Taylor Swift wins big and Rita Ora pays tribute to Liam Payne at the MTV EMAs

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Taylor Swift came out on top at the 2024 MTV EMAs on Sunday, walking away with best artist, best U.S. act, best live act and best video for “Fortnight” (featuring Post Malone).

Swift, who is finishing up her Eras tour on the other side of the Atlantic, thanked the fans for the bounty of prizes via video message.

The U.K. show opened with an acrobatic Benson Boone suspended in the air on a gold grand piano performing his viral hit “Beautiful Things” and latest release “Slow it Down.” Boone also accepted his first EMA for best new act.

South African newcomer Tyla gave Swift a run for her money picking up three awards for best afrobeats, best R&B and best African act.

Tyla performed her smash hit “Water” for the EMA audience at the Co-op Live, Manchester, flanked by a host of dancers, as well as singing energetic new track “Push 2 Start.”

British singer Rita Ora, who hosted the show for a record third time, paid tribute to former One Direction star Liam Payne, who died last month after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires.

Ora had a close relationship with the singer and the pair recorded a song together in 2018, “For You (Fifty Shades Freed).” She addressed the audience saying, “I want to take a moment to remember someone. Liam Payne was one of the kindest people I knew.” Her voice broke as she asked the crowd to take a moment to remember Liam saying, “He had the biggest heart and he left such a mark on this world.”

Hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes was awarded the EMAs global icon award from British rapper Little Simz telling the crowd that in 34 years of professionally recording this was his first award from MTV and it felt incredible. The 12-time Grammy Award nominee, who has more than 10 million album sales under his belt, performed a mega medley of his greatest hits “Break ya Neck,” “Touch it” and “Put Your Hands Where the Eyes can See” accompanied by dancers wearing tracksuits with giant dragon heads.

Shawn Mendes gave an intimate and heartfelt performance and also received the award for best Canadian act. Sabrina Carpenter picked up the honors for best song for her hit “Espresso,” while Ariana Grande was crowned best pop act and Eminem took away best hip hop act.

U.K. duo Pet Shop Boys were honored with the inaugural Pop Pioneers Award for their contribution to pop music and closed out the show accompanied by local orchestra Manchester Camerata with a cover of David Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes” followed by their iconic hit “West End Girls” in celebration of the song’s 40th anniversary.

Other performers on the night included K-Pop quintet Le Sserafim, Mexican singer and rapper Peso Pluma, English singer and songwriter Raye, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Mendes, American powerhouse Teddy Swims, Mexican rock sisters the Warning.

LL Cool J, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, mother-and-daughter musicians Neneh Cherry and Mabel and TV and film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Turner-Smith and Lucien Laviscount all presented awards.

Busta Rhymes performs during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Spliff Star, left, and Busta Rhymes perform during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Busta Rhymes performs during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Little Simz before presenting Busta Rhymes with the 2024 MTV EMAs global icon award during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Busta Rhymes accepts the 2024 MTV EMAs global icon award during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Busta Rhymes, front, accepts the 2024 MTV EMAs global icon award presented by Little Simz during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Busta Rhymes holds the 2024 MTV EMAs global icon award during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Estevan Plazola, left, and Peso Pluma perform during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Kim Chaewon, from left, Kazuha, Hong Eunchae and Sakura Miyawaki from the group 'Le Sserafim' perform during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Kazuha, from left, Sakura Miyawaki, Hong Eunchae, Huh Yunjin, and Kim Chaewon, from the group 'Le Sserafim' perform during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Neil Tennant from the 'Pet Shop Boys' performs alongside the Manchester Camerata during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Neil Tennant from the 'Pet Shop Boys' performs alongside the Manchester Camerata during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Neil Tennant from the 'Pet Shop Boys' performs alongside the Manchester Camerata during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Neil Tennant, left, and Chris Lowe from the 'Pet Shop Boys' perform alongside the Manchester Camerata during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Neil Tennant, left, and Chris Lowe from the 'Pet Shop Boys' perform alongside the Manchester Camerata during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Chris Lowe from the 'Pet Shop Boys' perform alongside the Manchester Camerata during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Neil Tennant, left, and Chris Lowe from the 'Pet Shop Boys' perform alongside the Manchester Camerata during the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Progressive leaders from around the globe gathered in Barcelona on Saturday to try and galvanize their forces and defend the multilateral rules-based order in a world turning to the right and violently torn by superpowers.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, hosted two overlapping events about democracy and progressive politics at a convention center in Spain’s second-largest city.

