Flagship

Europe looks to beef up defense

European Union leaders will seek to beef up their military might and claw back influence on Ukraine at a summit today. The bloc is scrambling to transform itself into a “military superpower” in the face of a US pullback on defense, Politico said, while the continent has been locked out of truce negotiations between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv. The rush to unify saw Europe’s leaders this week flesh out plans to bolster defense spending, as they discuss stationing peacekeepers in Ukraine. But deep divisions remain over how to approach the war: Finland’s president told Politico he wants to “militarize Ukraine to its teeth,” but as Le Monde put it, while “the declarations are strong… the facts are more ambiguous.”

Canada, Europe reduce US reliance

Canada and Europe took initial steps to strengthen defense cooperation and reduce their dependence on the US. The pivot by the longstanding American allies — frustrated by US President Donald Trump’s public criticism and his rapprochement with Moscow — points to the impact the US leader has had just two months into office. Ottawa is eyeing signing major defense deals with European manufacturers, Bloomberg reported, and is in talks to join the European Union’s security-spending efforts, according to The New York Times. They are both also reconsidering plans to purchase US-made F-35 fighter jets, The Associated Press said. “You’re not just buying an airplane, you’re buying a relationship with the United States,” one analyst noted.

Israel could expand war into West Bank

Israel could expand its war into the West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned. A seven-week ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza was shattered Tuesday when Israel unleashed airstrikes and launched a ground invasion: The enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry said 710 people have been killed. Netanyahu has doubled down on the conflict, saying that “a larger and more powerful front” could open in the other Palestinian territory, where Israeli troops have begun moving into refugee camps. Israel’s military is stretched to the limit, the Financial Times wrote: It was designed to fight “short and decisive wars,” but hundreds of thousands of Israelis have now been in unbroken service for months.

US-SAfrica ties worsen

The US is reportedly stalling the distribution of $2.6 billion in multilateral climate finance to South Africa, the latest sign of fraying ties between the two nations. Washington had already blocked direct aid after accusing Pretoria — without evidence — of unlawfully expropriating land from white farmers and the White House has since declared South Africa’s ambassador to the US “persona non grata.” The wider American aid pullback has left a wide gap in Africa’s climate finance needs, which other rich countries will struggle to fill. “We’re entering a world of more constraints” the head of Britain’s development finance office told Semafor. “You need to do more with less.”

Greenpeace hit over pipeline protests

A US jury ordered Greenpeace to pay an oil pipeline operator $667 million for defamation, as activists warned the move would dampen advocacy. The case centers around protests over the construction of a pipeline in North Dakota: Demonstrations were marred by violence, with the company behind the project blaming Greenpeace. The NGO said it played a minor role in the protests, and framed the lawsuit as an effort to silence opponents of fossil fuels. It’s one of a growing number of environment-related lawsuits packing global courts: This week, a Peruvian farmer opened his case against the German utility RWE for its alleged responsibility in raising water levels near his home by contributing to global temperature rises.

New BYD hurdles

China delayed giving approval for a new BYD factory in Mexico. The electric vehicle giant has planned the car plant since 2023, part of its growing global expansion. But Chinese automakers require Beijing’s go-ahead to manufacture overseas, and approval has yet to be granted, while Mexico itself is cooling on the idea over fears it could hurt relations with the US. BYD’s Hungary plant, meanwhile, is under a European Union investigation over alleged unfair subsidies. The apparent challenges may ultimately matter little: BYD recently unveiled technology allowing its cars to charge in five minutes, leading its shares to jump 6%, and its sales leaped 161% year-on-year in February. It is also considering building a third European factory, in Germany.

China counters US trade pressure

China unveiled a new rule to combat US trade pressure. The regulation allows Beijing to counter alleged discrimination against Chinese people or businesses in global intellectual-property disputes, a move which the South China Morning Post said targeted American and European allegations of IP theft and forced tech transfer. At least half of China’s 34 provinces have also expanded support for critical minerals exploration, the Financial Times said, part of efforts to shore up the country’s supply chains as Washington drives firms to diversify away from China. The moves come with the US ramping up tariffs and trade restrictions on Chinese goods. If Washington “escalates, China has a banquet of spicy options to choose from,” a Reuters columnist noted.

