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‘With calm, we will get through this’: Romanian president speaks out after government collapses – Europe live

The EU has urged the US to make “a swift return” to the terms of the trade deal struck last summer after Donald Trump said he would tear up part of the deal and increase tariffs on EU cars. Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission vice-president with responsibility for trade, had a 90 minute meeting with the US trade representative Jamieson Greer in Paris on Monday. “He called for a swift return to the agreed Turnberry terms, i.e. a 15% all-inclusive tariff rate, with the agreed carve-outs for the EU. It would be beneficial for the main features of the deal to be in place ahead of its one-year anniversary,” a spokesperson for the EU commisioner said. The spokesperson said Šefčovič also updated Greer on the complicated EU legislative process which meant the deal is still no implemented on the EU side with so-called “trilogue” sign off yet to happen. This entails a formal agreement between the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. Usually legislative agreements and trade agreements continue unchanged between a vote in parliament and the trilogue sign-off, but there have been occasions when amendments are made. German MEP Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, is discussing “all options” with the European Council tomorrow. But the main voting block in the parliament, the centre right European People’s Party, is pushing for the deal to be implemented as soon as possible. With hopes the deal could be implemented on the first anniversary, 27 July, there may yet be hitches. “In the meantime, both sides agreed to step up engagement at both the political and technical levels, while also engaging more forcefully on a positive agenda, such as critical raw materials and steel ring-fencing,” said the spokesperson for Šefčovič.

Middle East crisis live: Hegseth says US-Iran ceasefire ‘is not over’ despite growing tensions in strait of Hormuz

In case you missed it earlier, Iran does not have “kamikaze dolphins”, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said, but he would not “confirm or deny” whether America does. He was asked about reports of the marine mammals being deployed as weapons by Tehran amid the ongoing Gulf crisis. Hegseth was speaking at a Pentagon briefing where he outlined steps taken by the US to reopen the strategic strait of Hormuz and free hundreds of stranded cargo vessels. Responding to a question from the media, Hegseth said: “I can’t confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don’t.” General Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said: “I haven’t heard about kamikaze dolphins – it’s like sharks with laser beams right?”

Rachel Reeves and Scott Bessent argued in person about Iran war, sources say

Rachel Reeves had an angry exchange with her US counterpart, Scott Bessent, in Washington last month over the war in Iran, sources have said, in the latest sign of the deepening tensions between the two countries. The chancellor and the US treasury secretary argued in person during the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund, according to people briefed on the exchange, confirming a story first reported by the Financial Times. The row centred on Reeves’s criticisms over the Iran conflict, which she made in public before the meetings began, triggering an angry backlash from some in the Trump administration. Criticisms by Reeves and the prime minister, Keir Starmer, have caused the biggest rift in US-UK relations for decades, with the US president, Donald Trump, threatening to rip up a trade deal and to recognise Argentina’s claims to the Falkland Islands in response. Reeves told the Mirror on 14 April she felt “very frustrated and angry that the US went into this war without a clear exit plan”, calling the war a “folly”. She then travelled to the US, where she told CNBC the goals of the war had “never been clear”. “I’m not convinced this conflict has made the world a safer place,” Reeves told a panel organised by the US broadcaster. “It’s not been clear over the last six weeks what exactly the aim of this conflict is.” According to those briefed on her meetings, Bessent upbraided her over the comments during an in-person meeting on 15 April, including invoking the threat of an Iranian nuclear attack on Britain. He is understood to have made comments along the lines of those he made to the BBC a day earlier, when he responded to concerns about the war’s economic fallout by saying: “I wonder what the hit to global GDP would be if a nuclear weapon hit London.” Reeves responded by telling the treasury secretary she was not his employee and did not like his tone. One UK official said: “Reeves was as direct in private with Bessent about her views on the Iran [war] as she was in public.” Downing Street said on Tuesday: “The chancellor and the US treasury secretary have a good relationship. They have had constructive conversations together since the chancellor’s visits to Washington.” British government sources also pointed to a US treasury readout of the meeting in the immediate aftermath. The department said at the time: “During their discussion, Secretary Bessent underscored the US treasury’s commitment to Economic Fury, leveraging all tools and authorities against those who continue to support Iran’s terrorist activities.” The war in Iran has created arguably the biggest divide between the US and UK since the Suez crisis of 1956. Having gone to great lengths to keep Trump on side in the early months of his premiership, Starmer has taken an increasingly outspoken position against the president’s foreign policy. At a meeting of the European Political Community in Armenia this weekend, the prime minister said: “We cannot deny that some of the alliances that we have come to rely on are not in the place we would want them to be.” With transatlantic tensions high, the president has in recent weeks threatened to unpick a trade deal that has already been agreed, impose fresh tariffs in response to the UK’s digital services tax and recognise Argentinian control of the Falklands. However, he struck a more conciliatory note last month during the visit of King Charles and the queen to the US, including announcing an end to tariffs on scotch whisky. “The king and queen got me to do something nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” the president posted on his Truth Social platform.

