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Rubio meets Pope Leo in bid to ease tensions after Trump’s criticism of the pontiff – Europe live | World news
Rubio leaves after meeting with Pope Leo amid tense relations between Vatican and US
Meanwhile, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has now left the Vatican after meeting Pope Leo after some two hours there.
He met initially with the pontiff before sitting down with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin, Reuters reported.
The Vatican and the US state department did not provide any immediate details about the talks.
I will bring you more if/when we get it.
Key events
Airlines still have to pay compensation if flights cancelled due to fuel crisis, EU says
Lisa O’Carroll
Airlines that cancel flights because of fuel shortages this summer will still have to compensate passengers under European law, the EU transport commissioner has said.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas told the Financial Times that jet fuel prices or shortages do not meet the criteria that protect EU airlines from passenger claims.
“The price of jet fuel is the reason why we have cancellations of flights and if they cancel flights without extraordinary circumstances – jet fuel prices are not extraordinary circumstances – they will have to reimburse the people,” the commissioner said.
Although the EU law remains in place in the UK post-Brexit, Keir Starmer’s government is free to take a different position. Last week, it emerged that penalties for airlines that cancel UK flights because of jet fuel shortages have been eased.
Ryanair, the biggest airline in Europe, said this week it would not be cancelling summer flights because it had hedged its fuel contracts before the Iran war broke out.
However, other airlines have cancelled flights, including Germany’s Lufthansa and Ireland’s Aer Lingus.
Tzitzikostas’s remarks came as the boss of a large airline in Asia said the fuel crisis was worse than the Covid pandemic, when planes were grounded amid global travel bans.
“I thought I’d seen it all with Covid … but having seen jet fuel go up almost three times – this is much worse,” Tony Fernandes, the chief executive of AirAsia, told the Financial Times.
Rubio leaves after meeting with Pope Leo amid tense relations between Vatican and US
Meanwhile, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has now left the Vatican after meeting Pope Leo after some two hours there.
He met initially with the pontiff before sitting down with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin, Reuters reported.
The Vatican and the US state department did not provide any immediate details about the talks.
I will bring you more if/when we get it.
‘Considerable progress’ made in EU talks on finalising trade deal with US
Lisa O’Carroll
“Considerable progress” was made in crunch talks with MEPs to finalise the US trade deal that has been on the table since last summer, Maroš Šefčovič, the EU trade commmissioner has said after six hours of talks last night.
The so-called “trilogue talks”, involving the European Commission, the European Parliament and representatives of member states, are the final stage in the ratification system in the bloc, a process that is testing Donald Trump’s patience.
Although they failed to agree on amendments sought by MEPs, both the trade committee chair Bernd Lange and Šefčovič are indicating a compromise is not far off.
Talks last six hours, double the time scheduled for negotiations.
“This significant investment of time and effort suggests that we are making considerable progress and have already achieved a lot – although, of course, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” said Šefčovič.
He said in a post on LinkedIn that he had three objectives:
“To demonstrate that the EU is walking the talk and honouring its commitments”
To secure a result that fully respects the EU-US Joint Statement.
To preserve the interests of EU stakeholders, including by equipping the Commission with the instruments necessary to ensure that the EU-US Joint Statement is faithfully implemented by both sides.”
Last Friday Trump threatened to hike tariffs on EU cars this week, in contravention of the trade deal, in protest against the lengthy delays on the EU side.
The delays were partly a response to his foreign policy, with the European parliament twice pausing ratification process over his threat to increase tariffs in January, and then his threat to take control of Greenland.
MEPs are seeking three amendments to the implementation Brussels-side – including a sunset clause which will end the deal in March 2028 unless renewed, a sunrise clause ensuring the deal will come into force on the EU side if the US respects its commitments and a suspension clause.
Current evidence shows hantavirus continues to pose ‘low’ risk to Europeans, UN insists
Speaking at the European Commission’s midday briefing, the executive’s health spokesperson Eva Hrncirova insisted that the risk to Europeans posed by the new hantarivus remained “low.”
