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  • EU lawmakers call for probe of FIFA boss over Trump contact before US-Belgium match

    EU lawmakers call for probe of FIFA boss over Trump contact before US-Belgium match

    BRUSSELS — A growing coalition of European legislators has rallied behind a formal push to launch an official inquiry within the European Parliament into Gianni Infantino, the president of global soccer governing body FIFA, over his role in the controversial reversal of a suspension for United States men’s national team forward Folarin Balogun.

    The controversy traces back to a July 1 friendly match between the U.S. and Bosnia-Herzegovina, where Balogun received a straight red card before the U.S. secured a win. Under standard FIFA competition rules, a red card suspension automatically forces a player to sit out his team’s next scheduled match. But just days after the red card was issued, the suspension was lifted ahead of the United States’ next fixture on Monday, following reported direct intervention by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who personally appealed to Infantino to clear Balogun to play.

    Three European Parliament members — Barry Andrews, Lara Wolters, and Niels Fuglsang — leading the inquiry effort have issued a scathing joint statement condemning FIFA’s decision, calling it “a disgrace and a perversion of justice” to alter red card suspension rules in the middle of an international match window to accommodate political pressure. “Once again, we’ve seen Infantino and FIFA surrender to the demands of the Trump administration,” the statement added.

    As of this week, 35 additional European Parliament members have added their signatures to the letter calling for the inquiry. The legislators are also urging national soccer federations across all European Union member states to pressure FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee to open a broader probe. The investigation would specifically examine whether political pressure from the Trump administration directly influenced the decision to lift Balogun’s suspension, as well as probe other alleged violations of FIFA’s commitment to political neutrality — including the controversial 2021 decision to award Trump the FIFA Peace Prize.

    FIFA has pushed back against the allegations, asserting that the decision to lift the suspension was made exclusively by its internal disciplinary committee, with no outside political influence. The legislators, however, reject that explanation, arguing that core principles of fair play depend on consistent, impartial rule application across the sport. “The beauty of sport is that it is based on impartial and transparent rules. When Infantino allows political pressure to determine who gets to play, this sense of fairness goes out the window,” the legislators wrote in their joint statement.

  • Getty scraps $3.7B Shutterstock deal after UK antitrust requires key sale

    Getty scraps $3.7B Shutterstock deal after UK antitrust requires key sale

    In a sudden development that has sent ripples through the global stock imagery industry, Getty Images announced Tuesday it has formally pulled the plug on its planned $3.7 billion merger with rival content provider Shutterfish — no, Shutterstock — after refusing to meet a critical divestment requirement imposed by UK antitrust authorities. The proposed combination, which was first unveiled last year with the goal of creating an undisputed dominant giant in the licensed visual and audio content space, has been terminated via official written notice delivered to Shutterstock, Getty confirmed in a regulatory filing this week.

    The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, the country’s top competition watchdog, had already completed its in-depth review of the proposed merger and granted conditional approval, but that approval came with a non-negotiable catch: the combined entity would be required to sell off Shutterstock’s entire editorial content division to a third-party buyer that meets the CMA’s approval standards. Regulators raised red flags during their probe, warning that a merged Getty-Shutterstock would substantially reduce competition in the UK market for licensed content. They argued that reduced competition would ultimately leave British media outlets, advertising firms, and other content buyers with fewer options and force them to pay inflated prices for visual and audio content.

    The CMA’s findings laid out that both Getty Images and Shutterstock operate as major suppliers of licensed content — ranging from professional photos and illustrations to royalty-free music and video clips — to a broad swathe of customers across the UK, including major national media organizations, global advertising agencies, book publishers, independent designers, and small and medium-sized businesses operating across the creative sector. Last week, Getty’s board of directors held a vote and unanimously rejected moving forward with the transaction under the terms demanded by the CMA, opting instead to scrap the merger entirely rather than comply with the divestment order.

    News of the collapsed deal immediately hit share prices of both companies during Wednesday morning trading. Getty Images’ stock declined by 6.8% in early trading, while Shutterstock’s shares also dipped, recording a 2.4% drop following the official announcement. Industry analysts note that the collapse of the merger leaves both companies to operate independently in an increasingly competitive market for licensed content, where free user-generated content platforms and new AI-generated image tools have already disrupted traditional business models in recent years.