While no foreign leader directly criticized Trump by name in public, the staunchly unilateral position of the American president that breaks with decades of U.S. foreign policy, including his derision of NATO and the United Nations, hung over the meetings.

“We all see the attacks against the multilateral system, the repeated attempts to undermine international law and the dangerous normalization of the use of force,” Sánchez said.

Trump again lashed out on Saturday on social media at Sánchez, who has faced Trump’s scorn for not allowing the U.S. to use jointly operated military bases in Spain for operations related to the Iran war and for refusing to raise military spending from 2% to 5% of GDP.

“Has anybody looked at how badly the country of Spain is doing. Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, are absolutely horrendous. Sad to watch!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Spain, like the U.S. and other developed countries, is in debt, but it has one of the world’s leading economies under Sánchez.

Sánchez told the rally of progressive politicians and party members held later on Saturday that the populist right “screams and shouts not because they are winning but because they know their time is running out.

“They know their vision of how the world should be ordered is falling apart due to the tariffs and wars,” he said. “Their embrace of climate change denial, of xenophobia, or sexism is their greatest error.

“They have tried again and again to make us embarrassed of our beliefs. That ends now. From now on they can be the ones who feel ashamed.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and other leaders and officials, including Cabinet members from the United Kingdom and Germany, were in attendance at the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy.

Later in the day, Sánchez, Lula and Ramaphosa stayed put at the convention center to attend the inaugural Global Progressive Mobilization, where some 6,000 left-leaning elected officials, policy analysts and activists exchanged ideas.

“The far right is international, so we must be too,” German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told a crowd of activists.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, spoke at the progressive rally and he didn’t shy away from blasting Trump while celebrating the loss of power of Trump's ally Viktor Orbán in elections in Hungary last week.

“Donald Trump is out to end our democracy,” Murphy said. “We are not on the verge of a totalitarian takeover, we are in the middle of it.”

But, he said, “Americans are watching what is happening across the world, and the victory in Hungary just one week ago lifted our sails.”

Former Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, threw barbs at U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who campaigned for Orbán and has backed far-right parties in Europe.

“Unlike our current vice president, I’m not here to arrogantly lecture or scold you, I am not here to pick a fight with the Pope or host a rally for any local wannabe authoritarians,” Walz said.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders all sent video messages played at the rally.

Among concrete proposals to come from the events, Ramaphosa said South Africa will present a draft resolution to establish an International Panel on Inequality, aiming to tackle the growing wealth gap both within and between nations, to the U.N. General Assembly in September.

Sheinbaum plugged her idea that governments commit to spending the equivalent of 10% of their military budgets on reforestation projects.

“Each year, instead of planting the seeds of war, we will plant the seeds of life,” she said.

Sánchez argued for the importance of regulating social media to stop the spread of hate speech and disinformation. His government also said that it is working with Lula's Brazil on a tax for the ultrarich.

Lula, who met with Sánchez in a bilateral summit on Friday in Barcelona, kept the focus on how to invigorate the progressive moment. He avoided naming Trump except when he called for U.N. Security Council members to “fulfill their obligation and guarantee peace.”

“Stop this madness of war because the world cannot bear any more wars,” Lula said.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, center, poses with attendees, at the Meeting in Defence of Democracy summit in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, center, poses for a photo next to Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, and his wife wife Rosangela Lula da Silva, at the Meeting in Defence of Democracy summit, in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, right, greets Colombia's President Gustavo Petro at the Meeting in Defence of Democracy summit in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, right, greets Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the Meeting in Defence of Democracy summit in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, center, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, center left, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, second right, Uruguay's President Yamandu Orsi, left, and Chile's former President Gabriel Boric, right, attend the Meeting in Defence of Democracy summit in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)