlene Dietrich and Jo…

You could kill the EU, says France. No, you could, Germany replies.

Macron and Scholz clash again over how to counter protectionist America and Chinese power.

EU cross-border bank mergers pose real risks, Nagel warns

Key among the risks is the lack of a common deposit guarantee scheme, which could leave customers exposed.

Meloniโ€™s street protest crackdown prompts concerns of growing repression in Italy

Beefed-up anti-protest laws take aim at climate activists and allow nonviolent protesters to be jailed.

Worldโ€™s quandary on climate change: โ€˜Who the hell leadsโ€™ if Trump wins?

The potential reelection of the former Republican president is causing anxiety in the global climate community.

So long, no thanks to all the fash: review of Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac

Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of
London

Photo credit: mikemacmarketing, image via vpnsrus

 

Full disclosure first: After exactly
ten and a half years, I stopped posting on X (formerly Twitter) on August 10,
2024. I cou…

Europeโ€™s financial ambitions slam into German opposition

Olaf Scholz’s hostility to UniCredit’s swoop on Commerzbank is a sign that pan-European integration will remain elusive.

Czech crisis manager set to become EUโ€™s top global dealmaker

As boss of the EUโ€™s โ‚ฌ300 billion Global Gateway infrastructure initiative, Jozef Sรญkelaโ€™s job will be to beat China at its own game.

Labor unrest threatens to upend Harrisโ€™ economic pitch

Tens of thousands of Boeing workers went on strike last week, with other strikes looming โ€” including one that could spell economic disaster for the country, and for Kamala Harrisโ€™ campaign.

Polandโ€™s PiS picks the pockets of its MPs to make up for cash shortfall

The party’s finances are in tatters after an electoral watchdog ruled against it last month.

Elon Musk roasted by Metaโ€™s Nick Clegg

The Meta exec and former British deputy PM launched a broadside at X owner Elon Musk.

Exiled Libyan central bank chief sees safe route home after attempted coup

Sadiq Al-Kabir says the attempted takeover by hostile government forces has backfired.

EU court rips up Commissionโ€™s killer acquisition tool

Judges tell merger regulators to stop scooping up anti-competitive deals outside revenue thresholds.

Hungary blows up at Spain after Russia links scuppered bid for train giant

Ganz-Mรกvag Europe threatened broad legal action against Madrid over it vetoing a deal to purchase Spanish train-maker Talgo.

Germany deports Afghan nationals for first time since Taliban takeover

Germany on Friday reversed a policy to stop returning migrants to Afghanistan due to human rights concerns after the Taliban took power in 2021. The first group of 28 Afghans who were โ€œconvicted offendersโ€, according to German authorities, boarded a K…

Putinโ€™s next coup

Elections in three eastern German states are likely to usher in Russia-friendly parties, giving Vladimir Putin a foothold in the country’s politics.

Spain blocks Hungarian rail bid over possible Russia ties

Spain says the bid by the Hungarian company โ€” formerly a Russian subsidiary โ€” poses a risk to national security.

The Brief โ€“ Austria on cusp of epoch-making far-right takeover

The far-right, Freedom Party of Austria (FPร–), is expected to bring home an electoral victory in the Austrian parliamentary elections in late September, paving the way for an unprecedented takeover of government policy. Austria used to call itself an โ€œ…

Zuckerbergโ€™s new Washington game

Meta has largely won its legal battles over social media bias โ€” and now its CEO is hedging his bets against a potential Trump presidency.

France needs to be wary of Chinaโ€™s influence in New Caledonia, report says

Island territory’s transition to greater autonomy “must include discussions” on defense against external threats, a scholar says.

Missing tech tycoon Mike Lynchโ€™s ties to UK spy chiefs

The serial entrepreneurโ€™s business ventures are entangled in the worlds of both U.K. and U.S. intelligence.

Wizz Airโ€™s โ‚ฌ499 โ€˜all you can flyโ€™ offer canโ€™t mask its deeper woes | Nils Pratley

Bad luck, and war in Ukraine, have been factors in its plunging share price but so have bad decisions and hubrisThis was a good week for Wizz Air to launch a distracting โ‚ฌ499 โ€œall you can flyโ€ annual subscription offer. Otherwise attention might have b…

EU warns Musk on hate speech ahead of Trump interview

“With great audience comes greater responsibility.”

The other K-pop: Dua Lipa, Rita Ora and the Kosovan chart takeover

After wartime trauma, Europeโ€™s youngest country has developed an outsize musical clout that packed this yearโ€™s Sunny Hill festival in Pristina. What fuels its pop success?The fields above the Kosovan village of Bรซrnicรซ e Poshtme offer a spectacular vie…

Itโ€™s Elon Muskโ€™s X and governments are having to live with it

Officials from London to Washington say Musk is accountable to no one.

Trump announces โ€˜major interviewโ€™ with Elon Musk

Musk endorsed Trump last month but has pledged he won’t donate to his campaign.

UK’s Prime Minister Starmer experiences first major crisis with far-right riots

The Labour government, which has been in office for four weeks, is facing a difficult battle against online disinformation, particularly on X, where fake news has proliferated since Elon Musk’s takeover of the network.

After a whirlwind 5 years, Bretonโ€™s back for more

POLITICO looks back on the French commissioner’s first stint at the Berlaymont.

The election has been totally upended. Hereโ€™s what the polls show.

Itโ€™s clear the presidential contest is reshuffled.

โ€˜One goal is to destroy Ukrainian identityโ€™: the haunting images of Russiaโ€™s prisoners of war

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, its forces have detained and tortured thousands of fighters and civilians. Here, photojournalist Zoya Shu recounts five years of documenting their storiesPhotographs by Zoya ShuThe pictures are haunting. There are …

JD Vance has a bunch of weird views on gender

Overt chauvinism is the unifying thread of the New Right.

German parties reach deal to safeguard judiciary amid rise of far right

Poland and Hungary serve as cautionary tales, German justice minister says.

Germany to ringfence constitutional court against extremist takeover

Germanyโ€™s government and the centre-right opposition have struck a deal to ringfence the Constitutional Court against blockades and hostile takeovers, amid fears that the far-right could try to undermine the rule of law if it continues to gain ground.ย 

Ursula von der Leyen โ€˜hates the European Parliamentโ€™ย 

Departing Dutch MEP Sophie in โ€˜t Veld says the Commission president has kowtowed to national governments and played politics with the rule of law.

Can Nigel Farage ride the wave of right-wing populism?

The Reform party’s success in capturing votes in the U.K. general election could only be the start.

Lufthansa wins EU approval for its Italian airline deal

BRUSSELS โ€“ Lufthansa won European Union approval to buy a stake in Italyโ€™s state-owned carrier ITA Airways after last-ditch concessions eased high tensions between Rome and Brussels. The German airline, already the biggest in Europe by revenue, now adds Italian routes to its network, guaranteeing the future of the loss-making Italian airline, the successor to [โ€ฆ]

What Nigel Farage learned from the American right

The U.K. Brexit leader hopes to emulate his friend Donald Trump’s destruction of the center right.

Far right charts irresistible rise in Franceโ€™s conservative heartlands

Political boundaries are shifting in Sarthe, a traditional bastion of the French conservatives.

Ireland is dreaming of a UK Labour landslide

Irish eyes are smiling at the prospect of Keir Starmer in Downing Street surrounded by Irish-savvy aides.

Slovakiaโ€™s parliament backs a contentious plan to overhaul the country’s public broadcasting

The approved changes mean the public broadcaster known as RTVS will cease to exist and be replaced by a new organization. The takeover plan was drafted by Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova, an ultranational who has accused the current broadcaster of…