Author: staff
April 2026 marked the completion of Artemis II, the second mission in NASA’s programme to return humans to the Moon. The endeavour was complex: it required a successful lift-off with the Space Launch System (SLS), one of the most powerful rockets ever built, and it took four astronauts farther away from Earth than any humans had ever been before. But NASA’s next step in its Moon programme, Artemis III, is no less critical. According to Jeremy Parsons, the Artemis programme manager, it can easily be considered “one of the most complex and ambitious missions NASA has ever undertaken”. But what…
A heated race is currently underway in Japan. The prize? The honour of being crowned the Japanese secondary capital. With Japanese lawmakers approving a bill to designate at least one more destination as a backup capital, soon, Tokyo will be joined by another political and economic centre. Why the need for this move? This is rooted in disaster preparedness. In 2026 alone, Japan has been beset by strong earthquakes, severe tropical storms and record snowfall. While the country has one of the world’s most disaster-tested infrastructures, the move aims to ensure the government can continue operating, even if Tokyo is…
Europe wants to kick its U.S. tech habit, but it’s struggling to detangle itself from American data analytics firm Palantir. The problem is, the company’s tools are already deeply embedded in critical sectors across the bloc like policing, national defense and health systems. A report released today also shows that the tech firm has found ways to pay minimal taxes in Europe. On the show, hosts Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart discuss European alternatives and why detaching is easier said than done. Next, our colleague Seb Starcevic has interviewed Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica. The role that was originally thought to be low profile has instead thrust the Croatian…
Wer regiert die Welt – und was treibt sie an? In unserem regelmäßigen Machthaber-Spezial geht es um die mächtigsten und umstrittensten Politikerinnen und Politiker unserer Zeit. Wir zeigen, wie sie denken, entscheiden – und was das für uns bedeutet. Eine Politikerin oder Politiker, ein Blick hinter die Kulissen der Macht. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig.Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren. Mehr von Host und POLITICO Executive Editor Gordon Repinski:…
Palantir pays no U.S. federal income tax because previous losses, tax credits, and R&D deductions offset its taxable income; and virtually no state income tax, with the exception of Maryland, which levies a digital services tax. The profit gap between the U.S. and Europe is stark. In 2025, Palantir’s American business pocketed 47.7 cents in profit from every dollar of revenue — more than double the previous year’s 22.5 cents. Outside the U.S., the profit margin was just 6.3 percent. In some European subsidiaries, it fell to around 3 percent, according to the new report. CICTAR argues that Palantir “intentionally…
“We should aim to be friends with Morocco,” he added. “But it’s important to ensure that even your friends understand that there are red lines that simply cannot be crossed.” Imperial legacies Ceuta and Melilla are among the few remaining vestiges of the vast Spanish Empire. They have been under Madrid’s rule since 1668 and 1497, respectively, and are fully-integrated parts of Spain — and the European Union. But since gaining independence from France in 1956, Morocco has consistently claimed sovereignty over both settlements, which it characterizes as “colonies” that are “occupied” by Spain. And those territorial aspirations have been…
Published on 04/08/2026 – 22:31 GMT+2 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw from its current lines in Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed and pushed back on a recent deal announced by US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu’s remarks cast more doubt on the deal to disarm Hamas, which was seen as a potential breakthrough for ending the war. It also marked a rare public display of friction with the Trump administration. The agreement called for Hamas to begin disarming and for Israel to halt its strikes and begin withdrawing from the roughly 60% of…
Published on 04/08/2026 – 11:33 GMT+2•Updated 19:18 Profit after tax jumped to $3.91 billion (€3.38bn) in the April-June period from $1.62 billion (€1.40bn) in the second quarter of 2025, BP said in an earnings statement, as fossil fuel prices soared year on year. The five biggest Western energy majors – BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies – reported combined net profits of almost $47 billion (€40.60bn) in the second quarter as earnings multiplied amid the US-Iran conflict. The latest reporting period “has been marked by one of the most disrupted periods in the global energy market”, BP chief executive Meg…
By Sonja Issel & Euronews en español Published on 04/08/2026 – 22:11 GMT+2 Spanish security services have reportedly identified several people previously investigated for jihadism-related offences among the migrants who entered Ceuta during last week’s mass arrivals, according to Spanish news outlets El Español and The Objective, which cited sources familiar with the investigation. Euronews has contacted Spain’s Interior Ministry, National Police and Civil Guard for comment but has not yet received a response. According to the reports, officers from the National Police’s General Information Commissariat (CGI) and the Civil Guard’s Intelligence Headquarters (JIGC) analysed surveillance footage and identified at least a dozen…
Published on 04/08/2026 – 14:02 GMT+2 The profits increase came on the back of higher banking net interest income and growth in fee and other income, the lender said in its earnings report. “HSBC is becoming the stronger bank we set out to build. We are executing our strategic priorities with pace, precision and discipline,” CEO Georges Elhedery said in a statement. Profit attributable to shareholders rose around 27% to $14.6 billion (€12.61bn) in the six months to June, from $11.5 billion (€9.93bn) a year earlier. Pre-tax profit increased 23% to $19.5 billion (€16.84bn). Pre-tax profit surged 60% year on…