https://www.scmp.com/rss/322263/feed The latest breaking news, politics and current affairs from Europe. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Pope Leo on Friday warned against losing humanity in a “paradise of machines”, after church bells rang and thousands gathered to welcome him to France amid worldwide concern over the dangers of artificial intelligence. “If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment,” Leo said after President Emmanuel Macron welcomed him to the presidential palace, on the first of four days... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368852/paris-pope-warns-against-losing-humanity-paradise-machines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368852/paris-pope-warns-against-losing-humanity-paradise-machines?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:14:40 +0000 Reuters Reuters 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368849/eu-release-us75-billion-linked-ukraine-military-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368849/eu-release-us75-billion-linked-ukraine-military-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:57:47 +0000 Simon Tay Simon Tay The good news is, when US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Washington this week, neither chose confrontation. Amid the high pomp and ceremony, what China has called “constructive strategic stability” continues. Even an uneasy truce in great power relations can be useful. Both recognise the considerable incentive to prevent their economic rivalry from spiralling out of control. Even limited understandings can reduce risks in artificial intelligence (AI) and other... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368638/us-china-world-asean-must-do-more-avoid-choosing-sides?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368638/us-china-world-asean-must-do-more-avoid-choosing-sides?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:30:12 +0000 dpa dpa Italy has passed a decree banning face coverings in all schools and capping the proportion of newly arrived foreign pupils with insufficient Italian at 30 per cent per class from the next school year, the government in Rome said on Friday. The government said the 30 per cent quota applies in primary school to children who do not hold Italian citizenship, were not born in Italy and have not attended an Italian kindergarten for at least two years. In secondary schools the same rules apply, except... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368837/italy-ban-burkas-schools-30-cap-pupils-poor-italian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368837/italy-ban-burkas-schools-30-cap-pupils-poor-italian?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 11:20:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Six people, including four tourists, were missing after a building collapsed following an explosion early Friday in Athens’ historic Plaka district that was probably due to a huge gas leak. The city’s mayor Haris Doukas called the blast an “unbelievable disaster” and spoke of the likelihood of an “explosion triggered by … a very significant gas leak” that led to the collapse of the two-storey building at around 7.30am on Friday morning. The building is just below the Acropolis. According to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368808/3-injured-after-explosion-causes-building-collapse-athens-tourist-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368808/3-injured-after-explosion-causes-building-collapse-athens-tourist-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 09:13:15 +0000 dpa dpa UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has told Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a face-to-face meeting that Britain will “not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil” from groups linked to his country. Miliband met his Iranian counterpart in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday. The Foreign Office said the pair discussed the war in the Middle East, the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the UK’s “unwavering resolve to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368726/uk-will-not-tolerate-intimidation-foreign-secretary-tells-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368726/uk-will-not-tolerate-intimidation-foreign-secretary-tells-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 23:05:08 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao The European Commission is pressing China for progress by next month to address the widening EU-China trade imbalance, and raising the possibility of new protectionist trade policy. The deadline raises a question: how should China and its trading partners address perceived economic imbalances while sharing the benefits of Chinese industrial competitiveness? China’s merchandise trade surplus approached US$1.2 trillion last year even as other exporting economies press for controls. “Overcapacity”... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3368293/chinas-industrial-strengths-must-also-benefit-its-trading-partners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3368293/chinas-industrial-strengths-must-also-benefit-its-trading-partners?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:30:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters A man armed with a knife killed a priest and injured four other people during an attack on clergy and worshippers at a Benedictine abbey in southern Poland on Thursday, authorities ‌said. The man used a knife he took from a kitchen there to attack one woman and four men, including one priest who was in a confessional, a prosecutor said. The attack took place at a Benedictine Sisters monastery on the grounds of the abbey in Jaroslaw, local media reported. A 31-year-old Ukrainian man was arrested,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368718/knifeman-kills-priest-injures-4-attack-polish-abbey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368718/knifeman-kills-priest-injures-4-attack-polish-abbey?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 18:11:28 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Croatian court has approved the extradition of a Ukrainian man who is wanted in Germany in connection with the 2022 undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines, state media said on Thursday. The report from HRT Television quoted the suspect’s lawyer Ljubo Pavaskovic as saying that he will appeal the September 18 ruling. It was not immediately clear when the man could be handed over to Germany. He was arrested on a European warrant in the northern Croatian town of Pula in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368715/croatian-court-approves-extradition-nord-stream-blast-suspect-germany?