“According to the evidence that we have at the moment, the risk for the public in Europe, the risk for the Europeans is low. Health of the citizens in Europe is our absolute priority,” she said.
She stressed there was “no cause for concern,” and the EU was working closely with the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control to monitor the situation.
EU will not leave Kyiv despite warnings of possible Russian strikes
Meanwhile in Brussels, the EU said it would not leave Kyiv after Russia warned of a possible retaliatory strike on the Ukrainian capital and urged foreign organisations to evacuate.
“As to us, the EU, we will not change our posture or presence in Kyiv. Russian attacks are… unfortunately, a daily reality in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni said in comments reported by AFP.
Russia’s public threats to attack Kyiv are part of its reckless escalatory tactics.
The European Union’s diplomatic mission in Kyiv was damaged in August last year after Russian missiles struck close to the building.
Hungary’s Magyar meets with Italy’s Meloni ahead of inauguration weekend
Meanwhile, Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar has arrived for talks at Palazzo Chigi in Rome, where he is due to meet with Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Since he is not the Hungarian PM yet – he will take his role this weekend – he was officially welcomed outside the Palazzo by a senior adviser to the Italian PM instead.
Ukraine, international order, Europe’s push to arm part of discussions with Pope Leo, Poland’s Tusk says
Earlier today, Pope Leo welcomed Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk in the Vatican, and going by Tusk’s press conference afterwards, it was a good geopolitical warm up act for the big transatlantic meet with Marco Rubio.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Tusk said the pair discussed a potential papal visit to Poland signalling 2028 as an option under consideration, but that a big chunk of their conversation focused on international affairs.
“Of course, the conversation was about Ukraine, … about the international order, the armament of Poland and Europe, and the armament of Germany. Well, you know how many hot topics there are.
As you know, I will also have a meeting with prime minister Meloni today and secretary of state Rubio is here too; he will have a meeting with the Holy Father right after me. So this also shows how much is happening and how difficult the issues are to discuss and solve.”
Later today, Tusk will also meet Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, who is also expected to welcome Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar at some point today – and will see Rubio tomorrow.
Rubio arrives in Vatican for talks with Pope Leo – in pictures
Rubio arrives for two-day visit to see Pope Leo, Italy’s Meloni
Lorenzo Tondo
in Palermo
Meanwhile, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is to meet Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday in an effort to ease tensions after Donald Trump’s repeated criticisms of the first North American pontiff.
Amid unprecedented strain on relations between the Holy See and Washington, Rubio is expected to meet Leo at the Apostolic Palace in the morning, before holding a series of meetings with the Italian government.
Trump on Tuesday accused the pope of supporting nuclear weapons and “endangering a lot of Catholics’’ with his stance against the Iran war, in the latest attack by the US president on the pontiff.
On Wednesday, Leo responded:
“If anyone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with the truth: the church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that. I simply hope to be listened to because of the value of God’s word.”
Rubio downplayed the rift between Trump and Leo and told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that the president’s recent criticism of the pontiff was rooted in his opposition to Iran potentially obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could be used against millions of Catholics around the world.
Trump “doesn’t understand why anyone – leave aside the pope – would think that it’s a good idea for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said.
Relations between the Vatican and Washington have never been so fraught. In April, the US president lashed out at Leo over the pope’s criticism of the war in Iran, branding him “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy”, and claiming he had only been elected pontiff because Trump himself occupied the White House. Trump later shared – before deleting – an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure.
Rubio’s likely goal is to try to smooth over Trump’s insults and repair increasingly damaged ties between the US and the Vatican. According to several analysts, the secretary of state is expected to defend Washington’s rationale for launching the war in Iran, while carefully avoiding a direct clash with the church’s position.
Rubio will also meet the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, on Friday as relations between Rome and Washington have also deteriorated.
At a separate press conference with Latvia’s defence and interior ministers, we are told broadly similar things that the incident is still being investigated.
I will return to this topic if we get something substantially new.
Romania reports brief breach of its airspace by Russian drone attacking Ukraine last night
Meanwhile, Romania has just reported a brief violation of its airspace by drones taking part in a Russian attack on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine last night.
