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Trump, NATO, and Italy
In the United States, a book interview described Donald Trump as driven by "resentments and instincts" and as having an "absolute absence of boundaries," with the Republican magnate telling the authors that his power was greater than that of Alexander the Great and adding, "They were in power only by fear."
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The El Mundo account links that political style to NATO’s leaders’ summit in Ankara, saying NATO’s 32 members and EU heavyweight countries and the United Kingdom have been preparing to modulate the tone with Trump and to prevent White House threats to leave the organization from becoming a reality.
El Mundo says Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came into direct conflict with Trump after stating that her American counterpart had "begged" to take a photo with him "with all his might" during the G-7 summit in France.
El Mundo reports that Trump replied, "His popularity is at the floor," and that Meloni later said, "Neither I nor Italy beg."
The same El Mundo piece frames the dispute as electoral pressure, citing that Meloni’s Brothers of Italy had 28.6% of voting intention and that Ipsos found 77% of Italians have a negative opinion of Trump.
Albania protests and arrests
In Albania, anger over a tourist project tied to Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner has escalated since late May, when Albanians discovered barbed-wire fences on the beaches of Zvernec, 150 km southwest of Tirana.
La Croix reports that on Saturday evening thousands marched in single file, brandishing representations of giant pink flamingos and signs reading 'Resign' ('step down'), while the couple said they had purchased property titles for land where part of the hotels would be built.
The protests are centered on Zvernec Island, about ten kilometers from the town of Vlora, connected to the mainland by a long wooden pontoon over the calm waters, and described as almost entirely covered by a pine forest and surrounded by a lagoon that is part of the protected Vjosa-Narta landscape.
La Croix says Prime Minister Edi Rama has mocked the protesters, inviting some to 'go fuck themselves' in an interview with the Financial Times.
The article also states that at least a hundred protesters have been charged since the start of June, accused of 'blocking vehicle traffic,' 'disturbing public order,' and 'organizing and participating in illegal gatherings and demonstrations.'
Biodiversity stakes and Kushner history
La Croix describes the stakes for the Zvernec area in ecological terms, saying the Vjosa-Narta landscape is home to bird species including pink flamingos and crested pelicans, two threatened species that breed only on the Narta lagoon.
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The same piece says the Kushner family’s involvement in the Balkans has drawn resistance before, noting that in Serbia in December 2025 Jared Kushner's investment company Affinity Partners had to withdraw its plan to build a luxury hotel on the ruins of the former Yugoslav Army headquarters.
La Croix links that Serbian project to NATO’s 1999 air campaign led by the United States to end the Kosovo War (1998-1999), and says street protests doomed the plan while it was also tainted by corruption and forged documents.
In Albania, La Croix adds that the protests target both the Kushner project and Prime Minister Edi Rama, blaming him for the rising cost of living, corruption, shortcomings of the health care system, pensions, and the lack of prospects for youth who have emigrated by the thousands.
The article also says the couple cites a February 2024 law that makes this kind of project possible, including in a sensitive zone, even as the area is described as protected.
