"Agreement Of Necessity": German Envoy On India-EU Free Trade Deal

09/23/26 2:44 PM

The centrepiece of German Envoy Jasper Wieck's agenda is the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, concluded after nineteen years of on-and-off negotiations.

"Where Is Our First Lady?" Trump Praises Melania During UN Speech, She Waves From Audience

09/23/26 11:05 AM

After being mentioned, Melania, who was in the audience, smiled and waved as her husband continued speaking.

'A definitive backslide.' Inside fashion's worrying runway trend

04/06/23 8:53 PM

Now that the Fall-Winter 2023 catwalks have been disassembled, it's clear one trend was more pervasive than any collective penchant for ruffles, pleated skirts or tailored coats.

'Managing a stalemate': Long list of thorny topics await at Trump-Xi meeting at White House

09/22/26 3:40 PM

President Trump will host Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a lavish state visit to Washington this week, but behind the pageantry, the two leaders will face off across a negotiating table crowded with disputes.

'Mind-melting incompetence' hides behind Trump's big 'bully' veneer: ex- official

09/17/26 5:27 PM

A former top White House official has a simple theory as to why a bullying President Donald Trump president blew up America's relationship with its closest ally: "mind-melting incompetence."Miles Taylor, who served as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security during Trump's first term, tore into the administration's handling of its relationship with Canada in a new Substack post."Canada is demonstrating, for every democracy watching, that the response to Trump’s bullying should be neither submission nor hysteria… but the calm construction of alternatives," he wrote. "Our allies aren’t leaving because they hate America. They’re leaving because they miss us, and they can’t stand the bully who’s holding us hostage."Taylor argued Trump's trade war pushed Ottawa to give up on repairing the relationship. Since retaking office, Trump has hit Canada with 50 percent tariffs, moved to ban imports including dairy, alcohol, lumber and cars, and repeatedly needled the country about becoming America's "51st state."Rather than "cave" the way Taylor says some American law firms did early in Trump's second term, Canada has instead looked elsewhere. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been exploring a closer partnership with the European Union, which has floated an unprecedented "associate member" status for Canada. "Trump spent two years mocking Canada as America's future 51st state," Taylor wrote. "This week, Europe offered to make Canada its first."Taylor praised Carney's calm, businesslike response, writing, "they've walked across the street to build a better future with people who keep their word." This presents a sharp contrast to Trump's blustering and bullying that has only made the situation worse, Taylor argued. "You have to marvel at the mind-melting incompetence required to produce this outcome," Taylor wrote, noting Canada and the U.S. share the "longest peaceful border"on Earth, an integrated defense relationship, and a history of fighting alongside each other, with roughly "70% of Canadian exports" flowing to the U.S.Taylor didn't hold back on Trump personally, calling him "the stupidest man" he believes has held office in Washington. He noted that even John Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff, has said Trump is "the most flawed person" he's ever met.Taylor added that previously overseas ally officials used to quietly ask "whether America was still America" — but that they've "since stopped asking."

'No surprise': Ken Paxton caught in 'luxury vacation' fumble by gleeful campaign foe

09/20/26 6:56 PM

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) just announced he'll campaign for the U.S. Senate on island in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the gleeful opponent who caught him in serious political blunder.State Rep. James Talarico (D) — the Republican's opponent in the race to claim Sen. John Cornyn's soon-to-be-vacant seat — took to X on Sunday to correct a campaign announcement that Paxton would join Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for a campaign event in "Cyprus.""It’s Cypress," Talarico explained, naming a small community in Harris County. "But for all the time you spend on luxury vacations in Europe, it's no surprise you don't know Texas."Paxton quickly deleted the post, but not before Talarico's team could grab a screenshot of the exchange."This campaign continues to grow every day," Paxton appears to have written. "Next stop: Cyprus with the great @TedCruz. We will keep Texas, Texas."This isn't the first time Paxton — whose net worth Forbes estimates to be $13 million — has run into problems relating to European vacations.Earlier this week, a tourist reportedly said he filmed Paxton this summer walking near the London Eye with his alleged mistress Tracy Duhan — and the candidate flew into a rage when he realized it.Paxton bumped the tourist's shoulder and demanded to know whether he had been filmed, the tourist said.“You're a public figure in a public place, and I can film you all I want," the tourist said he replied.According to the Daily Mail, first to report on the exchange, Paxton demanded to see the video, twice lunged for the man’s phone, and claimed he had a right to have it.“He's yelling at me, and I'm telling him to back off,” the man reportedly said.Paxton reportedly walked away only after the tourist’s wife pulled out her own phone to record the confrontation.