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368715/croatian-court-approves-extradition-nord-stream-blast-suspect-germany?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:46:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The eviction of an 87-year-old from her Madrid home has highlighted a political paralysis that has thwarted efforts to resolve Spain’s chronic housing crisis, fuelling debate before next year’s election. Maricarmen Abascal’s 70-year stay at her home in upmarket central Madrid ended on Wednesday when she left escorted on a stretcher, flanked by protesters on one side and police on the other – a traumatic event broadcast live on TV. Unable to afford a 275-per cent increase to the monthly rent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368712/spains-housing-crisis-spotlight-eviction-pensioner-87?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368712/spains-housing-crisis-spotlight-eviction-pensioner-87?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:56:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A British far-right activist who has led protests against migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats was charged on Thursday after allegedly slashing a dinghy in the water. The incident comes as agitators against immigration adopt a confrontational new tactic of trying to stop the boats landing on England’s shores, clashing with police and rescuers in the process. A video posted on Tuesday on social media appears to show Daniel Thomas, 37, taking a knife to an inflatable boat, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368701/uk-far-right-activist-arrested-after-migrant-boat-slashed-english-channel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368701/uk-far-right-activist-arrested-after-migrant-boat-slashed-english-channel?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:11:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the islands known to Britain as the Falklands and to Argentines as the Malvinas, calling it a key issue for his nation and urging the parties to find a “peaceful solution” as tensions with London over the disputed archipelago grow. “The Malvinas for us is a national cause,” Milei, a strong ally of US President Donald Trump, said Wednesday while addressing the UN General Assembly in New York. Milei accused the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3368606/milei-renews-argentinas-falklands-claim-rails-against-useless-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3368606/milei-renews-argentinas-falklands-claim-rails-against-useless-un?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:11:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Italy’s Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to legislation paving the way for a return to nuclear power nearly four decades after the Chernobyl disaster prompted the country to abandon atomic energy. The measure cleared the upper house 81-51 with seven abstentions. It marks a major step in Premier Giorgia Meloni’s drive to bolster energy security and meet climate goals, even though the construction of possible new reactors is still years away. The bill, which earlier passed the lower Chamber... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368603/italy-greenlights-return-nuclear-power-after-decades-long-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368603/italy-greenlights-return-nuclear-power-after-decades-long-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:44:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli ordered the one-day closure of the Colosseum on Wednesday as a mark of respect after a worker was ‌killed overnight in an accident. Andrea Moretti, a 22-year-old technician, died after falling several metres while installing a new lighting system inside the ancient Roman arena. Built 2,000 years ago, the Colosseum was the biggest amphitheatre in the ⁠Roman Empire, used to host gladiator fights, executions and animal hunts. ‌It is Italy’s most visited... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368532/italys-colosseum-closes-after-worker-dies-accident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368532/italys-colosseum-closes-after-worker-dies-accident?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2026 11:09:37 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren Contemporary Amperex Technol­ogy Ltd (CATL) has cleared all regulatory hurdles for its mega factory in Hungary, a development that analysts expect will help the world’s largest producer of electric vehicle (EV) batteries extend its reach to international marques like BMW and Volkswagen. Production of battery cells at the €7.3 billion (US$8.35 billion) plant in Debrecen, the second-largest city in Hungary, began on Tuesday after it fulfilled all preconditions for a trial run, the company said. It... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3368463/chinese-ev-battery-giant-catl-starts-trial-production-hungarian-factory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3368463/chinese-ev-battery-giant-catl-starts-trial-production-hungarian-factory?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2026 06:00:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Paris prosecutors said Tuesday they had opened several probes after receiving complaints concerning women filmed on the street without their consent using smart glasses. Anyone wearing smart glasses can take photos, film videos, listen to music, make phone calls, translate text or interact with an AI assistant. Meta’s smart spectacles, developed in partnership with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, have become a commercial success. Meta sold 7 million pairs in 2025. Other companies, including... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368459/france-prosecutors-probe-secret-filming-women-smart-glasses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368459/france-prosecutors-probe-secret-filming-women-smart-glasses?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2026 03:57:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he and US President Donald Trump had discussed efforts to end the four-year-old war with Russia, including a potential bilateral ceasefire on energy-related targets. Speaking to the media after a 40-minute meeting with Trump at UN headquarters in New York, Zelensky said Kyiv was ready for any ‌format of an energy ceasefire with Moscow but there had been no discussion of Ukraine unilaterally halting its attacks on Russian oil... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3368442/zelensky-meets-trump-says-ukraine-ready-energy-truce-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3368442/zelensky-meets-trump-says-ukraine-ready-energy-truce-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2026 22:34:24 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his country’s relations with Britain were better under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, but he criticised a deal to hand over the Chagos Islands. Trump and Burnham shook hands as they met for the first time on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “No, I think they’re up – well, they’re more up now than they were with your last prime minister, let me put it that way,” Trump told reporters, referring to Keir Starmer. “Right... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368438/trump-criticises-uks-chagos-deal-says-new-british-pm-burnham-will-reconsider?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368438/trump-criticises-uks-chagos-deal-says-new-british-pm-burnham-will-reconsider?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:36:30 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump and the leaders of Greenland and Denmark signed an agreement on Tuesday that permits a larger US military presence on Greenland and may resolve a stand-off over the strategically located and mineral-rich island. The agreement, signed during Trump’s visit to the UN General Assembly in New York, stops short of Trump’s demand that the US annex Greenland as a US territory to head off the growing Arctic presence of Russia and China. But the deal does codify a greater ‌US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368427/us-greenland-denmark-sign-deal-new-york-bid-end-arctic-stand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368427/us-greenland-denmark-sign-deal-new-york-bid-end-arctic-stand?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:56:04 +0000 dpa dpa Personal belongings of the late French film icon Brigitte Bardot fetched nearly €1 million at auction in Paris on Monday. More than 280 items from Bardot’s estate sold for a total of €953,531 (nearly US$1.1 million) including fees, auction house Millon said. Every item found a buyer. The auction at the Hotel Drouot lasted almost nine hours. Around 15,000 people had visited the auction house in the six days beforehand to view the personal possessions of the actress, who died in 2025. The items... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368313/brigitte-bardots-belongings-fetch-nearly-us115-million-paris-auction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368313/brigitte-bardots-belongings-fetch-nearly-us115-million-paris-auction?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 23:46:33 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The leaders of the world’s biggest economies will descend on Manchester next year after the UK government confirmed the English city will host the Group of 20 (G20) summit. Prime Minister Andy Burnham will use his first trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to announce the city he led as mayor for almost a decade as the venue for the leaders summit, according to a statement on Monday from his office. The decision to choose Manchester in the northwest of England as the centre of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368312/uk-confirms-pm-burnhams-former-fiefdom-manchester-host-g20-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368312/uk-confirms-pm-burnhams-former-fiefdom-manchester-host-g20-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 23:23:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Andy Burnham once said he would refuse to meet Donald Trump. Now Britain’s prime minister is about to hold his first meeting with the US president, with Ukraine, the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence and the soaring cost of conflict in the Middle East dominating his agenda. In a sign of the stark decisions facing the neophyte prime minister who took office just two months ago, Burnham announced Monday that he would send a Royal Air Force plane to help Saudi Arabia repel attacks... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368308/uk-pm-burnham-agrees-saudi-request-refuelling-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368308/uk-pm-burnham-agrees-saudi-request-refuelling-support?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 21:12:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ⁠met US CIA chief John Ratcliffe at Shannon Airport in Ireland, two people familiar with the matter said. The meeting took place on Monday, one of ‌the sources said. The other source said the pair spoke informally while their planes were being refuelled without specifying a date. Both sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, declined to disclose details of their conversation. The ⁠meeting happened as Zelensky was travelling to New York... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368307/zelensky-and-us-spy-chief-ratcliffe-meet-ireland-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368307/zelensky-and-us-spy-chief-ratcliffe-meet-ireland-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 20:58:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Prosecutors said on Monday they had brought the first-ever charges in the UK against a man for his alleged role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, after a complex seven-year investigation. Vincent Brown, 65, was arrested and charged on Monday with one count of being an ancillary to genocide and six offences of aiding crimes against humanity in Rwanda, prosecutors and the London police said. “He is alleged to have directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others” against the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368303/first-charges-brought-uk-1994-rwanda-genocide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368303/first-charges-brought-uk-1994-rwanda-genocide?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 18:51:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Under a global cloud of wars and bitter divisions, world leaders meet at the United Nations in New York this week facing new fears that runaway artificial intelligence could threaten humanity even as climate shocks and escalating prices are already making life much tougher for hundreds of millions of people. The annual high-level gathering at the UN General Assembly will also be consumed with major wars in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and Myanmar and a persisting question: can the leaders... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368291/world-leaders-meet-un-planet-grapples-climate-change-wars-runaway-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368291/world-leaders-meet-un-planet-grapples-climate-change-wars-runaway-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:54:07 +0000 Nong Hong Nong Hong Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington this week, after the May talks in Beijing and before the November Apec summit in Shenzhen. This sequence of diplomacy will test if the commitment to building a “constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability” translates into practical arrangements. The Washington meeting faces clear limits. Differences over trade, technology, industrial policy, Taiwan and regional security are deeply embedded in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3368013/success-trump-xi-summit-lies-what-happens-afterwards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3368013/success-trump-xi-summit-lies-what-happens-afterwards?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 12:30:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Europe faces a fourth-quarter jet fuel deficit, even as it turns to far-flung suppliers including South Korea, which is set to boost its jet exports to Europe to a four-year high in September, according to analysts and shipping data. The continent has been importing more jet fuel from nations including Nigeria, the United States and Canada since the outbreak of the Iran war over half a year ago, which hit Middle Eastern supplies and cut off around half of Europe’s jet imports. Europe remains... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3368183/south-korea-steps-plug-europes-jet-fuel-deficit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3368183/south-korea-steps-plug-europes-jet-fuel-deficit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:59:26 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s administration has prepared sanctions against the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and plans to announce them soon, two sources familiar with the matter said, ‌a move that would step up its attack on the global tribunal that prosecutes war crimes and genocide worldwide. The Trump administration has made no secret of its disdain for the court and has worked to undermine it. US officials want the court to drop its arrest warrants against Israeli leaders as well... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368180/trump-administration-prepares-sanctions-against-international-criminal-court-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368180/trump-administration-prepares-sanctions-against-international-criminal-court-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 22:22:25 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Pascal Lamy served two consecutive terms as director general of the World Trade Organization from 2005 to 2013. Before that, he spent decades in various French government roles, contributing to the building of the European Union. He was chief of staff to European Commission president Jacques Delors from 1985 to 1994, and European trade commissioner from 1999 to 2004. Here, he discusses Europe’s trade tensions with China, the continent’s growth potential problem and the WTO’s need for stronger... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3367981/former-wto-head-pascal-lamy-eus-china-choice-get-rebalance-or-go-protectionist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3367981/former-wto-head-pascal-lamy-eus-china-choice-get-rebalance-or-go-protectionist?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 22:00:11 +0000 dpa dpa Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced plans to meet US President Donald Trump in New York in the coming days as efforts intensify to revive negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Zelensky said he had spoken to Trump by phone and discussed a range of issues ahead of the meeting, which is expected to take place while both leaders attend the United Nations General Assembly. A meeting in New York “could achieve a lot,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Sunday, pointing to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368178/zelensky-and-trump-have-agreed-meet-new-york-ukrainian-president-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368178/zelensky-and-trump-have-agreed-meet-new-york-ukrainian-president-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 19:46:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thousands of people marched in Paris and other French cities on Sunday against a proposed law on the legitimate use of force that critics say would be a “licence to kill” for police and gendarmes. In July, deputies in the National Assembly approved the bill which says that any police official who uses force is assumed to have acted legally when using their weapon. It now faces a vote in the Senate. Politicians, rights groups and other activists joined the Paris demonstration, among them Mathilde... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368176/thousands-march-france-against-licence-kill-draft-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368176/thousands-march-france-against-licence-kill-draft-law?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 17:55:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced a struggle to stabilise his position and keep his agenda on track on Monday after voters inflicted two more defeats on his party, ejecting it from a state legislature for the first time in its eight-decade history. The unpopular Merz vowed to stay on and push through reforms to Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, minutes after polls closed on Sunday in regional elections in Berlin and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a largely rural eastern region on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368175/germanys-merz-vows-press-ahead-reforms-after-historic-state-election-defeat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368175/germanys-merz-vows-press-ahead-reforms-after-historic-state-election-defeat?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 17:24:32 +0000 dpa dpa Andy Burnham has congratulated Denmark and the United States on a deal to “strengthen security in the Arctic” after the two countries reached an agreement over Greenland. The prime minister and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen “welcomed the US’ commitment to the region” in a call on Sunday morning, Downing Street said. In a readout, a No 10 spokesperson said: “The two leaders began by discussing their upcoming visits to New York for the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The Prime Minister said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368173/uks-burnham-congratulates-trump-and-danish-pm-greenland-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368173/uks-burnham-congratulates-trump-and-danish-pm-greenland-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 16:50:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday she will soon introduce a measure to her government that would cap the number of foreign pupils in classrooms and ban the wearing of burkas and niqabs in schools. Meloni told the youth wing of her nationalist conservative Brothers of Italy party that the measure would also make Italian language lessons compulsory for parents of foreign pupils having “serious difficulties integrating into the school system”. “For us, anyone who comes to Italy... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368172/italys-meloni-plans-ban-burkas-niqabs-schools-and-cap-foreign-pupils-classrooms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368172/italys-meloni-plans-ban-burkas-niqabs-schools-and-cap-foreign-pupils-classrooms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 16:32:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters The leaders of France and Canada on Sunday pledged closer ties to grapple with rising geopolitical tensions, climate change and the erosion of democratic values, after they met in the French territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon off Canada’s Atlantic coast. The two leaders’ visit to the territory, the first by a French president since 2014 and the ‌first by a Canadian prime minister, followed just weeks after US President Donald Trump posted an image showing the islands, as well as all of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368165/frances-macron-visits-atlantic-territory-eu-embraces-canada?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368165/frances-macron-visits-atlantic-territory-eu-embraces-canada?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:33:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters The media’s treatment of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan ⁠is on a par ⁠with that faced by his mother ⁠Diana, the late princess’s brother said in an interview published on Sunday, warning that lessons needed to be learned from that period. Diana died aged 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash as photographers pursued her on motorbikes, sparking an outpouring of ‌grief and a reckoning over whether the media bore some responsibility for her death after splashing details of her life across front pages for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368155/uk-media-cancerous-harry-and-meghan-dianas-brother-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368155/uk-media-cancerous-harry-and-meghan-dianas-brother-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 09:49:55 +0000 Hao Nan Hao Nan The prospect of United States, Chinese and Russian leaders meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Shenzhen this November has revived the Yalta analogy. Talk of a Trump-Xi-Putin summit – echoing the 1945 meeting that reshaped the world – surfaced during the first Trump term, and speculation returned last year with the 80th anniversary of the second world war. No such meeting occurred. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the two presidents back-to-back in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3367866/middle-powers-dont-have-wait-trump-xi-putin-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3367866/middle-powers-dont-have-wait-trump-xi-putin-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Some Western politicians are seeking conflict between Nato and Russia after ⁠a “failed” strategy to defeat ⁠Moscow in its war with Ukraine, ⁠Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday. Long-time Slovak leader Fico, who has kept up warm relations with Russia and refuses military aid for Ukraine, said this week that Europe was closer than ever to a large-scale war ‌erupting from the Ukraine war. At the same time, some European leaders, such as those in France and Poland, have warned of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368137/some-western-politicians-stoking-nato-russia-clash-ukraine-war-strategy-falters-fico?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368137/some-western-politicians-stoking-nato-russia-clash-ukraine-war-strategy-falters-fico?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 03:04:57 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Denmark’s government was cautiously optimistic on Saturday following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal on Greenland to bolster US military presence there but keep the island under Danish control after months of threats by the US president to seize the semi-autonomous territory of a Nato ally. The Arctic island’s top leaders echoed that stance and said the deal, which has not yet been made public, was long in coming. US, Greenlandic and Danish officials had quietly negotiated for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368126/denmark-cautiously-optimistic-over-trumps-greenland-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368126/denmark-cautiously-optimistic-over-trumps-greenland-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2026 15:24:07 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Taobao Instant Commerce, Alibaba’s on-demand delivery service that was revamped last year and is known as Taobao Shangou in Chinese, won a top French Design Award prize on Saturday for its delivery worker uniform, marking the first time the prize was awarded for a design for frontline workers. “We think the [Taobao Shangou] suit design would transform delivery workwear into a recognisable professional uniform, helping reshape how society sees this essential profession,” said Dario Olivero, chair... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3368121/first-top-european-design-prize-awarded-eu20-uniform-chinas-delivery-drivers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3368121/first-top-european-design-prize-awarded-eu20-uniform-chinas-delivery-drivers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2026 14:00:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters Princess Diana’s “revenge dress” went on display in London on Friday, days after new claims about King Charles’s reaction to her death, as the shadow cast over the royal family by the so-called “people’s princess” lingers nearly 30 years on. The dress became a symbol of the rancour between Charles and Diana during the public breakdown of their marriage in the early 1990s, when she made a public appearance in the off-the-shoulder black silk number soon after Charles admitted his infidelity. This... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368073/princess-dianas-revenge-dress-goes-show-amid-clash-between-brother-and-charles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368073/princess-dianas-revenge-dress-goes-show-amid-clash-between-brother-and-charles?