  • Marine Le Pen found guilty, but court clears way for presidential run if she wears tag

    Marine Le Pen found guilty, but court clears way for presidential run if she wears tag

    France’s political landscape has entered a pivotal new phase this week after the Paris Court of Appeal delivered a long-awaited ruling in the high-profile European Parliament embezzlement case against National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen. While the court upheld her conviction for misappropriating EU public funds between 2004 and 2016 to pay party staff, it revised her original sentence in a move that removes the legal barrier to her 2027 presidential candidacy.

    The most consequential change to Le Pen’s sentence came to the five-year ban on holding public office that was handed down in her initial 2025 conviction. The court reduced the ineligibility term and backdated it to March 2025, ruling that the penalty has already been fully served. In explaining the decision, justices noted they had balanced the requirements of proportional punishment against constitutional principles of freedom of candidacy and the free choice of French electors, confirming that participation in democratic elections is a core part of the nation’s political process.

    Le Pen still faces a one-year sentence of house arrest monitored by an electronic ankle tag, with two additional years of her original three-year prison term suspended. The original conviction had required two years of electronic monitoring, so the revised sentence still represents a significant reduction. Legally, the ankle tag requirement does not bar her from running for the presidency, but Le Pen has repeatedly stated she would not launch a campaign while subject to monitoring, arguing a presidential candidate needs unfettered freedom of movement to hold rallies, meet voters, and campaign across the country.

    With less than 10 months remaining before the April 2027 presidential election, Le Pen currently leads all national opinion polls. This will be her fourth bid for the Élysée Palace, having lost twice in consecutive elections to incumbent Emmanuel Macron, who is constitutionally barred from running for a third term. Macron has declined to issue any public comment on the appeal court verdict.

    All eyes are now fixed on Le Pen’s primetime live televised address on TF1, scheduled for 20:00 CET (19:00 BST) on Tuesday, where she will announce her final decision: either she will confirm her own candidacy, or she will pass the RN’s nomination to her 30-year-old protégé and party president Jordan Bardella. Following the ruling, Le Pen traveled directly to RN headquarters in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, where she has been holding closed-door talks with Bardella and senior party leadership. Bardella did not attend the court hearing and has not released any public statement since the verdict was delivered.

    In theory, Le Pen retains the option to petition for an early reduction of the electronic monitoring sentence on the grounds of good behavior. If approved, she would not only be able to run, but would also be able to take office without the tag if she wins the two-round election scheduled for April 18 and May 2, 2027. Of the remaining ineligibility term, 45 months of the original sentence have been suspended, and the 15 months of active ineligibility have already been completed since the initial conviction in March 2025.

    The case is not limited to Le Pen: all 12 co-defendants were found guilty of diverting European Parliament funds, which presiding judge Michèle Agi classified as public funds. Only one defendant, former Le Pen ally Bruno Gollnisch, was absent from Tuesday’s hearing. Long before the court convened on Tuesday morning, dozens of journalists and curious members of the public queued outside the appeal court building to wait for the verdict that will shape France’s next presidential campaign.

    Bruno Retailleau, leader of the mainstream conservative Republicans party, offered a measured reaction to the ruling earlier Tuesday, noting that politicians are neither above nor below the law, and expressing hope the verdict would not be driven by political considerations. The final ruling, he said, meets both of those standards.

  • Rodri sorry after World Cup spat with longtime Man City teammate Bernardo Silva

    Rodri sorry after World Cup spat with longtime Man City teammate Bernardo Silva

    ARLINGTON, Texas — Moments after a tense, high-stakes World Cup round-of-16 clash that saw Spain edge out Portugal 1-0 to secure a quarterfinal spot, 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has opened up about a heated in-game exchange with his former Manchester City teammate Bernardo Silva, admitting his on-field celebration was out of line.

    The match, held on Monday, remained deadlocked until Spain secured a winning lead, holding onto the narrow advantage through 90 minutes of regular play. Deep into six minutes of stoppage time, Silva — who this summer left Manchester City after his contract expired to join Real Madrid — had a golden late opportunity to level the score and send the game to extra time. The Portuguese playmaker’s header, however, sailed over the crossbar, leaving him crumpled on the pitch with his head buried in his hands, devastated by the missed chance.

