European Union

Europe Shifts Gears for the Trump Era

Barely a month ago, a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sent an unmistakable message across the Atlantic: the United States may not be there forever to keep Europe safe from an aggressive Russia. By the time the pair spoke again this week, a whirlwind of diplomacy had seen Europe juggle alliances and rewrite long-held rules – ...

EU Skewers Google, Apple over Tech Rules Despite Trump Threats

The European Union defied US threats of retaliation Wednesday by accusing Google of violating its digital rules -- which could trigger hefty fines -- and ordering Apple to make its iPhone interact better with rivals' devices. The moves risk opening up a new front in the already fraught relationship between the EU and President Donald Trump, who ...

Rocked by Trump, EU Seeks to Kickstart Defense Push

The EU on Wednesday will look to fire the starting pistol on plans to help member states bolster their defences, as Europe grapples with an aggressive Russia and the potential loss of US security protections. US President Donald Trump has turbocharged calls for Europe to rearm by casting doubt on Washington's central role in NATO and making ...

EU Hosts Donor Drive for Post-Assad Syria

Germany on Monday kicked off a new pledging round of aid for Syria, as the EU hosted a donor drive for the war-torn country after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. For the first time, the Syrian authorities will be represented at the annual conference in Brussels -- with interim foreign minister Assaad al-Shibani attending. Western and regional ...

OECD Lowers Global Growth Projections Over 'Trade Barriers' and 'Uncertainty'

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on Monday lowered its projections for global growth in 2025 due to "trade barriers" and "uncertainty". Trade tensions that have erupted since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House are in part responsible for the dampened growth perspectives, the OECD said. The OECD ...

Gold tops $3,000 for first time on Trump tariff threats

Safe-haven gold surpassed $3,000 for the first time Friday, boosted by uncertainty over US President Donald Trump's tariffs, while stock markets gained on hopes US lawmakers will avert a government shutdown. "Markets hate uncertainty, and Trump's second tenure in the White House has served to provide huge instability over expectations for trade, ...

Trump Threatens 200% Tariff on Wine, Champagne from France, other EU countries

US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to impose 200-percent tariffs on wine, champagne and other alcoholic products from France and other European Union countries in retaliation against the bloc's planned levies on US-produced whiskey. "If this tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all wines, ...

Stocks advance on US inflation slowing, Ukraine ceasefire plan

Stock markets mostly rose on Wednesday on both sides of the Atlantic as investors shrugged off the latest US tariff moves to focus on cooling US inflation and a Ukraine ceasefire plan. Global markets have endured severe swings this month as US President Donald Trump looks to ramp up pressure on global partners by imposing or threatening ...

US Trading Partners Hit Back on Steel, Aluminum Tariffs

Major US trading partners announced countermeasures Wednesday to President Donald Trump's blanket steel and aluminum tariffs, hours after the levies took effect in a salvo that fueled trade tensions globally. The steep 25-percent levies came into place after midnight with no exemptions despite countries' efforts to avert them, in an escalation of ...

EU Calls for 'Justice' After Syria Violence

The EU has welcomed Syria's establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate a recent wave of deadly violence, calling for perpetrators to be "brought to justice". "We strongly condemn the attacks by pro-Assad militias against security forces," the EU said in a statement released late Tuesday. "We also condemn in the strongest terms the ...

Stock Markets Slump on US, China Economic Fears

Stock markets slipped on Monday as investors fretted over the impact of President Donald Trump's trade policy on the economic growth of the United States and China, the world's biggest economies. Wall Street's three main indexes opened in the red, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq falling two percent, after Trump himself declined to rule out the risk of ...