Sweden lowers national threat level
STOCKHOLM, May 23 (Reuters) - Sweden's security service said on Friday it had lowered the national threat assessment by one notch to "elevated" from "high", citing a gradual change in the overall situation.
"The threat of attacks from violent extremism has been reduced for some time," Sweden's SAPO security police said in a statement.
SAPO had raised the threat level to "high", the second highest level, in 2023 after Koran burnings by individuals in Sweden outraged Muslims in several countries and triggered jihadist threats.
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
Elon Musk tells Trump: You'd have lost without me — follow live
Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary-general, said that most US allies supported President Trump's demand that they invest 5 per cent of gross domestic product on defence and were ready to ramp up security spending even more. 'There's broad support,' Rutte told reporters after chairing a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday. 'We are really close,' he said, and added that he has 'total confidence that we will get there' by the next Nato summit in three weeks. European allies and Canada began to step up investments in their armed forces since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The stock price of Elon Musk's electric vehicle company Tesla has plummeted as his war of words with the president has burst into public view. Tesla shares were trading at $302 (222 pounds) at 1pm ET, down about 8 per cent from where they opened on Thursday morning. Sources close to Musk have said that his anger at the so-called 'big beautiful bill' was fuelled by the Trump administration's moves to remove subsidies for electric vehicles. The rapidly deteriorating relationship between Trump and Musk continues to play out on the tech billionaire's social media platform X. Trump said during the Oval Office meeting that he would have won the swing state of Pennsylvania without the estimated $280 million in campaign donations from the Tesla chief executive. Musk wrote in response: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.' 'Such ingratitude,' he added. From Katy Balls in Washington Where President Macron of France put on a bold display when he met Trump in February — daring to interrupt him to correct the record on European aid to Ukraine — today Merz adopted a softly, softly approach. After giving Trump his grandfather's birth certificate, Merz let the president take centre stage as he criticised Elon Musk and talked up trade with China. The one point of light tension was on Russia-Ukraine, as Trump equivocated the two sides by saying: 'You're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.' Merz intervened gently to name Russia as the aggressor. The hope will be that he has more luck pushing this point in the private talks that follow the two leaders' display for the cameras. Elon Musk has responded in real time to criticism levelled at him by President Trump that he knew the tax and spending bill 'better than anybody'. 'False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it,' Musk wrote on X. Musk further denied Trump's assertion that his complaints were related to rollbacks of electric vehicle subsidies. He wrote: 'Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill.' Trump has ended the press conference. The two leaders will now head to private lunch. Merz demurred when asked if he agreed with Trump's characterisation that the Russia-Ukraine war was akin to a playground fight between children. The German chancellor told Trump 'we are looking for more pressure on Russia' to end the war, and said he was the most important voice in the peace process. Merz implored Trump to 'look at the kids, the kids who have been kidnapped'. Trump said that the world would be 'amazed' by how tough he would be on Russia if the fighting continued. 'Remember this — they like to say I'm friends with Russia. I'm not friends with anybody,' he said. President Trump compared the war between Russia and Ukraine to 'two young children fighting like crazy in a park'. 'Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart,' he added. He said he told Putin during a phone call yesterday that 'maybe you're going to have to keep fighting, suffering a lot'. 'You see it in hockey, you see it in sports, the referees let them go at it for a while,' he added. Asked about a deadline for imposing further sanctions on Russia, Trump said that the date was 'in my brain'. Merz agreed with Trump that Germany was 'looking for measures to bring this war to an end', and mentioned that tomorrow is the 81st anniversary of D Day. 'That was not a pleasant day for you?' Trump asked. 'This was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship,' Merz replied. Trump said he expected President Putin to respond with force to the successful drone attack by Ukraine on Russia's bombing fleet last week. 'He got hit, he's been doing hitting,' said Trump. 