    In the heat of the moment, Rodri, Spain’s starting midfielder, approached the downed Silva and raised a clenched fist in a provocative, celebratory gesture. The reaction from Silva was immediate: he stood up, brushed past Rodri’s outstretched arm, and confronted the Spain international directly, pointing squarely at his face to express his anger.

    The two midfielders know each other well, having lined up together in Manchester City’s central midfield from 2019 until Silva’s summer departure. In post-match comments to reporters, Rodri made clear he regretted the split-second decision, saying he had already apologized directly to Silva after the final whistle.

    “I made a mistake, because I celebrated when he had missed,” Rodri told the press. “I apologized to him immediately. But that’s all, because of the trust we have.”

    The result sends Portugal packing from the 2026 World Cup, while Spain moves forward to face Belgium in the upcoming quarterfinal match.

  • French prosecutors investigating racist insults against Mbappé by Paraguay senator

    French prosecutors investigating racist insults against Mbappé by Paraguay senator

    A post-World Cup racist incident has sparked a formal criminal investigation in France, after a Paraguayan senator targeted star French forward Kylian Mbappé with vitriolic, racially-charged abuse following Paraguay’s narrow knockout-stage defeat last weekend.

    The controversy erupted Saturday, immediately after Mbappé converted a decisive penalty kick to secure France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay, which pushed the defending champions into the tournament’s quarterfinals. Celeste Amarilla, a sitting senator from Paraguay’s main opposition Liberal Radical Party, took to social media platform X to publish inflammatory comments attacking Mbappé. In her since-deleted post, she mocked the 25-year-old captain’s racial origins, childhood upbringing, education, and physical appearance.

    By Tuesday, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to the Associated Press that it had opened a full investigation into two potential offenses: aggravated public insult and incitement to racial hatred or violence. The probe was launched after France’s national unit targeting online hate speech received a formal complaint filed by the French Football Federation (FFF).

    Under French law, the offenses being investigated carry severe maximum penalties: up to one year of prison sentence and a €45,000 fine (equivalent to roughly $51,000). Prosecutors confirmed the alleged remarks qualify as bias-motivated offending, as they were targeted at Mbappé specifically on the basis of his perceived origin, ethnicity, nationality, and race.

    Mbappé responded quickly to the attack, denouncing Amarilla in a public statement as a “despicable woman” “unworthy” of holding a seat in Paraguay’s national congress. The comment triggered a counter-backlash from Amarilla, who later issued a half-hearted open letter to Mbappé posted to social media in both French and Spanish.

    In the letter, Amarilla claimed her criticism was directed solely at Mbappé as an individual, not at the nation of France. She acknowledged she regretted using the same type of derogatory insults against Mbappé that she had been subjected to as a mixed-race person, and confirmed she had removed the original abusive post. However, she simultaneously demanded an apology from Mbappé, accusing him of gender-based violence in his critical remarks, and threatened to file her own legal action against the player if he refused to retract his comments.

    Official responses from both governments and football governing bodies have been uniformly condemnatory of Amarilla’s actions. The Paraguayan government released an official statement on Monday afternoon distancing itself entirely from the senator’s comments, noting that her words “do not represent either the Paraguayan government or the Paraguayan people.” It added that her remarks ran counter to the core values of peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity that Paraguay publicly promotes.

    The FFF issued its own strong rebuke, describing Amarilla’s comments as “utterly abhorrent” and “unacceptable” in a public statement. Top French political leaders have also rallied to support Mbappé: French President Emmanuel Macron and Sports Minister Marina Ferrari both publicly voiced their solidarity with the France captain following the incident. France is set to face Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals this Thursday as the team continues its pursuit of a second consecutive world title.

  • Woman suspected of Monaco bomb attack found dead in Ukraine

    Woman suspected of Monaco bomb attack found dead in Ukraine

    Just over a week after a deadly parcel bombing rocked a luxury Monaco apartment building, the cross-border manhunt for the prime suspect has taken a shocking new turn: Ukraine’s top security agency has confirmed the 39-year-old Ukrainian suspect Anastasiia Berezovska has been found dead with a gunshot wound to the head. Only days before her body was discovered, Interpol had issued a red notice — its highest-level global arrest alert — calling on law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and detain Berezovska in connection with the 29 June bombing that left a sanctioned Ukrainian multimillionaire and his family injured in the wealthy Mediterranean city-state.

