Spain handed new visa powers over Gibraltar in secret UK-EU talks

Crucially, the agreement ensures the border between Gibraltar and Spain remains open, avoiding chaos for the 15,000 Spanish workers who cross into the Rock each day. Without the deal, those workers would have been forced to get their passports stamped on entry and exit, using up their allowance of visa-free days and risking major disruption at the frontier.

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Yahoo

19 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Trump says US doesn't have to meet NATO spending goal

President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. shouldn't have to abide by the same defense spending standards as the rest of NATO — potentially antagonizing leaders from the rest of the alliance days before he's to meet with them in The Netherlands. Trump has long demanded that NATO states spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense but has never said if the U.S. should be included in that or not. The U.S. is currently at 3.4 percent. "I don't think we should, but I think they should," he said, responding to a question about his 5 percent defense spending goal. "We've been supporting NATO so long. … So I don't think we should, but I think that the NATO countries should, absolutely," he added. The summit kicks off Tuesday in The Hague with the leaders of 32 member states coming together to plan spending goals and reaffirm NATO force structure and deployment plans. Most NATO states spend just over 2 percent of their GDP on defense currently, with a growing number having outlined plans to get to around 3 percent over the next year or two. Trump's spending demand has hovered over the alliance since his reelection however, and the alliance has come up with a novel solution: Call for 3.5 percent on defense, with the remaining 1.5 percent taken up by domestic infrastructure and cybersecurity spending. Trump's apparent opting out of the higher target is unlikely to sit well with Republicans on Capitol Hill who've pushed for larger Pentagon budgets and have clashed with the administration over defense spending. Both Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees respectively, have been pushing to drive U.S. defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. They and other GOP leaders criticized Trump's budget plans for keeping annual defense funding flat, save a one-time investment from Republicans' megabill of spending and tax cuts. Hitting that goal would mean a roughly $1.4 trillion defense budget for the Pentagon. Only Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have committed to 5 percent number so far, but most of the rest of the alliance is expected to follow suit at The Hague. There are outlines, however. The Spanish government, which is one of the lowest spenders on defense in the alliance, flatly rejected the 5 percent goal this week. In a letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte obtained by POLITICO, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his government 'cannot commit to a specific spending target in terms of GDP at this summit." Other allies who have spent more on defense in recent years are also grappling with how to keep pumping more money into their militaries. 'We have to find a realistic compromise between what is necessary and what is possible, really, to spend,' Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius said this month during a NATO meeting in Brussels. Seth Jones, president of the defense and security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a press call Friday that U.S. defense spending, at 3.4 percent of GDP, is 'lower than during any time during the Cold War,' and the Trump administration's defense budget as a percentage of GDP 'is likely to be lower than the Carter administration's defense budget in the 1970s.' Connor O'Brien contributed to this report.

Ammon

32 minutes ago

• Ammon

Mastantuono's move to Real Madrid was premature, says River boss Gallardo

Ammon News - Franco Mastantuono's transfer to Real Madrid came too soon, while the 17-year-old was still developing and pivotal to River Plate's future, said coach Marcelo Gallardo ahead of the Argentine team's Club World Cup match against Monterrey. Gallardo acknowledged Mastantuono's departure will leave a void in his squad after the Spanish giants completed a deal worth around $45 million with River for the teenager earlier this month. For the Argentine manager, the midfielder still needed more time to grow at the club, but he acknowledged the early transfer as an understandable part of modern football. "It's natural, we train players for the world. Everything is happening earlier, young players are leaving faster, and I understand that those are the rules of the game," Gallardo told ESPN on Friday. "Our sporting project for the year was with him. We have to readjust, because there are players who, by their nature, are difficult to replace. "We knew that Mastantuono was going to leave at some point, but fans don't enjoy it that way. The market dictates the timing." Gallardo said he's urging Mastantuono to stay focused on the tournament despite the noise around his move. "All I want is for him to play naturally, to try to forget about everything that's going on, which is very difficult," he said. "I don't talk to him about where he's going to live or anything like that. I want him to play, which is what he knows how to do." River began their Club World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds, a result Gallardo described as key to easing early nerves. "We are happy to be able to be in a competition like this, a new one," he said. "I'm excited about how it's going, it was essential to start with a win and get over the nerves. "Now we're preparing for the match in Monterrey, which is a different level of difficulty."

Daily Mirror

33 minutes ago

• Daily Mirror

Trent Alexander-Arnold agreement over what ‘he'll be glad' about after nightmare

Trent Alexander-Arnold made his first start for Real Madrid in their 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal, but the England international endured a pretty disastrous start for his new club at the FIFA Club World Cup Alan Shearer is convinced that Trent Alexander-Arnold will "get better" with time at Real Madrid. The former Liverpool defender made his debut for the Spanish giants on Wednesday, taking part in their 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal at the FIFA Club World Cup. Gonzalo Garcia scored the opener for Madrid, before Ruben Neves levelled things up from the penalty spot just before half-time for the Saudi team. Federico Valverde thought he was going to clinch the win in stoppage time, but his late penalty was saved by Bono to ensure the Spaniards were held to a draw. ‌ Alexander-Arnold's first match in Madrid white ultimately didn't go down as well as he would've hoped. Despite delivering crosses into the box and pushing forward, he lost possession a staggering 12 times before being hooked off in the 65th minute. ‌ During an episode of the Rest is Football podcast, Gary Lineker discussed the England international's debut, admitting that the defender will be relieved to now have his first start behind him – even if it didn't go to plan. Reflecting on Madrid's draw with Al-Hilal, the former Tottenham Hotspur star said: "Trent's debut is the obvious place to start. I thought he was a little bit slow early on, in warming up, but I thought he grew into the game. You saw a few crosses from him and he had lots of possession of the ball. He'll be glad to get that game out the way won't he?" Sky Sports host Alex Aljoe was in agreement, adding: "I thought it was interesting what Xabi Alonso said after the game, it was like he said, 'Look, he's a really talented player, but talent isn't enough.' It's almost like he wanted to say that, he's sort of making a statement by coming out and saying that. "He said he needs to get better defensively, and that's where he was exposed; at the back at times in that game. I think in general, Real Madrid lack experienced, high-quality defenders." Shearer chimed in, suggesting that Alexander-Arnold will need more time to adapt to Madrid's playing style, and insisted that there is much more to come from the Premier League star. The Newcastle United legend said: "I think it's clearly going to take time to get used to a new manager, new sort of ideas of what he wants to do. ‌ "Trent obviously is going to take time to understand and get used to his surroundings, that's only normal. But, he'll have bigger and better ideas than that." Shearer agreed with Lineker, and said: "I think he'll be pleased that it's out of the way [making his debut]. He's maybe disappointed that he didn't do so well, the team didn't do so well, they didn't get the right result. It'll get better, there's no doubt." While Lineker, Shearer and Aljoe were reluctant to slate Alexander-Arnold too much, not everyone shared their stance. Several prominent football rating platforms handed Alexander-Arnold low scores. Football Espana and Sport both gave the English defender a 5/10, with the former labelling his performance "underwhelming" and criticising his lack of impact in attack. ‌ After the match, the 26-year-old opened up about his move from his boyhood team to the La Liga side, acknowledging that leaving Liverpool was "a big change" he felt was necessary at this point in his career. Alexander-Arnold said: "It's a very proud moment for me. It's a moment that most, if not all players, dream of at some point in their life. But it was very challenging to play in that heat and very different from England. "It's the first time I've moved clubs. I didn't know what to expect and it's a big change but I'm loving every single minute of it. In my mind and in my heart, I know that I made the right decision for me." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.