By Pierre Lefevre
Paris-based political reporter. Bylines from Paris, Rome and Madrid. Closely follows elections and coalition politics.
Qatar and UAE push for Gulf self-reliance as US security umbrella weakens
Qatar and the UAE have urged Gulf states to bolster their own security capabilities, saying the US alliance is vital but insufficient. Offic
Zelenskyy expects Trump meeting by late September as Kyiv seeks air defence
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects to meet Donald Trump by late September, with Kyiv urgently seeking Patriot interceptors for the winter. Ukraine
EU warns of new terror threat as online youth seek violent thrills
EU counter-terrorism coordinator Bartjan Wegter warns of a new threat: nihilistic violent extremism, driven by young people online. Attacks
Iceland protests Trump map that places it inside US borders
Iceland's foreign minister summoned the US ambassador to protest a social media map that appeared to fold the country into American territor
Sweden's election too close to call as welfare and security dominate
Sweden's general election on Sunday is too close to call, with the centre-left opposition holding a narrow lead over Prime Minister Ulf Kris
EU capitals weigh realistic revenue goals for new bloc-wide taxes
Ireland's EU presidency is pushing member states to agree on a realistic revenue target for new Europe-wide taxes. Talks focus on carbon bor
Sweden greenlights €630 million HIMARS purchase, deepens Nordic artillery ties
Sweden has authorised the purchase of ten HIMARS rocket artillery systems from Lockheed Martin for nearly €630 million, with deliveries star
Ukraine's top prosecutor quits as graft probe targets his office
Ukraine's prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko has resigned amid a corruption investigation into an alleged criminal group taking bribes fro
Fake Sicily villa story targets Édouard Philippe ahead of French election
A fake news story on X claimed Édouard Philippe bought a €15 million villa in Sicily. The story was linked to a real investigation but no su
AfD's German gains expose rifts within Italy's governing right
The AfD's historic win in Saxony-Anhalt has laid bare sharp divisions within Italy's governing right. Leaders differ on Russia, Ukraine, and
France opens trial over deadliest migrant Channel crossing
Fourteen people go on trial in France over the 2021 Channel crossing that killed 31 migrants, the deadliest such disaster. Survivors' testim
Merz faces political crisis after AfD's sweeping win in Saxony-Anhalt
The far-right AfD secured a landslide victory in Saxony-Anhalt, doubling its support and leaving Chancellor Merz's CDU with a historic low.