'But he got hit hard. I don't think he's playing games.' Trump said that Merz 'feels the same way' about wanting to end the war. Trump said he was surprised by Elon Musk's reaction to his 'big, beautiful' tax and spending bill. 'Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody,' Trump said. 'He only developed a problem when he found out we were going to have to cut the EV mandate,' he added, referring to a subsidy that paid billions of dollars to Musk's electric car company Tesla. 'I'm very disappointed in Elon, I've helped Elon a lot,' the president added. Musk has called the bill a 'disgusting abomination' and lobbied Republicans in Congress to oppose its passing. Trump casually dismissed claims that the US would withdraw its troops from Germany, saying they would remain 'if they'd like to have them there'. There are about 35,000 active-duty US troops stationed in Germany. 'They're highly paid troops and they spend a lot of money in Germany,' Trump said. Merz has brought the president the framed birth certificate of Trump's grandfather, Friedrich Trump. Friedrich Trump was born in Kallstadt, Germany, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bavaria before immigrating to the United States in 1885. The questions turned to domestic politics and Trump's order to open a criminal investigation into anyone who worked to hide Biden's mental decline from the public during his time in office. Trump said that Biden 'didn't have much of an idea what was going on'. 'He was never for open borders, he was never for transgender for everybody,' said Trump. Trump said that his interactions with Merz over the past few months had been both 'difficult' and 'good'. 'I've been dealing with the chancellor. He's a very good man to deal with,' said Trump. 'He's difficult, you wouldn't want me to say you're easy, right?' He said he hoped to make progress on trade and tariff negotiations with Merz. Trump characterised his 90-minute call with President Xi as 'very positive'. He said that the two countries had agreed to hold talks in the near future to reach an impasse over trade and rare earth materials. 'I'll be going there with the first lady at a certain point and he'll be coming here, hopefully,' he said. Trump's Oval Office meeting with Merz began with questions about his travel ban on 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran and a host African nations. Trump said that the ban was needed for security and terrorism concerns. 'We have thousands of murderers,' Trump told reporters. 'I hate to say this in front of the chancellor, but you have a little problem too. You have your own difficulties too.' Merz has arrived at the White House before the first meeting between the two leaders. Trump greeted the German chancellor with a friendly handshake at the door to the White House and the two leaders walked inside. Asked by a reporter if he had a message for the German people, Trump responded: 'We love the people of Germany.' Merz has struck a cordial tone in the lead-up to Thursday's Oval Office meeting, writing in a statement this week that the US was 'an indispensable friend and partner of Germany'. 'Our alliance with America was, is, and remains of paramount importance for the security, freedom, and prosperity of Europe,' the chancellor wrote. Those remarks stood in contrast to his posturing prior to his election as chancellor in May. In February, Merz said that strengthening Europe was his 'absolute priority' in order to 'achieve independence' from the US. The same month, he wrote on X that his impression was 'that Russia and America are finding common ground — over the heads of Ukraine, and consequently over those of Europe'. President Trump held a 90-minute phone conversation with President Xi of China on Thursday amid stalled trade negotiations between the two countries. The US president said the conversation had a 'very positive conclusion' and announced that the two countries would hold talks in the hopes of breaking an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals. 'Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined,' Trump wrote on his social media platform. Trump added that Xi had 'graciously' invited him and the first lady Melania Trump to visit China, and that he had reciprocated the gesture. The Chinese foreign ministry said Trump had initiated the call between the leaders. Over the years foreign leaders have gone out of their way to bear eye-catching gifts when they meet President Trump: a personalised golf club, a nativity scene made of mother-of-pearl, a gold-plated model of a jet fighter and a presidential aircraft worth an estimated $400 million. When Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, steps into the Oval Office on Thursday, though, he does so with the unusual advantage of bringing more or less precisely the thing Trump has asked for. Barely five months ago Trump's demands that his European Nato allies stump up 5 per cent of their GDP for defence were regarded by most national capitals as outlandish, at or beyond the worst end of their expectations. Yet now the yardstick is rapidly becoming a matter of orthodoxy in the alliance, and no member state has moved so far towards it in such a short span of time as Merz's Germany. • Read the full story here Speaking to German journalists before his meeting with Trump, the chancellor said he wanted to strengthen Berlin's relations with the White House. 