    According to an official statement from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), Berezovska fled Monaco just two days after the attack and crossed into Ukraine on 1 July. Once in the country, she made contact with her family and two Ukrainian men: one a sitting intelligence officer with the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, and the other a former law enforcement official. Investigators had already linked the pair to the Monaco bombing prior to Berezovska’s death, uncovering records that showed repeated transfers of funds to both the suspect’s cryptocurrency wallets and traditional bank accounts, marking them as suspected accomplices in the attack.

    The SBU’s announcement reveals that after locating Berezovska, the two men killed her in a prearranged killing. The serving intelligence officer has already confessed to the murder, confirming he carried out the killing alongside his co-accused. In a further disturbing development, searches of the former law enforcement officer’s residence uncovered a hidden basement room configured as a makeshift torture chamber, raising new questions about the pair’s potential prior criminal activity.

    Both suspects are now in official custody, facing charges of premeditated group murder. The SBU confirmed that the full investigation into both the Monaco parcel bombing and the subsequent murder of Berezovska remains active and ongoing, with additional details expected to be released as new evidence emerges. This is a developing breaking news story, with updates to follow as more information becomes available.

  • Explosions rock Damascus, wounding 18, as French President Macron visits Syria

    Explosions rock Damascus, wounding 18, as French President Macron visits Syria

    DAMASCUS, Syria – Two coordinated explosive device attacks shook central Damascus on Tuesday, as French President Emmanuel Macron held a landmark meeting with Syria’s new President Ahmad al-Sharaa, leaving at least 18 people injured, Syria’s Interior Ministry confirmed. The incident marks the second major deadly explosion in the capital in less than a week, throwing a shadow over efforts to stabilize the war-battered nation and rebuild its economy following 14 years of conflict.

    According to Syrian Interior Ministry statements carried by state media, the two blasts detonated in a busy central district of Damascus, just a short distance from the Four Seasons Hotel where Macron was confirmed to be staying, and close to the presidential palace where the meeting between the two leaders was taking place. One explosive device was hidden inside a public garbage bin, while the second was placed in a parked car. Four of the 18 injured people are active-duty police officers, and official sources confirmed no fatalities had been reported as of Tuesday afternoon. Local security forces have cordoned off the blast site to launch a full investigation into the attack, and no group has yet claimed responsibility for the assault.

    Footage of the incident widely shared across social media platforms captured a large plume of black smoke rising from the attack zone, which sits steps from the Syrian Tourism Ministry headquarters and the Damascus National Museum. The footage also shows a van and a motorcycle engulfed in flames, with visible blood stains on the pavement of the busy commercial street. Immediately following the blasts, the Élysée Palace issued a statement confirming that Macron was unharmed and that his scheduled meeting with al-Sharaa was proceeding as planned.

    Macron’s visit to Syria is unprecedented in modern Syrian-Western relations: he is the first leader of a major Western power to travel to Damascus since al-Sharaa took power in 2024, after leading an insurgency that ousted long-time authoritarian ruler Bashar Assad. Macron arrived in the country on Monday night accompanied by a large delegation of French business and economic leaders, with plans to sign a series of bilateral memorandums of understanding aimed at opening the door for foreign investment to support Syria’s reconstruction.

    The French president has been a leading voice among Western leaders pushing for the European Union and United States to lift the majority of economic sanctions imposed on Syria over decades of conflict and authoritarian rule. Al-Sharaa’s new administration has made attracting foreign reconstruction investment a top priority, after 14 years of war left the country’s infrastructure in ruins, displaced millions of people, killed nearly half a million, and left millions more trapped in poverty. Independent analysts estimate Syria will require hundreds of billions of dollars in total investment to fully rebuild.

    The attack comes just days after a separate explosive device detonated at a cafe near the Damascus Justice Palace, which killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20. For al-Sharaa, the repeated blasts in the capital represent a major setback to his efforts to consolidate full control over Syrian territory, restore nationwide stability, and build trust with Western governments and domestic minority groups skeptical of his background as the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group once linked to al-Qaeda. Al-Sharaa’s government has committed to sweeping political and economic reforms after decades of autocratic rule, and until this recent string of attacks, the capital had remained largely peaceful through the post-Assad transition period, even as the new administration faced scattered clashes with armed factions in outlying regions.

