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European Union
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European Union

European Union
European Union
The latest breaking news and stories on the European Union (EU), an economic and political union of 27 member states mainly located in Europe, which accounts for around a sixth of global economic output. Also covering the EU’s relationship with the UK (post Brexit), China and the US, plus commentary and updates on EU legislation, the euro and trade.
Illustration: Davies Christian
Electric & new energy vehicles

Europe’s carmakers plan a comeback – powered by EU policies and Chinese tech

New regulations will help EU produce electric vehicles at a price point to match China, but European job losses would be among trade-offs.

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China airliners

Taking flight: Airbus secures a big order from Chinese airlines

Middle East

Chemical tanker seized off Yemen coast in suspected Somali pirate hijack

Ukraine war

Is Europe’s anti-missile move with Ukraine ‘insurance’ against unpredictable US?

Europe is ‘quietly planning for the day it might have to stand on its own’ while aligning with US calls to do more on defence, analysts say.

French President Emmanuel Macron hugs Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris on Tuesday. Zelensky has pressed European allies to boost Kyiv’s air defences before winter. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Why South Korea is racing to build a sovereign AI model for cybersecurity

Fears over access to foreign AI models have accelerated Seoul’s push to control the systems used to defend critical infrastructure.

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Greece

4 Greek MPs charged over multimillion EU farm fraud scandal

European prosecutors say Greek state employees and politicians helped dozens of farmers scam the EU out of over US$22.5 million in subsidies.

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Ukraine war

Zelensky faces fury on Ukrainian streets after dropping defence minister

The air force’s deputy commander has resigned in protest, calling Mykhailo Fedorov’s removal ‘a great evil’ for Ukraine’s defence.

People protest against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to replace Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

EU’s trade panic over China

China’s growing trade surplus with the European Union has stoked anxieties within the bloc, driving defensive actions to protect its critical domestic markets.

China-EU relations

EU accuses China of seeking to reshape global order in stark new strategy paper

China trying to ‘reshape the global order in line with their interests’, EU says in some of bloc’s strongest official criticism of Beijing.

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Britain

‘End of my political journey’: UK’s Starmer takes last questions session

The prime minister, who steps down next week, says he is leaving Britain ‘in better shape than I found it’.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Photo: UK Parliament/dpa
South Korea

Sunk deals: why South Korea’s submarine exports are running aground

After losing bids in Canada and Poland, analysts say Korean shipyards are learning how strategic alignment can trump commercial merit.

South Korean submarines take part in a naval fleet review off the southern port city of Busan last year. Photo: AFP
China exports

Feeling the heat? As China exports soar, Europe’s ports are congested

Amid heatwaves, strikes and surging import volumes, strains on the transport network are causing frequent logistics bottlenecks.

Spain

Gibraltar and Spain end border checks in historic UK-EU treaty

Land border at ‘The Rock’ is eliminated, ending routine checks for thousands of daily cross-border travellers.

Germany

German deaths rise 32% during record June heatwave, data shows

About 23,900 people died between June 22 and June 28 – an increase of 7,100 compared with the two previous weeks.

Children cool off at a water playground in a public park in Germany’s Frankfurt am Main on Sunday. Photo: EPA
China-EU relations

EU signals emergency import curbs after dramatic growth in Chinese trade gap

Brussels looking at ‘case-by-case’ tariffs and quotas after the trade surplus expands by almost a quarter in the first half of the year.

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The EU recently imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese tyres. Photo: Xinhua
Social media

EU demands ‘youth mode’ to protect children from addictive social media features

The addictive features include infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommender systems.

China trade

China’s trade surges in first half of 2026, extending growth streak

Exports rose by 27 per cent year on year and imports grew by 36 per cent last month, both beating projections.

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US-China trade war

Why ‘reverse tech transfer’ from China won’t happen in the US auto industry

Experts say political resistance blocks technology transfer that could help US carmakers compete with Chinese rivals.

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BYD has grown into the world’s leading electric vehicle maker, expanding rapidly overseas even as it faces mounting trade barriers in major Western markets. Photo:Reuters
Middle East

EU countries push for trade ban with Israeli settlements

EU foreign policy chief insists measures target West Bank settlements rather than Israel itself.

Ukraine war

Ukraine allies meet in Paris to boost air defence, pressure Russia to end war

The 37-member Coalition of the Willing aims to develop ‘purely defensive’ anti-ballistic capabilities in Europe.

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Artificial intelligence

China works on AI safety benchmark as regulators target large model risks

State-led initiative addresses AI concerns such as data leaks and hallucinations, as Beijing joins global efforts to enhance oversight of generative models.

Chinese authorities have started building a safety benchmark to evaluate artificial intelligence models. Photo: Shutterstock
Social media

EU eyes social media curbs for children

Australia, Britain, China, India and the United States have already imposed a social media ban or are ‌considering ‌one.

A teenager looks at her smartphone in Brussels. The EU is considering ​a tiered approach, with under-13s only allowed to use social media for limited periods under the supervision of parents, carers and teachers. Photo: AFP
Extreme weather

Europe recorded 10,000 excess deaths in late-June heatwave

Official mortality tracking reveals a spike in fatalities in older people as extreme heat engulfed continent.

Japan

Privacy fears as Japan uses AI facial recognition cameras to find missing people

Police stations in Tokyo’s Arakawa ward receive about 100 reports each year of missing children and elderly people with dementia.

China airliners

China’s C919 on Malaysia Airlines’ radar, but Western certification preferred

Opportunities for Comac’s C919 will increase with certification by Western aviation regulators, a Malaysia Aviation Group executive says.

A crowd watches as China's domestically produced C919 passenger jet takes off at an air show in Nanchang, central Jiangxi province, on November 2, 2024. Photo: AFP
India

UK deal to serve as testing ground for India’s Western trade ambitions

The pact will be a ‘practical blueprint’ for resolving issues such as tariffs, services and regulatory cooperation, analysts say.

Employees work at a garment factory in Bengaluru, India, in May. Indian textiles and leather products are expected to gain from the country’s trade deal with the UK. Photo: EPA
South Korea

South Korea under emergency advisory as heatwave days increase

Scientists warn that extreme weather events such as heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of human-induced climate change.

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China-EU relations

China’s car shipments to EU surge, but could be nearing peak: European analysts

The rapid ascent of Chinese car brands in Europe could be nearing a turning point as both the EU and Germany consider protectionist measures.

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