STRASBOURG, France: Lawmakers at the European Parliament on Thursday re-elected Ursula von der Leyen to a second 5-year term as president of the European Union’s executive commission, giving her a comfortable majority and heading off a possible leadership vacuum.
Von der Leyen raised both fists in victory as the Parliament President Roberta Metsola read out the result at the legislature.
“5 more years. I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for the trust of all MEPs that voted for me,” she said on the social media platform X.
The re-election ensures leadership continuity for the 27-nation bloc as it wrestles with crises ranging from the war in Ukraine to climate change, migration and housing shortages.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was quick to send his congratulations on X, calling von der Leyen’s re-election “a clear sign of our ability to act in the European Union, especially in difficult times. Europeans expect us to take Europe forward. Let’s do it!”
A majority in the 720-seat legislature voted for the German Christian Democrat after a speech in which she pledged to be a strong leader for Europe in a time of crisis and polarization.
Von der Leyen gained 401 of the 707 votes cast. There were 284 votes against her candidacy, 15 abstentions and seven void ballots.
The secret ballot came hot on the heels of strong gains by the far right in last month’s election for the European Parliament.
“I will never let the extreme polarization of our societies become accepted. I will never accept that demagogues and extremists destroy our European way of life. And I stand here today ready to lead the fight with all the Democratic forces in this house,” von der Leyen said in her final pitch.
If lawmakers had rejected her candidacy, it would leave leaders of the 27-nation bloc scrambling to find a replacement as Europe grapples with crises ranging from the war in Ukraine to climate change. Instead, the continent now has an experienced pair of hands at the helm.
In a speech that sought to shore up support from across the political spectrum, von der Leyen pledged to strengthen the EU economy, its police and border agencies, tackle migration and pursue policies tackling climate change while also helping farmers who have staged protests against what they call stifling EU bureaucracy and environmental rules.
She also vowed to tackle housing shortages across Europe and said she would appoint a commissioner for the Mediterranean region due to the multiple challenges it faces.
She also took a swipe at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his recent visit to Russia shortly after his country took over the rotating six-month EU presidency.
“This so-called peace mission was nothing but an appeasement mission,” von der Leyen said as she vowed that Europe would remain shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine.
One radical right lawmaker, Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca of Romania, was escorted out of the parliament’s chamber for heckling a speaker during the debate following von der Leyen’s speech. Iovanovici-Sosoaca briefly wore what appeared to be a muzzle and held up religious icons before being led out of the room.
Over the past five years, von der Leyen has steered the bloc through a series of crises, including Britain’s exit from the EU, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She has also pushed a Green Deal aiming to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.
Von der Leyen’s election came as newly elected UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was welcoming some 45 heads of government to discuss migration, energy security and the threat from Russia as he seeks to restore relations between the UK and its European neighbors.
EU leaders signed off on the conservative German von der Leyen at a summit meeting late last month. The 65-year-old von der Leyen’s bid was boosted when the European People’s Party, which includes von der Leyen’s Christian Democratic Union, remained the largest group at the EU Parliament after the elections.
The German politician has been praised for her leading role during the coronavirus crisis, when the EU bought vaccines collectively for its citizens. But she also found herself receiving sharp criticism for the opacity of the negotiations with vaccine makers.
The EU general court ruled Wednesday that the commission did not allow the public enough access to information about COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements it secured with pharmaceutical companies during the pandemic.
Before voting got underway, a majority of lawmakers rejected a motion from a leftist bloc in parliament calling for the election to be delayed until September in light of the court ruling.
Following the elections for EU Parliament, European Union leaders agreed on the officials who will hold the key positions in the world’s biggest trading bloc in the coming years for issues ranging from antitrust investigations to foreign policy. At the side of von der Leyen will be two new faces: Antonio Costa of Portugal as European Council president and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas as the top diplomat of the world’s largest trading bloc.
While Costa’s nomination only needed the leaders’ approval, Kallas will also need to be approved by European lawmakers later this year. The Estonian prime minister is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and a fierce critic of Russia within the European Union and NATO.
Ursula von der Leyen re-elected to a second 5-year term as European Commission president
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Ursula von der Leyen re-elected to a second 5-year term as European Commission president

Netanyahu expected to talk tariffs with Trump in Washington on Monday, officials say

The impromptu visit was first reported by Axios, which said that if the visit takes place, the Israeli leader would be the first foreign leader to meet with Trump in person to try to negotiate a deal to remove tariffs.
Netanyahu’s office has not confirmed the visit, that would likely also include discussions on Iran and Israel’s war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.
The surprise invite by Trump came in a phone-call on Thursday with Netanyahu, who is presently on a visit to Hungary, when the Israeli leader raised the tariff issue, according to the Israeli officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
As part of a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, unspecified Israeli goods exports to the United States face a 17 percent tariff. The US is Israel’s closest ally and largest single trading partner.
An Israeli finance ministry official said on Thursday that Trump’s latest tariff announcement could impact Israel’s exports of machinery and medical equipment.
Israel had already moved to cancel its remaining tariffs on US imports on Tuesday. The two countries signed a free trade agreement 40 years ago and about 98 percent of goods from the US are now tax-free.
Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield to attend MEFCC Abu Dhabi

