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Europe boosts ties with US friends

Europe is ramping up efforts to strengthen ties with US allies and partners spurned by President Donald Trump. Brussels yesterday unveiled $5.1 billion in investments in renewable energy and vaccine production in South Africa, the continent’s biggest economy, and said it would open trade talks with Pretoria, which was left scrambling after Washington cut aid over a land redistribution law it said discriminated against white farmers. And Mark Carney — who takes over as Canada’s prime minister today — will make his first trip abroad to Britain and France, The Globe and Mail reported: Ottawa has been grappling with US tariffs and threats of further levies. “A new transatlantic alliance is taking shape in reaction to Trump,” The Washington Post wrote.

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Nuclear talks in Beijing

China hit out at Western sanctions on Iran ahead of talks in Beijing over Tehran’s nuclear program. The criticism came as China, Russia, and Iran prepared to meet amid concerns Tehran is fast expanding its uranium reserves, which may be approaching the enrichment level required for a weapon. US President Donald Trump has voiced openness to nuclear talks even as he resumes a “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. The once-taboo issue of nuclear armament is increasingly a common subject among global policymakers: This week, Warsaw urged Washington to consider placing nuclear weapons in Poland, while calls are mounting in Tokyo for Japan to develop its own nuclear deterrent, remarks that would previously have ended political careers.

China lashes out at Panama deal

Beijing signaled its anger over the sale of two Chinese-linked ports in Panama to a US asset manager, throwing the deal into doubt. A forceful commentary in a Beijing-backed newspaper — republished by a Communist Party website — attacked Washington for using “despicable means” to reach the deal, which saw CK Hutchison sell ports on either side of the Panama Canal to BlackRock. US President Donald Trump had claimed they could be used to restrict US-bound vessels passing through the canal, a vital sea lane which he has vowed to take back. The ports have become a flashpoint in the US and China’s race to expand their foothold in Latin America: China’s trade with the region grew almost thirty-fold between 2000 and 2020.

Trump crypto links

People and organizations linked to US President Donald Trump reportedly discussed doing business with crypto exchange Binance, whose founder served jail time for money laundering. Trump family representatives explored taking a stake in Binance’s US arm, according to The Wall Street Journal, while a separate report by Bloomberg said a crypto venture tied to Trump has discussed working with Binance. The exchange’s founder Changpeng Zhao is also pressing for a presidential pardon, the Journal said; Zhao denied the allegations made in the article. He is not the only well-known cryptocurrency figure reportedly aiming for a pardon: Sam Bankman-Fried, serving a 25-year sentence for fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering, is doing so too, according to The New York Times.

EU roiled by corruption scandal

European authorities raided 21 sites, arrested several people, and sealed off two offices of the European Parliament over a corruption probe involving the Chinese tech giant Huawei. Law enforcement officials have 15 current and former European parliamentarians on their radar, Belgian newspaper Le Soir said. The investigation was immediately likened to a 2022 scandal dubbed Qatargate in which Doha was accused of seeking to unlawfully influence lawmakers, sparking questions over foreign states’ ability to determine decisions by the European Union’s top legislature. “These new allegations are as sweeping and serious as Qatargate and make a mockery of democracy at the European Parliament,” Transparency International’s Brussels director said.

Syria leaders sign new constitution

Syria’s interim president signed a temporary constitution, a landmark moment following the lightning overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad last year. The new constitution will remain in place for five years — Damascus has said it could take several years for elections to be held — and includes provisions for freedom of expression, women’s rights, and transitional justice, while also retaining a key role for Islamic law enshrined in the previous constitution. The signing comes with Syria’s new rulers facing hefty challenges, from rebuilding a shattered economy to pressure from Israel, which reportedly wants the country to be kept “weak and decentralized,” with one expert arguing it appears to be pushing for “Syria’s partition.”

Duterte takes ‘drug war’ responsibility

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said he would take responsibility for his violent crackdown on drugs, as he faces a trial at the International Criminal Court. As many as 30,000 people are thought to have been killed in extrajudicial operations during his six-year presidency, and Duterte said he “will be responsible for everything.” His detention is part of a bitter power struggle between the country’s political clans: President Ferdinand Marcos reportedly paved the way for the arrest after falling out with his vice president, Duterte’s daughter, who is also a possible future presidential candidate. The feud has consequences beyond the Philippines: Marcos has brought Manila closer to the US, while the Duterte family has long sought alignment with China.

In this moment of media fragmentation and the rise of niche communities, are there still ways to reach mass audiences? This week, Ben and Max bring on legendary marketing executive, Frank Cooper, who’s always been at the center of big cultural shifts from his time at Def Jam in the 90s, AOL in the 2000s, and BuzzFeed in the 2010s. Throughout his career, he’s also been seen as the culture translator for big corporations, as the CMO at PepsiCo and the CMO of Visa. They talk about Frank’s unique career, who and what he thinks still moves people in mass — like Post Malone at the Louvre — and what he makes of this particular moment in the culture. He also shares stories from his time working in hip hop, what he’s learned from LL Cool J, and how Snoop Dogg became the world’s most marketable star.

Listen to the latest episode of Mixed Signals now. →

Mexicans uncover mass grave

A group of Mexicans looking for missing relatives uncovered a mass grave near Guadalajara believed to hold the remains of hundreds of cartel victims. The discovery of a possible killing site in Jalisco state, home to one of the country’s most powerful criminal gangs, has shaken Mexico and “embarrassed state authorities,” The Associated Press reported, with one analyst saying the conditions in the former extermination camp evoked Auschwitz. Mexico’s two-decade war on cartels has led to hundreds of thousands of murders while doing little to dent the power of crime groups. More than 110,000 people are reported as disappeared. Meanwhile rampant impunity means just 0.9% of the crimes committed in Mexico are solved.

Saudi TV courts controversy

A new Saudi TV series profiling an early Islamic ruler is drawing controversy across the Middle East. Riyadh has poured money into the media to diversify its economy away from oil and to expand its soft power. The new series, Muawiya, tracks a companion of the Prophet Muhammed and delves into what ultimately developed into the modern schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam. The show has been banned in Iraq — a Shiite-majority country whose regulator worried it could be divisive — while an Egyptian scholar said it undermines Islamic edicts barring depiction of religious figures. The uproar may ultimately help, though: “Religious fatwas and bans tend to drive TV show ratings, not the other way around,” one expert told The National