Moscow shuts down airports and mobile signals as Victory Day parade looms

Russia shut down airports and temporarily cut mobile internet access for many users in Moscow on Tuesday, as it tightened security ahead of the 9 May Victory Day parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany. The parade – Russia’s foremost national celebration – has already been scaled back and will proceed without heavy military hardware for the first time in nearly two decades, amid fears of long-range Ukrainian drone strikes. Ukraine has recently demonstrated its ability to penetrate Moscow’s dense air defence systems: on Monday morning, a drone struck a high-rise apartment building just a few miles from the Kremlin. In what appeared to be an effort to shield the military parade, Moscow earlier this month declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine for 8-9 May and warned of a “massive missile strike” on central Kyiv if it were violated. Ukraine dismissed the proposal as a cynical ploy to protect the parade from drone attacks. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, responded by announcing a separate truce from 6 May, saying it was “not serious” to expect Kyiv to observe a ceasefire tied to a Russian military holiday. Speaking during a visit to Armenia, Zelenskyy said Moscow feared that “drones may buzz over Red Square”. Security in the Russian capital has been visibly tightened in the run-up to the parade, with checkpoints set up across the city and snipers and machine-gun crews deployed on Kremlin towers. Residents on Tuesday woke to dead mobile signals across Moscow. The disruption hit workers hardest, with taxi drivers saying they were unable to receive fares, and delivery couriers forced to knock on customers’ doors and ask to use home wifi just to mark orders as complete. By midday, access appeared to have been largely restored. All four of Moscow’s airports also suspended operations on Tuesday over unspecified security concerns. Russian officials have previously justified such shutdowns as necessary to protect the capital from drone attacks and acts of sabotage – a deeply unpopular measure that has dented Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings in recent weeks. Alongside the heightened security presence on Moscow’s streets, Russia has also stepped up personal protection for Vladimir Putin in recent months, according to a European intelligence report cited by the outlet iStories. Russia’s Federal Protective Service (FSO), which is responsible for guarding senior officials, has significantly tightened security around the president. He is said to be spending more time in underground bunkers, closely managing the war effort, and has become increasingly removed from civilian life. The report added that cooks, bodyguards and photographers who work with the president are also banned from travelling on public transport, amid fears in the Kremlin of a possible assassination attack on the president.

Macron backs Armenia’s pro-Europe PM as re-election campaign draws to close

Emmanuel Macron has made an unabashed pre-election pitch on behalf of Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, saying the country’s destiny lies with Europe. The French president also accused Russia of abandoning Armenia after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war that led to Azerbaijan displacing tens of thousands of Armenians. Pashinyan, who – unlike the leaders of neighbouring Georgia – is increasingly open about his determination to side with Europe, faces a tough challenge to be re-elected next month. Three pro-Russia or nationalist parties are trying to end his eight-year rule and accuse him of making too many concessions to Azerbaijan in an effort to win peace. They are also likely to attack Macron for interfering in Armenia’s internal politics. He was a on a state visit in which he was trying to show that choosing Europe was not a geopolitical theory, but a practical point of departure for ordinary Armenians. France has one of the largest Armenian expatriate communities in Europe, and Macron has long championed a European path for Yerevan. It was with his encouragement that more than 40 European leaders gathered in Yerevan on Monday under the banner of the European Political Community, a body that brings together EU and non-EU countries. At the first summit between Armenia and the EU on Tuesday morning, the bloc offered visa and trade liberalisation. In his speech to the summit, Macron said: “Many have long thought that Armenia’s destiny is possible only under the patronage of Russia.” But he said the mass displacement of Armenians in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh after offensives by Azerbaijan in 2020 and 2023 in which Russia did not intervene showed Moscow’s promise of security was untrue. “We saw that Russia abandoned Armenia, we understood that greatest dreams are not reality,” he said. He also expressed hope that this “Armenian moment” with economic growth at 6% would spread across the region. “I would like the Armenian moment to also become the moment of the entire Caucasus. I have two convictions. First, the south Caucasus should not be an arena for the competition of empires, and second, the region can become a crossroads between Europe, Asia and the Middle East. “For this, it is necessary to open the borders. I hope that our neighbours will show the same courage as you and follow the path of peace, democracy and prosperity. “The borders must be fully opened, including with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and they must also operate without restrictions with Georgia.” More broadly he called for an alliance of independent states to uphold the rule of law. He said lasting peace could not be imposed by the strongest or based on double standards or disrespect for the order established in 1945. Macron appeared to enjoy popular support as he strolled through the streets of Yerevan. His rendering of Charles Aznavour’s song La Bohème during a state dinner accompanied by Pashinyan on drums went viral.

