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Europe
European Union
23/05/2025 US President Trump today threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on imports from the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025, lamenting that negotiations with the EU are going nowhere, accusing the 27-member trading bloc of stalling trade talks. Today early morning, Trump said the EU had been formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on trade and took a swipe at the difficult negotiations taking place. Stock futures on Wall Street fell on the news. The current US baseline is 10 percent levy against goods coming from the EU. The EU recently was threatening to hit US goods worth nearly 100 billion euros ($113 billion) with tariffs if the ongoing talks fail to lower levies on European goods. (Source: France 24 with AFP)
23.05.2025 Nine EU states called for a new and open-minded conversation about the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly in terms of migration. "We have to restore the right balance," was stated in an open letter released by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office yesterday, signed by leaders from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic Denmark Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland. The letter urging a review of its application was made public following a meeting in Rome between Meloni and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, both of whom have taken a hardline approach to migration.(Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Europe
May 23, 2025 Fears for crops as drought hits northern Europe. Parts of northern Europe have seen their worst drought in decades in recent weeks. Countries including France, Belgium, Britain and Germany have seen much lower levels of rainfall than usual in some areas this spring, leaving the soil parched and dusty, with farmers from Scotland to the Netherlands fearing the dry spell will dent harvests if it continues. Water shortages can stunt the growth of crops such as wheat, corn, rapeseed and barley. The unusually dry weather has already delayed the life cycle of crops that would normally have sprouted by now. Britain suffers its driest spring in well over a century. According to the Environment Agency, levels in Britain’s reservoirs have fallen to exceptionally low. The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) in early May twarned that the previous three months had been exceptionally dry, with just 63 millimetres of rainfall. Since 1874, there have only been seven times when less rain fell during the period from February to April, it said. Denmark has also seen above-average temperatures for the time of year. The country’s drought index, which runs on a scale of one to 10, has been above nine since May 15, the first time this has happened so early in the year since the index was established in 2005. In France, air temperatures have been warmer than usual, meaning plants need more water from the soil. Groundwater levels remain satisfactory. Northern France has been on drought alert since Monday after seeing the same rainfall between February and early May as it would normally see in a month. Strong northeast winds have also dried out the soil, with farmers increasingly turning to irrigation. Water for irrigation is primarily obtained from surface water such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs or from groundwater using wells and aquifers. Until five years ago, irrigation was not even considered in the north - these days it can as much as double crop production, but you need the resources to do it. From February 1 to April 13, Germany saw 40 litres of rainfall per square metre, the its lowest level since records began in 1931, according to the German Weather Service (DWD). Germany’s environment minister warned in April of a high risk of forest fires and poor harvests due to a worrying lack of rain. In the Netherlands, it has not been this dry since records began in 1906. The Federation of Swedish Farmers said it was too early to say what the impact on farming will be this summer but advised farmers to go over their water planning. The dry spell in northern Europe contrasts with southern Europe, including Spain and Portugal, where rainfall has been up to twice the usual amount for the time of year. (Source: Macau Business - China / AFP - France)
Asia
South Korea
23.05.2025 An option being developed by the Pentagon is to pull out roughly 4,500 troops from South Korea and moving them to another location in the Indo-Pacific region, including its island territory of Guam, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. According to the report, the proposal has not yet been submitted to President Trump for approval. Some 28,500 US troops are currently stationed in South Korea. Last month, US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Paparo Jr. opposed any troops withdrawal from South Korea and warned it would jeopardize their ability to prevail against North Korea, and in other possible conflicts against China and Russia. An unnamed Pentagon spokesperson told the agency that there is currently no policy announcement to make regarding any potential US troop reduction in the region. South Korea's Defense Ministry today also said there is no discussion held between Seoul and Washington over any possible withdrawal of troops. (Source: Anadolu Agency -Turkey)
North America
United States
May 23rd, 2025 Vice President Vance gave the commencement address at the Naval Academy’s graduation ceremony in Annapolis today. Vance declared the era of uncontested US dominance is over * while urging the U.S. to look inward in order to dominate globally. He declared a generational shift in foreign policy away from the U.S. ’meddling’ in other countries. Vance praised President Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East and said it signified the end of a decades-long approach to foreign policy that was a break from the precedent set by founding fathers. 'We had a long experiment in our foreign policy that traded national defense and the maintenance of our alliances for nation-building and meddling in foreign countries’ affairs,' he added. Even when those foreign countries had very little to do with poor American interests. „Our leaders traded hard power for soft power. We stopped making things: everything from cars to computers to the weapons of war, like the ships that guard our waters and the weapons that you will use in the future,’ he continued. “Too many of us believed that economic integration would naturally lead to peace by making countries like the People’s Republic of China more like the United States. What we’re seeing from President Trump is a generational shift in policy. The Trump administration has reversed course. No more undefined missions. No more open-ended conflicts. Returning to a strategy grounded in realism and protecting core national interests. Vance argued that policy failed and warned that China and Russia are now working to surpass U.S. power globally. (Source: Mediaite - U.S.)
* See also: VP Vance delivers Naval academy commencement speech /Video/ (Source: YouTube - U.S.)
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