'Really bad!': Republican outrage mounts over Don Jr.'s billionaire-funded Bahamas blowout

09/20/26 4:33 PM

Yet another Republican lawmaker has condemned President Donald Trump's son for allowing a Russian oligarch to contribute a quarter of a million dollars to his Bahamas wedding blowout.Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) spoke out against Don Trump Jr. during an interview on "Face the Nation" Sunday morning."Anytime someone gives a $250,000 gift, and they have ties to the Kremlin, that's wrong," Cassidy said. "With that proximity to power, being the president's son, you've got to give faith to the American people that Washington is not a swamp."Cassidy was responding to the bombshell ProPublica report on Trump Jr.'s lavish, three-day wedding party on a pair of exclusive private islands, which appears to have been "heavily funded" by Umar Kremlev, the International Boxing Association chief with close ties to President Vladimir Putin.Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have since launched an investigation and even Trump has tried to backtrack, claiming his son paid the oligarch back.On Sunday, Cassidy expressed relief on the latter point — but suggested he wasn't 100 percent convinced it was true. "It would be nice to have that kind of verified," said Cassidy. "And no, it shouldn't have been done in the first place."The Republican senator addressed Trump Jr. directly as he explained his logic. "Even though in your mind it might be a gift," Cassidy said, "the appearance of it is really bad!"Other Republican lawmakers who have heaped scorn on Trump Jr. include Sen. John Curtis (R-UT), who in a video address to his constituents, said he was outraged. "It just stinks," Curtis said. "It's corruption, I don't like it.... this is a big deal."Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) agreed, telling Washington Sun reporter Igor Bobic he felt the gift was "beyond bad."“Don Jr. is worth somewhere between 300 million and 400 million dollars," Tillis reportedly said. "Unless he has a cash flow problem, why on earth would you accept money from a Russian oligarch who's actually gone on delegation meetings with Xi Jinping in China?”

'Unbelievable': Pentagon's massive troop withdrawal plan sparks immediate backlash

09/17/26 10:47 PM

The Pentagon's thoughts about withdrawing 25,000 troops from Europe are spurring fears of the threat the move would create for U.S. allies.On Thursday, NBC News reported that the Pentagon is considering pulling out 25,000 or more U.S. troops from Europe, which is nearly a third of the American forces stationed there. The withdrawal would include aircraft, ships, and weapons, even though NATO allies have warned about the growing threat from Russia.Online critics pointed to the move as proof that President Donald Trump and his administration are aligned with Russian leader Vladimir Putin."For the umpteenth time: Trump works for Putin," wrote former GOP congressman Joe Walsh in a post on X. "He's a Russian asset. Plain & simple. Putin is smiling again today.""What US national security interest would this decision advance?" wondered former U.S. ambassador to Russia and political science professor Michael McFaul. "I missed the Party of Reagan and Peace Through Strength.""Trump is helping Putin to attack Europe," declared investigative journalist Robert van der Noordaa."As European countries build their defense capabilities, this kind of withdrawal may become possible," former U.S. ambassador Steven Pifer lamented. "It makes no sense now.""UNBELIEVABLE!" exclaimed influencer Brian Krassenstein, who had a theory for why the Trump administration was making the move. "This is happening right after the EU signed a trade deal with Canada and invited Canada to join the EU as an associated member. Trump is mad that two allies are working together after he pissed them both off."This would not be the administration's first drawdown in Europe. The Pentagon ordered about 5,000 U.S. troops out of Germany earlier in 2026 amid tensions with Berlin, Fox News reported.It also echoes Trump's first term, when he ordered roughly 12,000 troops out of Germany in 2020. That plan drew bipartisan pushback and was frozen by President Joe Biden, CBS News reported.What US national security interest would this decision advance? I missed the Party of Reagan and Peace Through Strength. https://t.co/Un0R9eB6GY— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) September 17, 2026

11 Killed, 3 Wounded In Mass Shooting Inside South African Home

09/23/26 12:53 PM

South Africa is awash with legal and illegal firearms, and shootings are common, often fuelled by gang rivalry and competition between informal businesses.

11 Of The Best Things To Do In London This Mother's Day And Paddy's Day Weekend

03/17/23 5:02 PM

It's a Mother's Day *and* Paddy's Day double whammy, people.View Entire Post ›