Author: staff

Published on 28/09/2026 – 9:00 GMT+2 EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Canada might become Europe’s first “associate member” during her State of the Union address in Strasbourg, France, on 16 September. It’s the first time the EU has offered this status to a third country. If all 27 member states agree, the EU would have to create a new legal framework, including rights and obligations, since current EU treaties do not include “associate membership”. The proposal does not mean Canada will join the EU. It would establish a deeper EU-Canada partnership that goes beyond existing cooperation, including…

Parts of Bangkok remained under water on Monday after days of heavy rain overwhelmed the city’s drainage system. In Bang Kapi, residents waded through knee- and waist-deep water to collect essential supplies, while small boats helped people reach shops. Some areas recorded more than 30 centimetres of rain, with around 300 millimetres falling in 48 hours in parts of the capital. The flooding disrupted roads, businesses and public transport, with some cars partly submerged. Authorities declared a disaster across all 50 districts and made Monday and Tuesday public holidays to reduce traffic and help emergency services respond. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration…

Portugal’s technology sector is adding jobs fast and paying some of the country’s highest salaries. Employment in information and communication rose by 27,600 year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, while annual salaries for the IT roles surveyed range from €40,000 to €55,000, according to Randstad’s 2026/2027 Salary Trends Study. According to the report, which cross-references Randstad’s recruitment database with official statistics from INE and Eurostat, the number of people employed in the information and communication sector in the second quarter of 2026 stood at 237,200, representing around 4.4% of the total workforce in Portugal. Year-on-year, there was an increase…

Published on 28/09/2026 – 8:00 GMT+2 Europe’s travel industry will take centre stage as political leaders and industry experts gather for the Euronews Travel & Tourism Summit. Live on Tuesday 29 September from the Albert Hall in Brussels, the one-day summit will examine how the industry is changing amid shifting traveller expectations, economic pressures and a complex geopolitical landscape. It comes after an eventful year for global tourism. Conflict in the Middle East has disrupted air routes, pushed up fuel costs and influenced where people travel, while extreme weather, overtourism and the rollout of new border controls have presented further…

In a small hillock in Huelva, at the point where the Tinto River meets the Odiel before they reach the Atlantic, stands one of the most decisive sites in world history: the monastery of Santa María de La Rábida. Without its walls, its friars and the faith invested there, it is likely that Christopher Columbus’s enterprise would never have set sail from the nearby shores of Palos de la Frontera bound for the New World. The Franciscan presence on the site dates back to the early 13th century, when the first friars settled in this primitive hermitage on the Huelva…

Hold the fort: European defence ministers are meeting in Brussels this morning to discuss more support for Ukraine as well as fortifying the bloc’s own skies and seas, my colleague Angela Skujins reports from down the road at the European Council. It comes as Russia continues to pound Ukraine, with the impact also bleeding out across Europe’s borders. The effects of Moscow’s aggression continues to be felt around the continent, through rogue aircraft and drones. Ministers will be tasked on Monday to start putting flesh on the bone to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s bold pitch for the…

Holding a candle and a rosary, the pope walked behind a statue of the Virgin Mary through the sanctuary, describing himself as a “pilgrim among pilgrims”. The procession began at the Grotto of Massabielle, where Bernadette Soubirous is said to have seen the Virgin Mary in 1858. The Rosary is a series of Catholic prayers traditionally divided into five decades, with worshippers reflecting on events from the lives of Jesus and Mary. The prayers were recited in several languages, including French, English, Italian and Spanish, accompanied by the “Ave Maria” of Lourdes. More than 150,000 candles were lit across the…

On a small rise in Huelva, at the point where the River Tinto meets the Odiel before they reach the Atlantic, stands one of the most decisive sites in world history: the monastery of Santa María de la Rábida. Without its walls, its friars and the faith placed there, it is likely that Christopher Columbus’s voyage would never have set sail from the nearby shores of Palos de la Frontera towards the New World. The Franciscan presence in this place dates back to the early 13th century, when the first friars settled in this primitive hermitage on the Huelva estuary.…

The CFP is widely recognized as one of the world’s most ambitious and comprehensive fisheries management frameworks. Following years of overfishing and declining profitability, its reform in 2013 placed sustainability at the heart of fisheries decision-making. Progress has been neither uniform nor easy, but the overall direction has been clear: healthier fish stocks, improved management and a stronger foundation for the long-term viability of the sector. According to the European Joint Research Centre, in 2003 only 27 percent of fish stocks in the North Atlantic were fished at levels below the maximum sustainable yield. By 2021 that figure stood at…

Sensitive budget talks are eyeing the EU’s administrative machinery and global funding as the most likely targets for deep cuts. But the delegation network is already being reorganised, and small European countries, as well as companies, rely on it heavily. European governments are locked in tense negotiations over the bloc’s next long-term budget, with the administrative costs of EU institutions abroad and the global programme the most likely casualties. But small countries have much to lose if the EU’s global diplomatic network shrinks. A coalition of so-called “frugal” countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, is pushing to cut the…