'I am looking forward to the visit,' Merz said. 'We are well-prepared. Nato will be a major topic, as will trade and Ukraine. When we talk about German domestic politics [the right-wing AFD], I will use clear words. 'The chancellery will intensify bilateral talks.' Germany's spy agency, the BfV, has classified the Alternative for Germany party, of AfD, as a far-right extremist group, saying that the party has on several occasions attempted to 'undermine the free, democratic' order. Senior members of the Trump administration, including vice-president, JD Vance, have criticised the move, arguing that it undermines freedom of speech. The US has been engaged in a tariff tit-for-tat with the European Union since Trump's second term began in January. Trump has accused the EU of treating its largest trading partner 'very badly' and claimed that the bloc was created for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the US. The two sides began talks on a trade deal in April after Trump paused his so-called reciprocal tariffs. The US president then threatened to levy a 50 per cent tariff on European goods, saying the bloc wasn't moving fast enough towards a deal. Trump later delayed the tariffs until July 9. As talks appeared to be getting back on track, Trump said last week that he would double tariffs on steel and aluminium, including from Europe, to 50 per cent. An EU spokesman said the move added further uncertainty to the global economy and increased costs for consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Merz's government is intensifying a drive that began under his predecessor Olaf Scholz to bolster the German armed forces and counter the looming Russian threat. In Trump's first term, he frequently singled out Germany for failing to meet the current Nato target of spending 2 per cent of gross domestic product on defence. The White House is now demanding at least 5 per cent from its allies. Scholz set up a €100 billion ($115 billion) special fund to modernise Germany's military after years of neglect. Merz has endorsed a plan for all Nato countries to aim to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2032. Merz will be hoping to avoid the kind of Oval Office showdown that President Zelensky of Ukraine and President Ramaphosa of South Africa experienced in recent months. Asked about the risk of a White House blow-up, Stefan Kornelius, a spokesman for Merz, said the chancellor was 'well-prepared' for the meeting and that he and Trump have 'built up a decent relationship'. The two leaders have spoken several times by phone either bilaterally or with other European leaders since Merz took office on May 6.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
Why Lydia Bright refuses to end bizarre friendship with ex James Argent – despite beauty queen assault and social swipe
HE cheated on her multiple times, sent her abusive messages and at one point she told him: 'I despise you". Yet to the confusion of millions of Towie fans who have followed their journey from lovers, to enemies, and now the best of friends, Lydia Bright is sticking by James Argent after he violently assaulted his Swedish girlfriend Nicoline Artursson. 12 12 12 A friend who knows both Lydia and Arg very well tells The Sun: 'When it comes to what happened with Arg and Nicoline, Lydia would never condone violence and has made that very clear to James, but she doesn't think that he is a violent man and she knows he deeply regrets the events of that night. "She has stuck by him, even though she doesn't agree with his actions - just as his other mates like Mark Wright have." Caught in the crossfire Lydia found herself publicly dragged into the fallout when a deleted instagram post from Nicoline, shared in the hours before the assault, appeared to take aim at her. Nicoline's social media message - deleted after she posted it to her 32,000 followers around 10:44pm on May 4 - read: 'Is it OK if your boyfriend is talking and hanging out with their ex and the family daily and liking their Instagram posts? The post continued: 'Then your partner blames you for seeing it, now the ex is supposedly their 'best friend'. If you're in a serious relationship you've got to respect your partner and leave the past in the past.' Hours after she deleted the message, disgraced James got into an explosive row with Nicoline and pushed her down some stairs at her apartment in La Cala de Mijas on the Costa del Sol. Quickly arrested and brought to court, Argent received a six-month suspended prison sentence for domestic abuse and was banned from contacting Nicoline. He pleaded guilty to 'mistreating' the former Miss Sweden, who was taken to hospital with horrific injuries. But while many would forgive Lydia for running a mile from her friendship with Arg after this latest scandal, she has remained loyal because, as those in her inner circle tell the Sun, the pair are "more than just mates, they're like family." Why Lydia stayed loyal A pal reveals: 'James and Lydia went through a lot when they were young and in a relationship but despite all the drama - they have stayed the closest of friends. Horrific injuries James Argent inflicted on his beauty queen girlfriend revealed as star avoids jail for horror attack 'There have been rocky moments, but they've both grown up together and there's a bond between them that can't be broken. 