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:47:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A preliminary report on Friday blamed a millisecond-software defect for the cancellation of over 2,000 flights in and out of the United Kingdom last week. NATS, formerly known as National Air Traffic Services, said on Friday that the glitch on September 8 was behind the mayhem at British airports and beyond, rather than any human failings – as many had speculated at the time. It said a software defect in the National Airspace System, which allocates codes so air traffic controllers can identify... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368068/over-2000-uk-flight-cancellations-traced-millisecond-software-defect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368068/over-2000-uk-flight-cancellations-traced-millisecond-software-defect?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:05:38 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Poland’s delivery of Black Hawk helicopters to the Philippines has given Warsaw a foothold in Manila’s defence market as it seeks to expand exports from its growing defence industry, with analysts saying drones, air defence and potentially co-production could pave the way for a broader partnership. Polish deputy foreign minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski said on Tuesday that Warsaw was keen to pursue further defence partnerships with the Philippines, as Poland has poured US$50 billion into... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3367900/poland-eyes-deeper-philippines-defence-ties-following-black-hawk-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3367900/poland-eyes-deeper-philippines-defence-ties-following-black-hawk-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s King Charles sounded “like a lottery winner” after the death of ⁠his late first wife Diana, ⁠her brother writes in his forthcoming ⁠book, new extracts of which were published on Thursday. Diana’s brother Charles Spencer said the then-Prince Charles was “giddily elated” in the immediate aftermath of Diana’s death in 1997, possibly because he felt it meant he was freer to marry again, according to passages in the Daily ‌Mail. Spencer also claimed that in another conversation days after... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367916/king-charles-was-giddily-elated-after-dianas-death-her-brother-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367916/king-charles-was-giddily-elated-after-dianas-death-her-brother-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 23:46:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Sweden’s conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced his resignation on Thursday after the left-wing opposition won a slim majority in parliament in the country’s general election. “It is now the speaker of parliament who will lead the next steps on the path towards forming a new government. In order for this work to begin immediately, I hereby request to be relieved of my duties as prime minister,” Kristersson said in a letter to the speaker which he posted to social media. The four... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367895/swedens-pm-kristersson-resigns-after-left-wing-wins-slim-majority-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367895/swedens-pm-kristersson-resigns-after-left-wing-wins-slim-majority-election?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:35:04 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu 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... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3367891/von-der-leyens-china-shock-speech-aimed-send-beijing-message-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3367891/von-der-leyens-china-shock-speech-aimed-send-beijing-message-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:00:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367880/carney-seizes-canada-eu-associate-membership-plan-despite-trumps-ire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367880/carney-seizes-canada-eu-associate-membership-plan-despite-trumps-ire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:55:51 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Over the course of the summer, Russian attacks have been pushing ever deeper into European territory. On August 11, military divers destroyed two drones floating off the coast of Romania near a €4 billion (US$4.7 billion) energy project. Nine days later, Bucharest scrambled two F-16s to take out a maritime drone near the same Black Sea gas platform with hundreds of workers on board. Earlier that month, German police detected an armed UAV at Leipzig airport, while this week Nato jets downed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3367868/war-without-battle-europe-struggles-tackle-mounting-russian-hybrid-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3367868/war-without-battle-europe-struggles-tackle-mounting-russian-hybrid-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:51:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two German state elections Sunday could deal a double blow to embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz, two weeks after his party suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of the far-right AfD. Tight races for power – each with their own unique electoral dynamics – are expected in the city state of Berlin and the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The Alternative for Germany is expected to make strong gains in both, a fortnight after it trounced Merz’s centre-right CDU by a margin of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367826/after-far-right-afd-win-germanys-embattled-chancellor-faces-more-election-tests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367826/after-far-right-afd-win-germanys-embattled-chancellor-faces-more-election-tests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 06:05:26 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s King Charles took the unusual step ⁠on Wednesday of ⁠responding to criticism by ⁠the brother of his late first wife Diana, saying via a spokesman that grief could impact reason, judgment and memory. The assertions, made in a soon-to-be published book, relate to the now-monarch’s ‌conduct in the days after Diana’s death in 1997. Diana was killed at the age of 36 when the car carrying her and her lover Dodi Fayed crashed in Paris as it sped away from chasing paparazzi photographers on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367780/king-charles-responds-criticism-princess-dianas-brother-rare-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3367780/king-charles-responds-criticism-princess-dianas-brother-rare-move?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2026 22:46:13 +0000