French politician Marine Le Pen has hit back against charges of illegal funding by Euro deputies from her far-right National Rally (RN) party. She told a court in Paris on Monday that parliamentary assistants paid for by the Brussels assembly were naturally involved in politics - because that was what drew them to the job in the first place.

The nine-week trial is a critical juncture for Le Pen, expected to be a strong contender in France’s next presidential election in 2027.

French far right leader Marine Le Pen told a Paris court that she saw no real difference between domestic and EU political work, defending herself and her National Rally (RN) party on Monday against charges of embezzling EU funds.

The European Union wants a level playing field with China on car tariffs and is negotiating with Beijing on mechanisms such as price commitments or investments in Europe as a solution, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.

China is investigating whether to raise tariffs on European large-engine vehicles and will start collecting levies on brandy, escalating a trade spat after the European Union decided to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

European Union officials are bracing for an onslaught of retaliatory trade actions after a team of Chinese officials tasked with resolving an EV tariff row were hauled back to Beijing over the weekend.

The European Union condemned attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon and rejected Israeli allegations that the U.N. was keeping them there to obstruct military operations against Hezbollah

The United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon has warned Israel for the fourth time in as many days against "further flagrant violation of international law."