    Before heading to his meeting at the presidential palace on Tuesday, Macron held a closed-door session with members of Syrian civil society. The Élysée Palace has not released details on the participants or content of that meeting. Macron is scheduled to depart Damascus this week to travel to Ankara, Turkey, to attend the upcoming NATO summit.

  • ‘Overturn this’ – Belgium taunt US and say Trump move fired them up

    ‘Overturn this’ – Belgium taunt US and say Trump move fired them up

    Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash between co-hosts the United States and Belgium, a controversial decision to suspend US striker Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match red card ban sparked a firestorm of criticism from football governing bodies, national teams, and coaches — with former President Donald Trump later confirming he personally requested FIFA review the original suspension. The entire off-pitch drama did little to derail Belgium, who walked away with a dominant 4-1 victory over the Americans to book their spot in the tournament quarter-finals.

    Balogun, 25, looked set to miss the Seattle tie after receiving a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the US’s previous group stage match. Under standard FIFA rules, a straight red card results in an automatic one-match suspension for the player’s next fixture. But just 24 hours before kickoff, FIFA made the unprecedented call to pause Balogun’s suspension for a 12-month period, clearing him to start against Belgium.

    The ruling drew immediate condemnation across global football. UEFA, European football’s top governing body, said the last-minute intervention to cancel a pre-tournament knockout suspension “crossed a red line.” England manager Thomas Tuchel also spoke out against the decision, warning it set a dangerous precedent for future international competition. “Where to draw the line is the question that I ask,” Tuchel noted, pointing to England’s own recent red card for defender Jarell Quansah in their Round of 16 win over Mexico, where Quansah will serve his mandatory suspension in the next round.

    Historical records underscore how unusual FIFA’s call was: of the 189 other red cards issued in men’s World Cup history prior to this tournament, only one player has ever avoided an automatic suspension — Brazil icon Garrincha in 1962, a decision made before the modern mandatory red card suspension system was implemented.

    The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) confirmed it was “astonished” by the ruling and formally appealed FIFA’s decision, contesting Balogun’s eligibility to play in the Round of 16 tie. FIFA ultimately rejected the appeal, ruling Belgium was not an “interested party” to the original red card decision as it was only the US’s next opponent, not a party to the previous match.

    On Monday, Trump confirmed during a White House appearance that he had personally reached out to FIFA to request a review of Balogun’s ban, saying he “didn’t think it was a foul.” The US president confirmed he spoke directly to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but insisted he only asked for a review and did not pressure FIFA to reverse the suspension. “I think it would have left a big stain on the tournament if the ban had stayed,” Trump said. “I can’t tell them what to do. I don’t believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision.” Trump had reiterated that stance Sunday, calling FIFA’s ultimate ruling the correct one.

    Despite the cleared striker in the US starting line-up, Belgium controlled the match from start to finish, securing a lopsided 4-1 win that eliminated the co-hosts from the tournament.

    Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin, who also plays club football for Rangers, told reporters after the match that the entire squad had left the off-pitch controversy with a “sense of injustice” over the ruling, and used that feeling as motivation heading into the game. “A lot has happened off the pitch over the last two days,” Raskin said. “There was a sense of injustice within the squad, and we were determined to respond on the field.”

    Captain Youri Tielemans echoed that sentiment, adding the controversial ruling had only unified the Belgian side and boosted their focus ahead of kickoff. “We told ourselves we had to respond on the pitch. That’s what we did,” he said.

    After scoring their fourth goal, multiple Belgian players were photographed celebrating with a dance mimicking the viral “Trump dance” — the signature hip-swaying, slow arm-pumping routine that gained widespread attention during Trump’s 2024 US presidential campaign. The Belgian national team’s official Instagram account further leaned into the mockery of the situation, posting a photo of striker Romelu Lukaku cupping his ear to the crowd with the caption “overturn this,” a clear reference to FIFA’s decision to reverse Balogun’s ban.

