World News by Wild Rose

The European Union would embrace the UK if it ever decided to rejoin the bloc, the leaders of Spain and France said shortly after new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham floated the possibility. “Welcome back,” French President Emmanuel Macron quipped in English, speaking Wednesday in Madrid alongside Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is hosting the leader on a two-day visit. “This prime minister is moving in that direction,” Macron added. “I think it’s very good news both for his country and for the...

If you want to understand how Washington exercises power in the world, watch what it does when its closest allies try to deepen ties with each other. When EU chief Ursula von der Leyen proposed making Canada the European Union’s first-ever “associate member”, US President Donald Trump’s response was swift and blunt: “If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe, on many things.” He called the idea “laughable” and Canada –...

The European Union on Friday said it will pursue a €120 million fine against the X social network after the US Justice Department said it supported the efforts of X owner Elon Musk to have the case annulled. The bloc fined the platform in 2025 for breaching EU online transparency rules, notably with its pay-to-play blue "verification" checkmark. 

The EU has gone through seven waves of enlargement since 1973, but there has not been one since Croatia joined in 2013. Indeed, there are not likely to be any new members in the club before 2028 – some 15 years after Croatia entered. But 2026 undeniably has momentum, and is on track to be a record year in terms of opening and closing new chapters for existing applicants. That is why our guest, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, sees this as "the year of the enlargement."

European Union member countries ⁠have agreed a ⁠deal to release €6.6 billion (US$7.5 billion) in EU funds linked to military aid for Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday. The money will ‌come from the European Peace Facility, a fund used by EU members to finance military aid to countries outside the bloc. It also refunds EU governments for military aid they have provided. Of the released funds, €900 million will ⁠go to the EU’s military assistance mission for Ukraine and...

The move comes after the EU lifts sanctions on oligarchs following what diplomats described as pressure from Baku.

The Hong Kong government has rejected an annual European Union report alleging that the administration is undermining the city’s fundamental freedoms, calling its claims “unfounded and biased”. The more than 4,500-word statement, issued early on Wednesday morning, followed the publication on Tuesday of the EU’s 2025 annual report on Hong Kong. The report was jointly issued by the European Commission and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. It...

EU countries failed Monday to finalise a deal that involved lifting sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, Multiple diplomats said earlier that member states had reached a provisional agreement to take the pair off the EU's blacklist as part of a compromise to extend sanctions on almost 3,000 other individuals and entities over the Ukraine war. France 24's Dave Keating has more from Brussels.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Germany to help steer the European Union away from protectionist measures against China, saying that Beijing and Brussels should not engage in trade wars just days before President Xi Jinping’s high-stakes US visit. “China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners, and a trade war should not be fought between them,” Wang told his German counterpart Johann Wadephul in a phone call on Monday. According to a statement from China’s foreign ministry,...

EU countries failed Monday to reach a final deal that would remove Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the bloc's sanctions list, with diplomats set to resume talks Tuesday.

Leaders of the EU, Brazil, Canada and Kenya launched a forum with a joint call for UN reform, collective action amidst conflicts

Announcement comes as Canada seeks a closer relationship with the EU amid a trade war with the US.

President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon for talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday, weeks after President Donald Trump posted an image showing the islands ‌covered by the US flag. Macron’s visit to the archipelago off Canada’s Atlantic coast is the first there by a French president since 2014 and comes as Canada seeks closer ties with the European Union amid an increasingly acrimonious trade war with the United States. Saint Pierre...

Calls for a significant increase in international funding to help developing countries adapt to climate change

The U.S. State Department announced a further package of sanctions against the Cuban government on Thursday, with various Cuban companies associated with the military and nickel mining targeted.  On the same day, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the EU to suspend its Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) with Cuba and sanction […] The post International pressure on Cuban regime mounts amidst new U.S. measures, growing threat of EU sanctions appeared first on Latin America Reports.

People the BBC spoke to are excited by the prospect of working and studying in the EU, a suggestion Carney made this week.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s state-of-the-union speech offered few details on new trade measures targeting China, but its sharp tone was designed to send a message to Beijing, analysts said. During her speech on Wednesday, von der Leyen warned that a “second China shock” was already affecting Europe and vowed that Brussels would use all available tools to rebalance its trade relationship with the country. Her remarks came as the European Union’s October deadline for...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said a Canada-EU alliance would create a "beacon for other democracies".

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the European Parliament as Ottawa and Brussels deepen ties against a backdrop of strained relations with the United States. FRANCE 24's Doug Herbert explains how the speech illustrates a broader shift in alliances, with a message that, until recently, would more likely have been delivered in Washington than Brussels.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that he welcomed the EU’s proposal that the country become the bloc’s first "associate member". “Canada and Europe are each strong. Europe and Canada are stronger together,” he told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg.

Here's the replay of Mark Carney's address to the European Parliament on Thursday, September 17, after President Donald Trump suggested that allowing Canada to become an associate EU member could be seen as a "hostile act"

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday welcomed a proposal for Canada to become the European Union’s first associate member, but said he did not mean for a closer alliance to create a new bloc that would rival the world’s great powers. The remarks came after US President Donald Trump suggested the proposed arrangement could be a “hostile act” and threatened heavy tariffs on Europe if he judged its intentions to be unfriendly. Trump also called the idea “laughable”. “We welcome this...

Donald Trump reacted angrily Wednesday to an EU proposal to make Canada its first “associate member”, a move that could foster closer ties on tech, defence and energy. Trump derided the proposal as “laughable” and threatened to impose tariffs or even cut trade entirely with the EU if it goes ahead.

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, September 17: Will Canada become an associate member of the EU? Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen floated the idea in a speech but did not give any details about what it would entail. The press is reacting with scepticism. Also, Le Monde profiles some of the 8,000 people who died during France's summer heatwave. Scientists observe a humpback whale mourning her dead calf for the first time. And Singapore wants to pay citizens to stop scrolling and start reading.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses the European Parliament on Thursday, a day after US President Donald Trump called Canada's bid to become an associate EU member a "hostile act". Trump threatened to "stop trading" with Europe and impose "very serious tariffs" if the bid succeeds. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed making Canada the European Union's first associate member, a striking overture as U.S. President Donald Trump's threats drive Ottawa closer to Europe. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke of a "unique alliance with the EU".

Andy Burnham was for years a staunch opponent of Brexit and a vocal supporter of rejoining the European Union. When he became Britain’s new prime minister in July, this seemed to augur well for UK-EU relations – but instead, Brussels is looking past its neighbour and cosying up to Canada. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed Canada could become the first associate member of the EU, creating a tailor-made title in a bid for the trading bloc to expand its...

European Commission President Ursula von ⁠der Leyen said ​on Wednesday she wanted to open the door for Canada to become the European Union's first "associate member". France 24's Douglas Herbert tells us more.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this week that Canada was seeking a 'unique alliance' with the European Union.

The Canadian PM is in Strasbourg this week seeking a "unique alliance" - and there is one clear catalyst.