'They think of themselves as being kids on Towie, young and silly. Now they're adults and support each other. 'James is very much seen as part of her extended family and is very close to her mum, Debbie, and sister Romana. Their families are very tight knit." Indeed, Lydia becoming a mum to her daughter Loretta, five, who she shares with her ex, Lee Cronin, has only brought her closer with James - who is said to be 'like an uncle' to the little girl. Our insider adds: 'James was thrilled when Lydia became a mum and loves to spend time with her little girl Loretta – he absolutely dotes on her and loves treating her. He wants children one day and is very paternal, like an uncle." His darkest hours Lydia has also been Arg's rock at every testing time in his life including his long battle with obesity and drug addiction. When he revealed that he feared eating himself to death as his weight skyrocketed to 27st during his lowest ebb, later enduring several stints in rehab, Lydia was always there for him. 'Lydia's been a constant to James during his struggles with his weight and when he was losing himself to drugs," says a pal. 'She's only ever wanted the best for James and when he's been at rock bottom, she's always been there to lift him back up. "She sees the best in him - and knows what he's really like as a person and says he has a very good heart." Of course, those in James and Lydia's orbit often thought the childhood sweethearts would one day find their way back to each other romantically. 'There was a time when people thought James wanted Lydia back - it's obvious he does think about what their life could have been like if they stayed together. 'But that ship has sailed - James values the friendship so highly, it's the same for her. 'They speak regularly and see each other as much as they can - it's the same with James with Lydia's family. He'll pop in for a cuppa with Debbie and she sees him like a surrogate son.' The list of women he cheated with Arg and Lydia's love story started off screen nearly two decades ago when they were teens and their drama-filled romance made legendary TV on the ITVBe show - gripping viewers with its constant twists and turns. Both were OG cast members and viewers were completely gripped by their love story. During one iconic episode he bought her Mr Darcy for Christmas - a pet 'micro' pig which ended up growing to full size. At one point, the couple were engaged and planned to move in together but were hit by a series of cheating scandals and fall outs - in one scene Arg had to read a list of people he'd cheated with. He admitted kissing Amy Childs and bedding Gemma Collins and Lydia, on the same day, on a jaunt to Marbella. Even after multiple breakups (Arg's addictions were blamed for their many woes), they managed to maintain a friendship spanning 18 years. 12 Fat jibes But there's been a dark side to their union. James was accused of sending vile messages to Lydia, calling her a "sl*t" for sleeping with someone else, after their breakup in 2012. He was later exposed for sending Gemma a series of abusive fat-shaming texts -reportedly referring to her as a "fat joke of a woman," saying she had "more rolls than Greggs." As late as 2020, Gemma revealed Arg had called her a "hippo" and a "fat f**k" when she shared screenshots of the vile abuse on Instagram. Arg and Lydia's relationship timeline The Towie pair go way back with their bond spanning 18 years and ups and downs 2008: James and Lydia begin dating he was 20 and she was just 18. 2010: Both appear as original cast members on TOWIE, bringing their relationship into the spotlight and under public scrutiny for the first time. 2012: The couple end their relationship after five years after Arg allegedly relapses into his cocaine habit. Arg's party lifestyle was a huge source of contention, with most of their rows revolving around him keeping secrets from her and slipping back into his bad ways. Arg and Gemma Collins begin their romantic relationship in 2012, shortly after Arg's split from Lydia and she begins dating his 'rival' Tom Kilbey. December 2014: Arg checks himself into The Priory and is rumoured to be spending Christmas in Rehab. 2015: They rekindle their romance, with their renewed relationship featured on TOWIE 2016: James and Lydia split again, amid claims she caught him on a cocaine binge. 2017: Lydia discovers that James cheated on her, and it comes to light he slept with both her and Gemma Collins on the same day during a trip to Marbella. 