    Belgian head coach Rudi Garcia noted that Balogun approached him after the final whistle to speak about the controversy, and Garcia made clear he held no ill will toward the striker. “It’s not his fault, he’s not the one to blame and that’s what I told him,” Garcia said. When asked how the off-pitch chaos impacted his side, Garcia added that his mature squad stayed focused on their own game plan regardless of the US line-up. “Regardless of the US starting line-up, what really mattered to us is our game plan. The group is very mature. I told them what matters the most is us.”

    The incident also drew international criticism from Iran, who was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in the group stage amid visa and travel disruptions caused by ongoing US military conflict with the country. Iran posted a side-by-side screenshot on their official website showing their 1-1 draw with Belgium alongside the US’s 4-1 defeat, with the caption: “Now the whole world is dancing for the humiliating defeat of politics against football.” The dig referenced a previous comment from US Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin, who said he “danced a happy dance” after Iran was eliminated from group stage play.

  • Marine Le Pen’s 2027 bid for French presidency is at stake in Paris court ruling

    Marine Le Pen’s 2027 bid for French presidency is at stake in Paris court ruling

    On Tuesday, a Paris appeals court prepared to deliver a landmark ruling that will determine the political future of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a decision carrying sweeping implications for the 2027 French presidential election and the broader political landscape of the European Union.

    The 57-year-old leader of the National Rally (RN), one of France’s most consequential major political forces, is challenging a March 2025 lower court conviction. The original ruling found Le Pen and multiple other RN officials guilty of misappropriating European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016, when the party used money earmarked for EU parliamentary assistants to pay internal party staff. The lower court issued a suspended prison sentence and imposed a five-year ban on holding elected public office, a penalty that would bar Le Pen from running in the 2027 contest.

    The verdict is scheduled to begin reading at 1:30 p.m. local time, with legal observers noting it could take several hours to complete. Outgoing French President Emmanuel Macron is constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third consecutive term, opening an open race for the Elysee Palace that would be dramatically reshaped if Le Pen, the RN’s most popular and recognizable figure, is forced out of contention.

    Le Pen has consistently denied all wrongdoing and has publicly expressed her intention to mount a fourth presidential bid in 2027. Should the appeals court uphold the five-year ban, her decades-long political career – which pulled the National Rally from the far-right fringe to the center of French electoral politics – would effectively be sidelined. A ruling upholding the ban would also shake EU politics by removing one of the bloc’s most vocal and influential critics from mainstream electoral competition.

    If Le Pen is barred from running, her 30-year-old protégé Jordan Bardella, the current president of the anti-immigration, EU-skeptic National Rally, is lined up to take her place as the party’s presidential nominee. Political analysts have already noted Bardella is ideologically aligned but not an identical political copy of Le Pen, meaning his candidacy would shift the party’s campaign dynamic.

    Multiple alternative outcomes remain on the table. The court could uphold Le Pen’s conviction but reduce the public office ban to two years or less, a timeline that would see the penalty expire before the first round of the 2027 presidential election scheduled for April 2027. The court could also choose to impose no ban at all. Even if the ban is shortened, Le Pen has signaled she may still opt out of the race if other judicial restrictions – including a unsuspended prison sentence, electronic monitoring, or other limits that impede free campaigning – are put in place. In a recent interview last week, she clarified: “If I’m allowed to be a candidate but am effectively prevented from campaigning freely, then you understand that wouldn’t be possible.”

    Prosecutors have urged the appeals court to issue a four-year prison sentence, three of which would be suspended, alongside retaining the original five-year ban on holding elected office. Prosecutors have alleged Le Pen led an organized “system” designed to “siphon off” EU public funds for the benefit of the National Rally. While prosecutors did not request that the ban take immediate effect – as the lower court ruled – the appeals court retains the authority to order immediate implementation of the penalty.

    Even if the ruling goes against Le Pen, she retains the right to appeal the verdict to France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation. It remains uncertain whether the high court would agree to suspend the sentence while the final appeal is processed, though the Court of Cassation has previously confirmed that if it accepts the case, it will aim to issue a final ruling ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

  • NATO readies for a ‘big reveal’ on arms deals to prove its firepower to Trump

    NATO readies for a ‘big reveal’ on arms deals to prove its firepower to Trump

    As NATO gathers for its two-day annual summit in Ankara, Turkey, hosted at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s sprawling presidential palace, the transatlantic military alliance is making a high-stakes push to win over U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his arrival. On the eve of the gathering, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced that Tuesday’s “big reveal” event will showcase a slate of new multi-billion dollar military procurement projects, many of which involve contracts with American defense contractors.