The drone was monitored by two F-16 patrolling aircraft and tracked as it crossed into Romania’s airspace in the Chilia area, the country’s defence ministry said in a statement.
The ministry “firmly condemned the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation, which contravene the norms of international law and pose risks to regional security and stability in the Black Sea.”
Flanked by senior police and army officials, the Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa is just giving a brief update after this morning’s crisis cabinet meeting in Riga.
She says there is still no clarity on who directed the drones reported in the Latvian airspace, and this continues to be investigated.
She sticks to key lines that as she stresses that the incident is a consequence of Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine, and Latvia needs to be prepared for similar situations as it continues to support Ukraine.
She also warns about any disinformation attempts coming from Russia in response to the incident.
Siliņa also talks about some practical concerns about the way Latvia’s emergency alert system worked last night.
Lisa O’Carroll
Meanwhile, the European Parliament has said it will work “expeditiously” to ensure the “spirit and the letter” of the EU’s trade deal with Donald Trump is sealed, after representatives failed to reach a deal in ratification talks with member states last night.
No deal is expected now until 19 May when talks with MEPs resume.
A timetable in Europe’s democratic process risks invoking the ire of Trump who on Friday said he would increase car tariffs from 15% to 25% because the EU were taking to long to implement its side of the Turnberry deal.
The parliamentary delegation in the so-called “trilogue” talks which also involved the European Commission were led by MEP Bernd Lange, chair of the trade committee.
Lange said in a statement last night:
“We have just concluded a constructive second trilogue during which we made good progress on the issue of the safeguard mechanism and the review and evaluation of the main regulation, but there is still some way to go.
We will continue to work expeditiously and responsibly on the two legislative proposals to ensure that the letter and the spirit of the Turnberry Deal are honoured, in full respect of our democratic norms, procedures and timelines. The next trilogue will take place on 19 May in Strasbourg.
We remain more committed than ever to advance and defend Parliament’s mandate so as to provide additional guarantees that will benefit citizens and companies in both the EU and the US.”
The 19 May date for next talks will be seen as a positive step however as yesterday Lange’s team were expecting the next date could be as far away as June.
Lange’s committee were looking for three key amendments to the deal hashed out at Trump’s golf course last July.
Jakub Krupa
We should get more on the Latvian incident before long, as we are expecting to hear from the government after this morning’s emergency cabinet meeting.
Crucially, the crash site of the second drone reported within Latvian airspace is yet to be discovered, so let’s see if we hear more on this.
I will keep an eye on this.
Morning opening: Latvia investigates drones ‘from Russia’ after overnight airspace violations
Latvia is investigating two drones which entered its airspace from Russian territory overnight and crashed in eastern part of the country near an empty oil storage facility.
Four empty oil tanks were reported damaged, with minor smouldering reported in one of the tanks. The local public broadcaster captured a drone flying in the area on their camera.
Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa convened a crisis management meeting for 10am local time. She earlier said she was “in constant communication” with relevant ministers and state institutions.
“After the incident concludes, I expect reports from the responsible ministers on what happened,” she said.
The investigation is still in very early stages, but the drones might have been Ukrainian units that lost their way due to signal jamming, defence minister Andris Sprūds said.
This would not be the first time that a lost Ukrainian drone attacking Russia’s oil terminals loses its way and ends up in a neighbouring Nato country, with similar incidents involving Estonia and Lithuania.
“As long as Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues, the recurrence of such incidents when a foreign unmanned aircraft enters or approaches Latvian airspace is possible,” the Latvian army said in a statement.
The air warning in the country has now been lifted, but some flight restrictions remain in place.
Elsewhere, I will also keep an eye at US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s visit to see Pope Leo in the Vatican amid a bitter war of words between the US president, Donald Trump, and the pontiff. Before that, Leo – who will mark one year in office tomorrow – will also meet with Poland’s Donald Tusk.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar is also expected nearby, as he is due to meet with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, formerly a close ally of Magyar’s arch-rival Viktor Orbán.