2019: Despite their past, James and Lydia remain friends, with James stating they are "extremely close again" and have kept their renewed friendship "low-key and behind closed doors." 2021: James expresses fondness for Lydia, acknowledging her support and their enduring friendship. 2023: Lydia confirms that she and James remain good friends, emphasizing the strong bond they share Lydia also spoke about Arg controlling her during their time together saying: ''He could be so jealous and in the end it killed me. 'He was suffocating me and holding me back. He was insecure. He got so scared he was going to lose me he'd say, 'I can't let you do this and I can't let you do that'. 'He didn't even like me going out and every time I did, it was a drama.' 'Sad, lost and insecure' During one scene Lydia told him that she hated him saying: "I don't want us to ever be friends. I don't want you to speak to my friends and family. You made me hate you. When I look at you, I despise you." And she insisted he was 'sad, lost and insecure.' "We were getting a house, getting engaged, but nothing was ever enough for you,' she told him. "I tried to hold your hand through life, I gave you everything. "It's really sad because you give this front that you're this really happy person, loveable Arg but there's something in you that is so sad and lost and insecure.' Friends of the pair insist, however, that this is all water under the bridge and has only made the former couple's bond even stronger. 'Lydia and Arg have been through it all together. They have seen the best of each other, but also the worst of each other, but it's cemented an unbreakable bond between them. 'There is a deep love there that goes beyond any romantic relationship and they will always have each other's back. Lydia might not always agree with everything Arg does, and he has hurt her many times over the years, but she will always be there for, through thick and thin.'
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
EU green rules blocking military expansion
European countries have blamed the EU's environmental regulations for hindering their preparations for defending against a possible Russian invasion. In a leaked letter obtained by The Telegraph, the nations' defence ministers argued the rules had stopped the expansion of military bases and prevented fighter jet pilots from training. 'EU legislation may not prevent member states' armed forces from carrying out necessary activities to become operationally ready. But right now, it does,' they wrote in a letter to Andrius Kubilius, the defence commissioner. 'Mainly (but not exclusively) in the areas of procurement legislation, nature conservation and environmental protection, and more generally the administrative burden on defence organisations deriving from various EU legal acts.' The letter was signed by the Dutch, Swedish, German, Belgian, Czech, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Finnish, Estonian and Danish governments. In 2023, the commission published the 'Greening the armies' report, highlighting ways militaries present a challenge to climate change. It pushed for European armed forces to consider more virtual training exercises, rather than real-world sessions, to cut down on emissions. EU sources said directives on habitats, the protection of wild birds and waste were also standing in the way of European preparations for a Russian invasion. The waste directive, for example, means militaries have to hit certain quotas for waste disposal, which could hinder their ability to exercise with live munitions. 'At the moment, some EU legislation forms a direct obstacle to the armed forces,' they wrote, adding: 'Credible deterrence in practice means growing the armed forces, which requires space for training, including flying, navigating and driving and building appropriate amenities.' The ministers called for every new piece of EU legislation to be screened for its impact on the Continent's rearmament efforts before it is allowed to enter into force. 'Making the EU legal framework fit for this time, horizontally and especially in non-defence specific areas, is a crucial piece of the readiness puzzle,' they concluded. The EU has set itself a target to be prepared for a potential Russian invasion in five years' time. It is hoped the bloc's strategy will see around €800 billion (£674 billion) spent on defence in what period by relaxing debt rules and using joint debt to fund purchases. The commission had promised to ease regulations that could hinder the rearmament efforts, but have yet to do so in any significant way. Sustainable finance rules, which state that investments must be made with the environment in mind, have also been considered a hindrance. Last week, The Telegraph reported that a Swedish businessman attempting to open only the bloc's second military grade TNT factory, used to produce artillery ammunition, land mines and grenades, was being held up by environmental permits. Vladimir Putin, who European Intelligence officials believed will be ready to attack Nato within five years, does not demand the same environmental protections when opening factories across Russia.