    This showcase comes as NATO seeks to prove to the U.S. commander-in-chief that European and Canadian allies are following through on longstanding pledges to boost defense investment and convert financial commitments into tangible military capabilities. Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO, labeling the alliance a “paper tiger” that relies entirely on U.S. military leadership and technology to function, and has demanded that allies meet higher defense spending targets. Even before the summit, Rutte attempted to ease U.S. frustrations by presenting a new chart branded “The Trump Trillion,” which highlights that European allies and Canada have spent a combined $1.2 trillion on defense since 2017. However, Trump remained unmoved by the figure, noting he was still disappointed that many allies declined to back the U.S.-led and Israel-supported military campaign against Iran, launched without prior alliance consultation. “We don’t need their money — we don’t need anything,” Trump told reporters. “I just want loyalty.”

    Among the key contracts set to be unveiled at the event is a major deal to replace NATO’s aging fleet of AWACS surveillance aircraft, which have been in service for roughly 50 years. While all frontline weaponry in NATO is owned by individual member states rather than the alliance itself, NATO operates a shared fleet of surveillance aircraft complemented by newer drone systems. A portion of the new projects will be funded through the European Union’s low-interest defense loan system, which has raised up to $170 billion on international capital markets for this purpose. Rutte emphasized that the goal of this push is to turn economic capacity into usable military strength. “We need to ensure that we are translating our economic might into military capabilities, putting the cash to work from defense plans to drones, from money to missiles and interceptors,” he said.

    Beyond defense spending debates, the summit has been roiled by a growing diplomatic dispute over a potential U.S. F-35 fighter jet sale to Turkey. Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, but Trump, who maintains close personal ties with Erdogan, has hinted that the U.S. could resume sales during his Ankara visit. The move has drawn sharp pushback from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who publicly urged the U.S. to block the sale during an appearance on Fox News’ *Fox & Friends* Monday morning. Netanyahu argued that the sale would upend regional military balances, noting that Erdogan has “called openly for the annihilation of Israel.” Relations between Turkey and Israel have been deeply strained since the outbreak of the Gaza war, which began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. Erdogan has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, while Netanyahu has pushed back against Turkish policy in the region. “Selling Turkey F-35s would upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also, I think, by America’s posture in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said. Israel’s own air force operates a large fleet of U.S.-manufactured fighter jets, including dozens of F-35s alongside older F-16 and F-15 models.

    The core strategic agenda of the 2025 Ankara summit centers on the framework of “a stronger Europe for a stronger NATO,” aligned with the Trump administration’s push to reorient U.S. foreign policy. Washington has made clear that it wants European allies to take full ownership of continental security, allowing the U.S. to shift its military and diplomatic focus to countering China in the Indo-Pacific region. The Pentagon is advancing this shift under a vision it calls “NATO 3.0,” which restructures the alliance to put Europe in the lead for its own defense while maintaining U.S. support.

    Even so, increasing defense spending to meet alliance targets has proven politically fraught for many member states, as it requires either tax hikes or reallocating funds from domestic priorities. Just last month, United Kingdom Defense Secretary John Healey resigned unexpectedly over the British government’s refusal to approve higher military spending amid rising global security threats. Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation on June 22, is attending what is expected to be his final foreign trip in office. Starmer’s government has committed to reaching the NATO target of devoting 3.5% of gross domestic product to defense by 2035, but has faced widespread criticism from military leaders, opposition parties, and even some members of his own center-left Labour Party for failing to release a concrete roadmap to hit the target. Current plans only project defense spending will reach 2.7% of GDP by 2029.

    Across Northern and Central Eastern Europe, allied capitals are growing increasingly concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could launch a large-scale hybrid attack on NATO territory as he continues to face stalemate in his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hybrid attacks combine limited conventional military action with subversive tactics including cyberattacks, disinformation, and proxy operations to destabilize alliance members without triggering a full collective defense response.