Elsewhere, I am expecting some developments in Bulgaria with Rumen Radev likely to be asked to form the next government, and obviously will continue keeping tabs on the hantavirus-hit cruise that electrified the public opinion worldwide.
Lots to cover.
It’s Thursday, 7 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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Essex v Notts, Sussex v Hampshire, Stokes out of Durham game: county cricket day three – live | Cricket
Key events
” We were outplayed”
Poor Lancashire coach Steven Croft, after Lancs were beaten in three days again: “I thought we were outplayed, we under-performed with the bat and ball. Very disappointing. Yes we’ve got some young lads in the side but more of our team needs to be putting their hands up.
“Yes we got put in on a pitch that was helpful for the bowlers but I still thought we could have managed a lot better and also got closer to them skill wise which is tough to say. We were down on our batting and bowling skills, it was tricky at times but we need to find a way to work it out and get better.
“We’re under-performing for the group of players we’ve got. We’ve got injuries but I think we are still sending sides out that we expect to do a lot better than they are.”
On Joe Moores’ maiden fifty:“It’s great to see him go out there and get some runs and I thought he’s kept really well. He’s had a tough job to stand up to the stumps and it’s great to see him have a performance like today.”
Glenn Chapple is doing laps of The Riverside, strawberry blond hair now silver-grey. There’s a nice scattering of people sitting in front of the pavilion in the shade. Matt Parkinson wheels through over number three, Miller and McSweeney gently rebuilding.
I’ve learnt today that Durham are returning to Darlington this year to play in the one-day cup against Essex on August 9.
100 for Rory Burns!
Much more like it. A first century of the season for Burns in a better effort by Surrey this time around. Surrey 215 for four, trail Glamorgan by just 38. Pope, at the other end, 39 not out.
Gus (Augustus Horatio) Miller, 11 not out here in CLS, is (thank you Andrew Radd for this information) the second Augustus to play for Northampton after Richard Augustus Agincourt Beresford who played for Northants 1887-1892. His niece Elisabeth, a neighbour of John Arlott on Alderney, wrote The Wombles.
Post lunch wickets in the north east! Two in an over from Matthew Potts A tea-tray juggling catch by McKinney off Potts gets rid of Calvin Harison, after Vasconcelos drove loosely, furious with himself, and snaffled at second slip. Northants 17-2.
Lunchtime scores
Chelmsford: Essex 184 and 81-5 v Nottinghamshire 457
Sophia Garden: Glamorgan 358 v Surrey 105 and 177-4
Grace Road: Leicestershire 453 v Yorkshire 185 and 121-6
Taunton: Somerset 208 and 104-4 v Warwickshire 330
Hove: Sussex 159 and 64-1 v Hampshire 191 and 220
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 364 and 25-1 BEAT Lancashire 161 and 226 by nine wickets
Chester-le-Street: Durham 405 v Northants 450 and 10-0
Canterbury: Kent 416 v Middlesex 443
New Road: Worcestershire 290-6 v Gloucestershire 289
Derbyshire need 24 to beat Lancs!
And lost Harry Came third ball but are now half way there.
hello Mike Daniels!
“This has been, so far, almost the perfect game for Leicestershire and, as seems likely, it turns out to be their first win, then they’ll have thoroughly deserved it
“They’ve batted and bowled well and shown they have what it takes to win in Div1. They’ll have to back it up with more when the CC resumes but kudos to them for bouncing back from a poor display last week.”
Bravo indeed. Yorkshire lunch six down, still 147 behind. Hill and Bess the men in.
I should have said happy Father’s day to you all – hope the dads out there are celebrating in an enjoyable way. If you’re in the north east, I heartily recommend an afternoon at The Riverside, though unfortunately you won’t be able to see Ben Stokes. Still feels a bit weird that the ECB pulled him out. If he’d played the whole match he’d only have played four days to the five four and a bit of the England players.
No hundred for the other Ollie Robinson after all, caught at deep square, a wicket for Guthrie. Durham get their fourth batting point before being all out for 405, just 45 behind Northants. And here comes Gus Miller, the injury replacement for Luke Procter, and Ricardo Vasconcelos for a ten minute pre-lunch bat.