In a polarized world, where do people find happiness? Semafor, in partnership with Gallup and the World Happiness Report editorial team, will present the latest data and insights at The State of Happiness in 2025: A World Happiness Report Launch Event.

Join us virtually today at 9 am ET to hear Costa Rican Ambassador to the US Catalina Crespo Sancho, Finnish Ambassador to the US Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, Icelandic Ambassador to the US Svanhildur Hólm Valsdóttir, Happiness Project founder and author Gretchen Rubin, and others explore the report’s key findings on policies that enhance well-being.

Mar. 20, 2025 | Washington, DC | Join the Livestream

Trump targets education

US President Donald Trump will reportedly order the shutdown of the Department of Education today. Conservatives have long targeted the agency, accusing it of pushing progressive agendas in its curricula, and saying education policy should be handled at state level. Actually closing the department may be difficult, though: Shutting down a cabinet-level government agency would require Democratic support to obtain the 60 votes required in the Senate, underscoring the limits of Trump’s apparent strategy of favoring headline-grabbing executive orders over legislative action. “The furious pace of executive orders and announcements seems to have served Mr. Trump well so far,” one analyst wrote in The New York Times, “but the strategy is beginning to show diminishing returns.”

Private equity’s sports bet

Private equity is taking a growing role in global sports. The San Francisco Giants baseball team this week sold a 10% stake to the Sixth Street group, which already owns part of the Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. Other groups own stakes in MLB, NFL, and NBA teams, and much of the English Premier League. PE’s interest in sports is a new phenomenon, Sportico noted: Until recently, “clubs were too small for the industry to care.” But as TV deals have become more lucrative and stadiums more valuable, teams’ values have gone from millions to billions — too much for the rich individuals of prior generations who had owned sports teams, while drawing large investors’ attention.

Mexico City’s thriving art scene

Mexico City’s art scene is booming, turning Latin America’s biggest city into one of the region’s leading markets. The Mexican capital’s rich traditions and comparatively affordable studio space — as well as lax restrictions during the pandemic — have drawn artists from around the world, feeding a blossoming network of galleries that are fast gaining international recognition. The city has also become host to several internationally recognized art fairs, highlighting “the strength and depth of the Mexican capital,” Artsy reported, with some experts comparing its thriving art market to London in the 1990s or Berlin at the turn of the century.

• The prime minister of Ethiopia addresses the country’s parliament amid fears its domestic conflict could flare again.
• The leader of Pakistan visits Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to meet with the kingdom’s crown prince.
• Shakira performs the first concert of her new Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour in Mexico City.

The price fetched at auction by M. F. Husain’s Untitled (Gram Yatra), making it the most expensive work of modern Indian art ever sold publicly. The 1954 painting — which is 14 feet long and depicts village life in rural India after independence — shattered both the auction house’s estimated price of $2.5 million to $3.5 million, and the prior record of $7.4 million, for Amrita Sher-Gil’s The Story Teller. South Asian modern and contemporary art “continues to gather momentum,” Artnews reported, even as the wider art market is struggling.

T. Singer by Dag Solstad. Solstad, who died last week aged 83, was “a towering figure of Norwegian letters,” The Guardian wrote, known for “existential despair, political subjects and a droll sense of humour.” In a 2018 review, the writer Geoff Dyer said of T. Singer, his novel about everyday life in a small Norwegian town, that it is “mad, sad and funny,” like Philip Larkin “if he’d got a job in Telemark instead of Hull.” Buy T. Singer from your local bookstore.

Vice President JD Vance has serious momentum behind him toward the 2028 GOP nomination. His strongest opponent so far isn’t a person — it’s time, Semafor’s Burgess Everett and Shelby Talcott wrote.

“Vance, no matter his clout with MAGA die-hards, is unlikely to have the same swath of loyal followers that Trump has enjoyed,” they argued, but he could be in a good position to succeed Trump if he aggressively defends the president for three more years.