Trump accuses pope of ‘endangering a lot of Catholics’ with Iran stance

Donald Trump has issued a fresh verbal attack against Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics” because “he thinks it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”. The remarks come two days before Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, meets Leo at the Vatican in an effort to ease the tensions sparked by Trump’s previous broadside against the Chicago-born pontiff over his condemnation of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Speaking to Hugh Hewitt, a prominent conservative radio talkshow host on the US-based Salem News network, Trump said the pope “would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good”. “I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people,” the US president added. “But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” Leo has never said that Iran should have nuclear weapons, but has repeatedly opposed the war on the country and the subsequent escalation of the conflict in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, calling for ceasefires and dialogue. Brian Burch, the US ambassador to the Holy See, said on Tuesday that he expected a “frank” meeting between Rubio, a Catholic, and Leo at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday morning. “Nations have disagreements, and I think one of the ways that you work through those is … through fraternity and authentic dialogue,” Burch told reporters, adding that he thought Rubio was coming to the Vatican “in that spirit, to have a frank conversation about US policy, to engage in dialogue”. Burch said he did not accept the idea that there was “some deep rift” between the US and the Vatican, saying that Rubio was coming so that each side could “better understand each other, and to work through, if there are differences, certainly to talk through that”. The trip, which coincides with the first anniversary of Leo’s papacy, was organised after Trump lashed out at the pope in April, calling him weak and saying he was not doing a very good job as pontiff. Trump also shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Christ, before deleting it and saying it had actually been a portrayal of him as a doctor. Rubio will also endeavour to patch things up with the Italian government after Trump berated its prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, previously one of his closest allies in Europe, for calling out his remarks against Leo, rebuking her government for not supporting the strikes on Iran and threatening to withdraw US troops from Italy as a result. Rubio will also meet the Vatican’s secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, before meeting Meloni and the Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, on Friday morning. The US vice-president, JD Vance – a Catholic convert – has also criticised the pope, saying the Vatican should “stick to matters of morality” and that Leo should be careful when it came to talking about theology and war. Rubio and Vance attended the pope’s inauguration in May last year and had a private audience with him the day after, during which they handed him an invitation from Trump to the White House that Leo has not yet taken up.

Zelenskyy condemns Russian ‘cynicism’ over parade truce as attack kills five

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the Kremlin of “utter cynicism” for killing five people in overnight strikes at the same time as seeking a truce so it can stage a military parade in Moscow. Three employees of the state energy firm Naftogaz were killed in an initial attack on a gas facility in Ukraine’s central Poltava region, and two emergency service workers died at the scene in a follow-on bombing. Thirty-seven people were injured in the strikes. The Ukrainian president said: “It is utter cynicism to ask for a ceasefire in order to hold propaganda celebrations while carrying out missile and drone strikes every single day leading up to it. Russia could cease fire at any moment, and this would stop the war and our responses.” Vladimir Putin has announced a unilateral ceasefire around Russia marking the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany on Friday. For the first time in almost 20 years, the Red Square parade will take place without military hardware, amid fears Ukraine will target the event with long-range drones. Zelenskyy has offered his own 24-hour ceasefire, beginning at midnight on Wednesday. He said Ukraine would “act reciprocally” in the event that Russia stopped firing – something it has failed to do during previous temporary truces. Zelenskyy wrote on social media: “It is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war, especially since Russia’s defence ministry believes it cannot hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill.” Without an agreement, Moscow faces the embarrassing prospect that Kyiv could disrupt the parade, which will be attended by Putin and VIPs. The annual ceremony is a bombastic show of military strength that Putin has exploited to seek to justify his 2022 Ukraine invasion, casting both wars as fights against fascism. In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified its long-range retaliatory strikes on Russia’s interior, hitting oil refineries, terminals and even fighter jets. Drones have struck military objects in the Urals, more than 1,000 miles from the frontline. The Poltava attack triggered outrage in Ukraine. The foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said: “Two of the killed were first responders, killed in a vile double-tap strike targeting those who arrived to help people at the scene of the attack. Only a terrorist state like Russia employs inhuman and criminal tactics like these.” One person was killed in the north-eastern Kharkiv region as Russia fired 11 ballistic missiles and 164 drones across the country, according to officials. Direct hits and falling debris were reported at two sites in the Poltava district, the regional governor, Vitalii Diakivnych, said on the messaging app Telegram. He said the attack cut gas supply to nearly 3,500 people. Russia’s defence ministry said it had downed more than 300 Ukrainian drones between late Monday and early Tuesday. On the battlefield, Russia’s progress has stalled. Its army lost more territory than it captured in April, for the first time since summer 2023, according to Agence France-Presse analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War.

