Politics
France’s antisemitism crisis deepens amid political hostility toward Israel
Five Jewish institutions were sprayed with green paint in Paris overnight and an investigation has been opened, a police source said on Saturday.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday, and said he hoped their encounter would help move forward trade talks between the EU and the United States.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance meets with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy, Sunday, May 18, 2025. Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday, and said he hoped their encounter would help move forward trade talks between the EU and the United States.
"Europe is an important ally of the United States... but, of course, we have some disagreements, as friends sometimes do, on issues like trade," Vance said, sitting alongside von der Leyen and Meloni in Rome after they had all attended Pope Leo's inaugural Mass.
"I think we'll have a great conversation, and hopefully it will be the beginning of some long-term trade negotiations and some long-term trade advantages between both Europe and the United States," he added.
The White House has imposed a 25% tariff on imports of steel, aluminium and cars, as well as a baseline 10% tariff on almost all countries, with additional "reciprocal" tariffs -- making for a combined 20% in the EU's case -- lined up if negotiations during a 90-day pause fail.
Von der Leyen said the trade relationship between the European Union and the United States was the largest in the world and worth more than $1.5 trillion a year.
She added that the two sides had exchanged negotiating documents outlining the various areas of future discussion.
"It is important now we've exchanged papers that our experts are deep diving, are discussing the details," she said.
"Everybody knows that the devil is in the detail, but what unites us is that at the end, we want together to have a good deal for both sides," she added.
Von der Leyen has not managed to hold a formal meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump since he regained the U.S. presidency in January, exchanging words only briefly at Pope Francis's funeral last month at the Vatican.
Besides discussing tariffs, she said she also wanted to talk to Vance about Ukraine and defence spending.
Reporting by Crispian Balmer
Five Jewish institutions were sprayed with green paint in Paris overnight and an investigation has been opened, a police source said on Saturday.
Pakistan will designate an ambassador to Afghanistan, the first since Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021, the country's foreign minister said on Friday, announcing an upgrade in diplomatic ties that shows some easing of tensions between the two neighbours.
A Georgian court on Friday placed Nika Melia, a leader of the country's main opposition party, in pre-trial detention, amid a widening crackdown against a pro-Western opposition that has staged months of anti-government protests.
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