Editorial 18.11.24
News that the US president has allowed Ukraine to use American missiles in Russia for the first time is picked up by many European newspapers and websites this morning with many looking at the consequences of such a move.
Domestic news also features across the splashes with reports on Spanish, French and German politics and a look ahead to this week’s G20 summit.
Most of the major European sports pages cover the latest from the Nations League as France beat Italy and Belgium shockingly lost to Israel.
Biden approves Ukraine striking inside Russia with long-range missiles
In a major shift in U.S. policy, President Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles to target Russian territory. The decision, confirmed by a U.S. official to CBS News, follows months of lobbying by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called for lifting restrictions on strikes beyond Ukraine’s borders.
French farmers rally against Mercosur trade talks and foreign competition
French farmers staged nationwide protests Monday against an EU-Mercosur trade deal, fearing increased foreign competition. Anger has surged after poor harvests, livestock disease, and delays in promised reforms. Discontent echoes last winter’s European protests over Ukrainian imports, with French farmers previously blocking highways for weeks.
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20241118-french-farmers-mercosur-trade-talks-foreign-competition
Mazón’s strange call to the mayor of Cullera on the afternoon of the Dana tragedy: “He didn’t alert me of anything”
The president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, from the PP, has criticised the Government again this Sunday morning, just before entering the meeting of the Cecopi (Centre for Integrated Operational Coordination). But on this occasion he has introduced a novelty in the story of his silenced agenda of the afternoon of October 29, when the fateful storm broke out that caused 218 deaths in the province of Valencia . A story that has been immediately answered by the person referred to.
G20, Milei crowns Meloni: “With me and Trump she will defend the West”
There is a statement by Javier Milei that has not received the attention it deserves in Italy. The Argentine president went to pay his respects to Donald Trump on the eve of the G20 in Brazil, flying to the Mar a Lago estate in Florida, where Elon Musk, now inseparable from the elected American president, was also waiting for him. From there, leaving the meeting with the smile of better days, invigorated by the promises for Trump II, Milei said he sees an army of defenders of the West emerging that will function as a lighthouse for the world and that will have its cornerstones in the United States to the North, with the new turbo-sovereignist administration of the Republican tycoon, Argentina in the South and Italy of Giorgia Meloni in old Europe, plus Israel as a sentinel on the border in the Middle East.
EU grows increasingly convinced Russia is producing lethal drones in China
Diplomats in Brussels have received “convincing” evidence showing Russia has built a factory in China to produce lethal drones. The European Union is growing increasingly convinced that Russia is producing lethal drones in China to prop up the invasion of Ukraine, raising fresh questions on how far Beijing is willing to go to abide by its “no-limits partnership” with Moscow. The mounting concerns focus on a secret weapons programme that Russia has allegedly established in China’s Xinjiang province, which was first brought to light by Reuters in an exclusive investigation published in September.
German conservatives join Feijóo’s battle against Ribera: “They are concerned about his sectarian policies and did not like the arrogance in the ‘hearing'”
“I have not found many arguments that convince my political group that you are the ideal candidate.” Peter Liese, spokesman for the EPP on the Environment, began his speech in this way at the examination that Teresa Ribera underwent last week in Parliament to defend her candidacy for the vice-presidency of the European Commission for the Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition. It was the way in which the German politician showed his concern about the policies that Ribera has applied regarding the wolf. Because the conservatives of the CDU” are concerned about the sectarian policies” of the Spanish candidate, say sources from the European People’s Party, who recall Ribera’s past as Secretary of State for Climate Change in the Government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and add that the German family “did not like the arrogance she showed in the hearing either.”
https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2024/11/18/6738e374fdddff61698b45a1.html
Protesters in separatist Georgian region occupy government buildings, calling for leader’s ouster
Opposition protesters in Georgia’s breakaway province of Abkhazia on Sunday refused to cede control of key government buildings seized during rallies earlier in the week during which at least 14 people were injured in clashes with police. Demonstrators stormed the buildings Friday to protest new measures allowing Russians to buy property in the seaside region. Protesters on Sunday continued to demand the ouster of self-styled Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhania, and one prominent politician vowed that the opposition would form a rival government if he refuses to step down.
Spanish regional leader admits mistakes made in flood response, but refuses to step down
The Spanish regional leader Carlos Mazón facing immense pressure for his handling of the catastrophic Valencia floods last month defied calls to step down Friday, but conceded that authorities made mistakes in their response to the disaster. Details with Andrew Hilliar.