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The deterioration of Europe’s military strength is alarming, yet not as apparent as defence chiefs would wish. Governments’ response to US President Trump’s criticism of their NATO spending has been to focus on increased defence budgets, even though these are just promises to be honoured in years to come.

Silence surrounds the fate of the EU’s ’European army’ call

Giles Merritt contrasts the sound and fury of Trump’s threats to NATO with EU governments’ muted response to the idea of a ‘European army’.

European leaders have indicated that the UK would be welcome back in principle, yet only on standard terms, reflecting a desire to protect the integrity of the bloc. There is goodwill—but little appetite for reopening bespoke British exceptions.

Britain and Europe: The Long Road Back

Wes Streeting’s call for Britain to rejoin the European Union, and Andy Burnham’s more cautious but still sympathetic noises, signal something important: the question of EU membership is no longer taboo in mainstream politics.

Today, EU enlargement no longer benefits from the permissive consensus that accompanied post–Cold War integration. Instead, it is the go-to scapegoat for all the ills of member states. What’s more, enlargement takes place amid geopolitical insecurity, migration anxieties, democratic backsliding, economic uncertainty, and declining trust in institutions.

EU Enlargement Forgets Europeans

Preparing candidate countries for EU membership is no longer enough. As the enlargement process becomes a reality, the union must also prepare its own societies.

What if Europe’s industrial heat came from sustainable energy on-site? This is the potential of replacing industrial gas boilers with clean solutions in heating processes, like thermal battery energy storage, which releases heat instead of electricity, large heat pumps, and electric boilers—as well as geothermal heat from the earth.

How the EU Can Become Energy Independent

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a global energy crisis, but Europe is stuck in reaction mode. Without more strategic foresight, the EU will remain dependent on fossil fuels and will never be truly secure.

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US’s European allies have urged Washington to remain committed to their defence.

Rubio tries to reassure Nato allies over US troop deployments

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has tried to reassure allies over US decisions on troop deployments in Europe.

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Since his return to the White House, Trump has routinely derided NATO as an unfair organization. He has severely undermined the credibility of the alliance’s collective defense promise by stating countries shouldn’t own land they can’t defend, and, latterly, has threatened it outright, warning in an interview to the Financial Times that NATO faces a “very bad” future if U.S. allies fail to assist in opening up the Strait of Hormuz.

Analyses

Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of Coercion

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.

more on Analyses

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has become increasingly dependent on Chinese components for its war machine. A recent Bloomberg report found that Russia was importing more than 90% of its sanctioned technology from China, a 10% increase on the previous year.

World

What really holds China and Russia together

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

While some in Washington may have been hoping that Trump could wean Beijing off Moscow, such hopes appear little more than wishful thinking.

more on World

According to remarks published by Chinese state media, President Xi said last week the Taiwan question was the “most important issue in China-US relations”.

World

Taiwan reaffirms its sovereignty amid "escalating military threat"

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Taiwan has hit out at what it calls an “escalating military threat” posed by its neighbour China.

more on World

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Taiwan has established a comprehensive governance framework to advance the development of clinical AI. Nineteen national medical AI centers have been established, covering responsible governance, clinical validation, and impact evaluation, ensuring that AI is safe and reliable across the entire process from development to application.

World

Digital-Driven Healthcare Transformation: A New Chapter of Holistic Care in Taiwan

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

As the world confronts the challenges of population aging and healthcare workforce shortages, digital transformation in healthcare is no longer optional but essential.

Yet the truth is that Starmer’s crisis is not rooted in one bad election night. It is the culmination of a long-running pattern: policy U-turns, strategic caution and a leadership style that often appears more reactive than visionary.

World

Keir Starmer on the Ropes: Local Election Backlash Sparks Labour Civil War

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Nigel Farage’s Reform capitalises on voter anger while Zack Polanski’s Greens peel off Labour’s left-wing base, triggering open calls for Starmer to quit.

Chinese officials are pushing for the US to change its language around the self-governing island, which Beijing claims as part of its territory and has threatened to take by force.

World

The Trump-Xi ‘grand bargain’ that strikes fear into Taiwan

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Taipei braces for possible shift in Washington’s stance ahead of Beijing summit between US president and Chinese counterpart

The young respondents suggest some very practical reforms to ease housing difficulties. These include help for first-time buyers, more flexibility in rental markets and a clampdown on speculators who drive prices upwards. The spectre of homelessness they evoke is paralleled by those who point to childlessness as the price of soaring housing costs.

Europe

To ignore ageing’s threats to the young is to imperil Europe

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Giles Merritt reports on the vivid warnings of Debating Europe’s “Voice for Choices” report on ageing’s impact

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The fact that so many saw in Zack Polanski the answer to Britain’s most pressing questions tells us dark things about the changing heart of this country of ours.

Analyses

The Greens have shockingly proved that anti-Semitism is a vote-winner

Monday, May 11, 2026

Polanski’s party has become a seedbed for the political ambitions of every jihadist, Islamist and progressive fanatic in Britain

more on Analyses

Europe is still a long way from being able to truly claim strategic autonomy, both because it lacks the physical means to do so, and because many of its leaders still lack the political will to fully lean into the concept. Europeans bear a sizeable part of the responsibility for having refused to see the reality of what the United States has been turning into over the past decade.

Analyses

Europeans Are Quiet Quitting the United States

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

European leaders have now not only lost faith in Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency, but also in America’s hegemony as a whole. But short-term challenges make an immediate divorce unwise.

more on Analyses

Merz often adds to his own problems, critics contend, pointing to his sometimes forthright remarks and reportedly hot temper.

Europe

Merz’s struggles mount as he marks a year as German leader

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

After a year in office, his coalition is beset by infighting and Europe’s top economy is still weak

more on Europe

Over recent months the Prime Minister has taken an increasingly strident stance on Brexit in an apparent attempt to appeal to Labour MPs and members.

Analyses

Starmer to lobby Macron for closer EU ties

Monday, May 4, 2026

PM to use summit to gain access to £52bn of weapons contracts in exchange for helping cover interest on Ukraine loan scheme

more on Analyses

Merz made no mention of Trump’s comments during a visit to German soldiers in northern Germany on Thursday, although he went out of his way to stress the importance of the Nato defensive alliance and "transatlantic solidarity".

World

Trump says US studying troop cuts in Germany, as spat with Merz intensifies

Monday, May 4, 2026

The US is "studying and reviewing" whether to reduce the thousands of troops it has stationed in Germany, President Donald Trump has announced via social media.

more on World

EU Actually

EU tries to give sharper teeth to tariff agreement with US

N. Peter KramerBy: N. Peter Kramer

In his weekly column, N. Peter Kramer writes about EU’s capitulation for Trump and hope that after him a better tariff agreement will be possible.

Europe

Silence surrounds the fate of the EU’s ’European army’ call

Silence surrounds the fate of the EU’s ’European army’ call

Giles Merritt contrasts the sound and fury of Trump’s threats to NATO with EU governments’ muted response to the idea of a ‘European army’.

Business

Hotpot, bubble tea and sportswear: China’s new exports take on the world

Hotpot, bubble tea and sportswear: China’s new exports take on the world

Step into pretty much any shopping mall in Singapore and you’re likely to find queues snaking outside shops with catchy names and bright-coloured branding.

MARKET INDICES

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