And Essex are in real trouble now with Dean Elgar and his limpet like qualities gone, lbw Stone for 42. Essex 65-4, trail Notts by 208. Nick Friend of The Cricketer was at Chelmsford for the first two days and tells me that Essex prepared a pitch for Harmer, only for Patterson-White to rip through them on day one. Harmer finished with a five-fer too – his first in 36 games(three years) for Essex.
Great little knock this by Ollie Robinson, now 66. His last 100 was against Notts last May. Durham 383-9.
“Hi Tanya.” Hello Tim Maitland!
”Does English cricket truly understand the storm that’s about to hit them?
”I only ask, because the teenaged Vaibhav Sooryavanshi just hit 94 off 29 balls for India A in the ongoing ODI against Sri Lanka A.
”That’s a strike rate of 324. Three runs a ball. Ten fours and 8 sixes.
”We can only hope that the weather in July provides hooping, green seamers that are utterly alien to him. Anything else and whatever mess the current set-up is in come the end of the New Zealand series is going to look like the calm before the storm by the time the T20 and ODI series is over.
”He’s going to make Harry Brook look pedestrian.
”None of this should come as new news. He just won five of the 2026 IPL’s individual awards (MVP, Orange Cap for Most Runs, Emerging Player, Most Sixes and Batting Strike Rate) aged 15. But as the ECB seems determined to give the impression that they couldn’t run a bath at the moment, you have to hope they’ve started pre-emptive crisis meetings across every department, starting with the Sports Psychologists to prepare for the battered psyches of the bowlers.”
Interesting that Colin Ackermann won’t be able to bowl for Durham because he’s not a like for like replacement.
Sussex need 253 to win
Hampshire hitched their way to the highest score of the match thanks to the lower order – 22o . Three wickets each for Unadkat, Carson and Price. Kyle Abbot 23 not out. Now what are Sussex made of?
Two more early wickets, Yorkshire, fallible Yorkshire, losing Sam Whiteman inside edging to a flying Ben Cox, Yorks 57-3 ; and Charlie Bennett wafting to point, a second wicket for O’Neill, Essex 39-3.
Start of play scores
Chelmsford: Essex 184 and 13-2 v Nottinghamshire 457
Sophia Garden: Glamorgan 358 v Surrey 105 and 82-2
Grace Road: Leicestershire 453 v Yorkshire 185 and 32-2
Taunton: Somerset 208 and 23-1 v Warwickshire 330
Hove: Sussex 159 v Hampshire 191 and 206-9
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 364 v Lancashire 161 and 140-6
Chester-le-Street: Durham 302-7 v Northants 450
Canterbury: Kent 416 v Middlesex 319-6
New Road: Worcestershire210-5 v Gloucestershire 289
Delayed arrival at CLS, via a cheese scone, to see Ben Raine reverse-scoop the ball into his stumps. Durham 332-8 with the new ball imminent. Stokes is still at Chester le Street and warmed up with the team this morning.
Morning everyone and a happy summer solstice to you all. Breaking news at The Oval and here at CLS that Stokes and Atkinson and have been withdrawn from duty and will presumably be meeting up with England after the denouement to the second Test at The Oval. But away from that, there are eight games of cricket to win. Play starts at 11am, do join us.
Stokes withdrawn from Durham game ‘at request of ECB’
Tanya will be with you shortly, but some breaking news to bring you early on: Ben Stokes will not play any further part in Durham’s match against Northamptonshire, having been “withdrawn at the request of the ECB”.
“Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from the remainder of Durham’s County Championship match against Northamptonshire at the request of the ECB,” a statement said. “Colin Ackermann will replace Stokes in the Durham 11.”
The BBC are also reporting that Gus Atkinson has been stood down from Surrey’s match at Glamorgan – all of which points to a likely return for both players to the England fold for the third Test against New Zealand.
Police say 28 people remain in hospital after two trains collided on Friday.
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