DUBAI: British American actor Andrew Garfield, known for playing Spider-Man, will appear at this year’s Middle East Film & Comic Con.
The three-day event will take place from April 18-20 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.
The actor will join a list of celebrities that includes Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio from Marvel’s “Daredevil: Born Again,” “Star Wars” actor Ian McDiarmid, famous for portraying Emperor Palpatine in the space saga; and “Stranger Things” star Natalia Dyer.
Also joining the line-up are Grant Gustin, otherwise known as Barry Allen / The Flash, and Emily Rudd, the navigator of Netflix’s record-smashing, live-action show “One Piece.”
The stars are expected to take part in a panel discussion and will be available for autograph sessions.
Japanese voice actors Kotono Mitsuishi, Daiki Yamashita, Hideo Ishikawa and Kentaro Ito, and US voice actress Colleen O'Shaughnessey, will also attend.
Germany’s Mueller to leave Bayern Munich after 25 years

- Bayern Munich talisman Thomas Mueller says he will leave club at season end
MUNICH: Thomas Mueller will leave Bayern Munich after 25 seasons at the club at the end of the campaign, the veteran midfielder announced on social media on Saturday.
Mueller, who came through the Bayern junior system and has won two Champions Leagues along with 12 Bundesliga titles, said the decision was made by the club and “not what I would have wished.”
The 35-year-old, a 2014 World Cup winner with Germany, did not reveal where he would play next season.
PM Sharif hails Ramadan relief success, orders digital wallet model for future welfare programs

- Government transferred cash directly into digital wallets to provide Ramadan relief to deserving citizens
- Over 951,000 digital wallets were used and 1.9 million payments made, according to official statistics
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday lauded the successful implementation of Pakistan’s Ramadan Relief Package 2025, praising the transparent use of digital wallets for fund distribution and instructing officials to adopt the model for future government programs, state media reported.
The premier made the comments during a meeting in Islamabad to review the execution of the nationwide relief scheme, which aimed to provide financial support during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The package, rolled out across the country including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, utilized digital tools to deliver assistance to beneficiaries and was promoted as a step toward the country’s broader digital transformation agenda.
Under the initiative, aid was transferred directly into recipients’ digital wallets — secure mobile accounts linked to national ID numbers — allowing beneficiaries to access funds via mobile apps, ATMs or designated agents without needing a traditional bank account.
“Appreciating the effective and transparent implementation of the Ramazan Relief Package 2025, [the prime minister] directed the authorities concerned to emulate this model in future government schemes,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported the PM Office as saying.
It said 1.9 million digital payments were made and over 951,000 digital wallets used, marking what officials described as a significant move toward realizing the “Digital Nation Pakistan” vision.
More than 823,000 women and over 2,500 persons with disabilities accessed the funds through digital platforms, APP added.
Authorities said 79 percent of the allocated funds had been disbursed, with a team of 2,224 employees resolving over 1,200 complaints during the scheme’s implementation.
Millions of robocalls, SMS alerts and outbound calls were also made to raise awareness, the report added.
Patrick Reed leads by two, DeChambeau’s Crushers GC show way in team race at LIV Golf Miami

- In LIV Golf’s first US event of 2025, it was fitting that the top four players are all past major champions, three of them with at least one green jacket to their name with the Masters a week away
- DeChambeau’s team, Crushers GC, also holds a narrow two-shot lead in the team competition through one round
MIAMI: Despite a double bogey on his closing hole, Patrick Reed shot a 5-under par 67 and grabbed the first-round lead at LIV Golf Miami on Friday at Trump National Doral.
Reed began his round on the 10th hole and put seven birdies on his card, reaching 7 under with a tap-in at the par-5 eighth. But at the par-3 ninth, he missed the green wide left and compounded the mistake by putting his second shot into a bunker.
Reed came back to the pack a bit, but he still held a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson (3-under 69).
“I mean, the first 17 were great,” Reed said. “No, as a whole I played solid. I hit the ball pretty well off the tee, hit some quality iron shots and made some putts, and I think that’s what you have to do around this place.
.”.. Yeah, for the back tee with this kind of wind direction here on 9, I don’t know what to do. I don’t have a club for it that I feel like I can hit a straight shot, and it’s hard to start it over the water and get it turning back. It was just an unfortunate finish, but at the end of the day, it’s still a solid round of golf.”
In LIV Golf’s first US event of 2025, it was fitting that the top four players are all past major champions, three of them with at least one green jacket to their name with the Masters a week away.
Reed won the Masters in 2018, Mickelson has captured three green jackets and Dustin Johnson won the 2020 edition that was delayed to November.
“Obviously I was playing really good at the end of 2020,” Johnson said Friday. “But the game I feel like it’s getting pretty close to that. Obviously it’s a really fine line to being that good or just a little bit off, but yeah, I’ve got a lot of confidence in my game right now.”
Johnson had a three-birdie run at Nos. 14-16 late in his round to get to 3 under, while DeChambeau was steady with four birdies and just one bogey.
DeChambeau’s team, Crushers GC, also holds a narrow two-shot lead in the team competition through one round. The four-man team of DeChambeau, Charles Howell III, Englishman Paul Casey and India’s Anirban Lahiri combined to go 2 under par, with Johnson’s 4Aces GC sitting second at even par.
“There’s a reason we won here (at the LIV Team Championship) in 2023,” DeChambeau said. “They like this golf course. They like a tough, challenging golf course where you can strategically play and let everybody kind of mess up on their own, and we just plot along and make a couple birdies where we can and move along when it’s a really brutal hole.”