Author: staff
European oil and gas companies benefited from higher energy prices caused by the disruption linked to the Iran conflict, helping boost profits across the sector. Oil giant Shell plc reported a 24% rise in first-quarter profit on Thursday. Rival BP also reported higher profits last month, while France’s TotalEnergies said net profit jumped 51% to $5.8bn in the first quarter. Analysts expect earnings to remain strong this year. According to Oxfam, six of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies — Chevron, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies — are projected to earn an additional $37m (€31.5m) a day in 2026…
When Anthropic’s chief product officer Ami Vora took the stage at the company’s Code with Claude developer conference in San Francisco last week, those present likely expected updates on new models. Instead, Vora announced that Anthropic had signed a deal with SpaceX to take full control of the Colossus 1 data centre in Memphis, in a pairing that would have seemed unthinkable just a few months ago. The deal gives Anthropic access to more than “more than 300 megawatts of new capacity [and] over 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs within the month,” according to a subsequent Anthropic statement, and will directly benefit…
“The last government was defined by breaking our relationship with Europe. This Labour government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship with Europe, by putting Britain at the heart of Europe, so that we are stronger on the economy, stronger on trade, stronger on defence,” he told an audience of Labour activists and lawmakers. Asked by attending reporters whether this meant he might ditch the tight red lines in his manifesto ruling out membership of the EU single market and customs union, Starmer replied: “What I want to do is take a big leap forward with the EU-U.K. summit this…
Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged on Monday to prove the “doubters” in his own party and among the electorate as a whole wrong as he tries to fight off demands to step down after devastating local election results for his Labour Party. Starmer argued that he will “face up to the big challenges” and restore “hope” to the country. That includes getting closer to the European Union and “putting Britain at the heart of Europe,” a decade after the UK voted to leave the EU. “I know I have my doubters and I know I need to prove them wrong…
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Nairobi for a three day state visit on Sunday. Macron was greeted by Kenyan President William Ruto and local performers singing and dancing to “Hakuna Matata.” Footage showed Macron smiling, dancing alongside Ruto and greeting performers during the colourful airport welcome ceremony. The French leader later attended presentations and took part in a tree-planting event as part of his visit to Kenya. The summit being co hosted by France, will be attended by heads of states from different African nations.
Published on 11/05/2026 – 11:37 GMT+2 British-Albanian pop star Dua Lipa has filed a $15 million (€13.2 million) lawsuit against Samsung, alleging the tech giant used her image on television packaging without permission. According to a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, Lipa claims Samsung prominently featured a photograph of her face on several TV models sold across the US without her consent. The filing alleges the packaging was “designed to improperly capitalize on Ms. Lipa’s hard-earned success to promote and sell Samsung’s products.” Court documents state the image was taken during the…
West requires the support of 81 MPs, representing 20 percent of the PLP, to kickstart a contest. She said she wants to “give a deadline” of Tuesday morning to avoid the challenge going “on and on,” because “sometimes these things fizzle out.” West’s challenge would be a blow to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s leadership ambitions as he does not sit in the House of Commons and would not be able to be a candidate in an immediate contest. Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, both sitting MPs, are also expected to stand if a…
Published on 11/05/2026 – 10:31 GMT+2•Updated 11:10 EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday rejected the possibility of appointing former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as the bloc’s negotiator in potential peace talks on Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed on Saturday that Schröder act as a European mediator in future negotiations, claiming the conflict was “heading towards an end”. However, Kallas dismissed the suggestion while speaking to journalists ahead of an EU foreign affairs ministers’ meeting in Brussels. “First, if we give Russia the right to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, that would not be very wise. Second,…
Crowds gathered Friday along the shoreline and viewing areas to watch the parade as ships sailed through the harbour, with some spraying large jets of water into the air. The annual event, known as “Hafengeburtstag” or Harbour Birthday, honours Hamburg’s centuries-old maritime history and its role as one of Europe’s major trading hubs. The celebrations commemorate a charter issued in 1189 by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa granting customs-free trade rights along the Elbe River, an event regarded as the founding of Hamburg’s port.
Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil exporter, reported a 25% rise in first-quarter profit on Sunday, posting net income of $32.5bn (€27.6bn) for the three months up to 31 March, beating market estimates. The company said the increase was mainly driven by higher revenue and sales-related income, as well as lower operating costs. Its board also approved a quarterly dividend of $21.9bn (€18.6bn). Revenue rose partly because of higher crude oil and fuel prices, although this was partly offset by lower sales volumes of crude oil and refined and chemical products. Brent crude, the international benchmark, traded above $103 a…