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2 weeks ago | 
theguardian.com | Jessica Elgot |Sam Jones |Kiran Stacey
British tourists will have to endure passport-stamping queues in the EU until at least October and possibly well into 2026 despite a high profile e-gates agreement unveiled at Monday’s EU-UK summit in London, it has emerged. According to the detailed text of the agreement, both the UK and the EU agree there will be “no legal barriers to e-gate use for British nationals travelling to and from EU member states after the introduction of the EU entry/sxit system (EES)”.
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2 weeks ago | 
theguardian.com | Yohannes Lowe |Jennifer Rankin |Sam Jones
UN warns 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in next 48 hours without aidThe UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has been speaking to the BBC’s Radio 4’s Today’s programme about the dismal amount of aid Israel is letting into Gaza. International pressure over a looming famine forced Benjamin Netanyahu to announce on Sunday night that he would ease the devastating 11-week aid blockade to prevent a “starvation crisis” in Gaza – but only to a minimum level.
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3 weeks ago | 
theguardian.com | Sam Jones |Jon Henley |Jakub Krupa
Millions of voters in Romania, Poland and Portugal will cast their ballots this weekend in an electoral “super Sunday” that will determine the course of their democracies at a time of heightened political, commercial and economic tensions. In Romania, the far-right candidate is the frontrunner in a presidential runoff, while the first-round vote in a deeply polarised Poland will see liberal, conservative and far-right hopefuls vying to become president.
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1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Harriet Sherwood |Sam Jones
Predicting the outcome of the highly secretive papal conclave is near impossible as cardinals’ positions shift over successive votes and some try to game the system to influence the chances of their favoured – or least-favoured – candidates. In the last conclave in 2013, few predicted that Jorge Mario Bergoglio would be elected as Pope Francis.
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1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Lorenzo Tondo |Harriet Sherwood |Sam Jones
Pope Francis announced his pastoral intentions from the very beginning of his papacy, saying he preferred a church that was “bruised, hurting and dirty” from being on the streets to one that was cautious and complacent. Although he never strayed from doctrine – to the annoyance of many optimistic liberals – his 12 years as pope were marked by a deliberate embrace of those historically on the margins of the church and society.
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1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Jennifer Rankin |Sam Jones
The EU has suspended its retaliatory 25% tariffs on US goods for 90 days after Donald Trump’s dramatic climbdown in his trade war. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU would put on hold for 90 days the countermeasures – 25% tariffs on €21bn (£18bn) of US goods – that it had agreed on Wednesday. “We want to give negotiations a chance,” she said.
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2 months ago | 
theguardian.com | Jakub Krupa |Sam Jones |Andrew Roth
'Unconditional withdrawal' of Russian troops one of main preconditions for lifting sanctions, EU saysEuropean Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Photograph: Yves Herman/ReutersThe European Commission responded to reports of Russia seeking sanctions relief as part of a maritime ceasefire in Ukraine, saying today that one of its main precondition would be to see “the unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces” from Ukraine.
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2 months ago | 
theguardian.com | Rebecca Ratcliffe |Sam Jones
Rodrigo Duterte is expected to make his first appearance at the international criminal court (ICC) on Friday, as the former Philippines president faces crimes against humanity charges over his deadly “war on drugs”. The court said in a statement late on Thursday that it “considers it appropriate” for Duterte to appear Friday at 2pm local time (1pm GMT). At the hearing, the 79-year-old will be informed of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant.
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Mar 6, 2025 | 
theguardian.com | Jakub Krupa |Tom Ambrose |Luke Harding |Jennifer Rankin |Helena Smith |Kate Connolly | +1 more
Trump envoy says he plans to meet with Ukraine over peace 'framework' in Saudi ArabiaDonald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said he is planning to travel to Saudi Arabia to speak to Ukrainian delegations about a ceasefire with Russia and a “framework” on a longer agreement.
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Mar 6, 2025 | 
theguardian.com | Jakub Krupa |Helena Smith |Kate Connolly |Sam Jones |Jennifer Rankin
Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this feature'It's great we are not alone,' Zelenskyy says as he arrives at EU summitOn his arrival, Zelenskyy thanks European leaders for their “strong support” which he says he has seen “from the very beginning of the war and … during all this period and last week, you stay[ed] with us.” We are very thankful that we are not alone. And these are not just words. We feel it.