Brazil caught up in craze for whistling-only WhatsApp groups

The WhatsApp groups have one simple rule: typing and speaking are forbidden, on pain of immediate removal. Only voice notes with whistling are allowed, although the choice of content is up to the sender: it can be an imitation of a bird or a tune such as the theme from The Pink Panther or the introduction to Scorpions’ Wind of Change. In recent days, Brazil has seen a sudden craze for whistling-only WhatsApp groups, bringing together people of different ages and professions, including members of Congress. Some of the groups get up to 600 voice notes a day, with the most popular performances racking up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok, such as interpretations of Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life or Gorillaz’s Feel Good Inc. New groups are emerging every day in the world’s second-largest WhatsApp market, some reaching the 1,024-member limit in less than 24 hours, prompting administrators to create a new one and repeat the cycle. The results are often unimpressive, and judgment falls to emojis and stickers – the only short-text format allowed. A good whistle can earn a sticker echoing the “absolute cinema” meme – but with Martin Scorsese’s face replaced by a toucan or parakeet and the phrase “absolute assobio”, the Portuguese word for whistling. If it is bad, the most common criticism is that there is more wind than melody. Some members put in effort, playing a karaoke version of a song in the background and whistling the vocal part, while others simply let out one or two chirps as they wash the dishes. “I saw a video online about some groups that already existed and we decided to create one with a few friends just for fun,” said Enzo Dias, a business administration student, who created one group. “It was meant to be just for us; one friend invited another and before we knew it there were more than 500 people. The next day, we reached maximum capacity and had to create another,” said the 18-year-old, who set up the first group on 13 April. No one knows exactly how the trend started, but the earliest TikTok posts date back to mid-April. On Google Trends, searches for whistling in Brazil reached their highest level on record in April. “It’s so many messages that we have to close the group overnight, because we’re not able to check if someone is breaking the rules,” said Dias about the strict ban on typing and speaking. To avoid non-whistling loiterers, some groups also require at least one whistle a day. Most members are men, and some women-only groups are now emerging. The vast majority of groups are free to join and shared on social media – and some are warning about the digital security risks of joining groups with strangers via open links. “I think most people are in it just for fun, but there are some who seem almost addicted to whistling and spend the entire day doing it,” said Dias. His group organises competitions through its Instagram page, where followers can vote on voice note duels. The craze has spawned other highly niche groups in which participants are only allowed to imitate dogs, cats or donkeys, or share photos of cars in a single specific colour. Dr Adriana Amaral, the coordinator of the CULTPOP research laboratory at the Fluminense Federal University in Rio de Janeiro, saw the trend as a repetition of others that have existed since the popularisation of the internet, such as the “I hate Mondays” groups on Orkut, or flashmob movements. “Historically, these ephemeral forms of aggregation have always existed and are linked to the way pop culture itself operates: they allow people to channel certain rituals, habits and tastes into communities of affinity,” she said. Ayran Ferreira, 18, a law student who also runs one of the groups, does not believe he will be hearing hundreds of whistles a day much longer. “People want to take part just because it’s trending online, and they’re creating groups for all sorts of things – I’ve even seen one for imitating the sound of a backhoe [a type of excavator] – but I think it will eventually fade,” he said.