Author: staff

Ahead of the 2027 midterm reshuffle, where all top jobs within the Parliament are up for grabs, Socialist lawmakers make it a given that Spain’s Iratxe García will remain as the chair of the Socialists and Democrats group in the chamber. “If Metsola stays on, Iratxe will stay on, for consistency,” said one MEP. “I don’t see Iratxe being challenged,” said a second lawmaker, who added that García can only be ousted if the Italians turn against her — which is unlikely given both Italy and Spain traditionally stick together. “Otherwise if they are united, any challenger would need to…

Prince Andrew has surrendered his titles, including the Duke of York, amid growing pressure over a series of scandals, including his alleged ties with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew said in a statement Friday evening. Andrew has been under intense scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein — the American financier and convicted sex offender who ran a network that exploited and trafficked underage girls. He faced backlash over a…

ChatGPT will be able to have kinkier conversations after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the artificial intelligence (AI) company will soon allow its chatbot to engage in “erotica” for verified adults. OpenAI won’t be the first to try to profit from sexualised AI. Sexual content was a top draw for AI tools almost as soon as the boom in AI-generated imagery and words erupted in 2022. But the companies that were early to embrace mature AI also encountered legal and societal minefields and harmful abuse as a growing number of people have turned to the technology for companionship or titillation.…

The freeze of the pensions law until the next presidential election in 2027 was significant concession to the Socialist Party. Retirement reform was considered a flagship achievement for French President Emmanuel Macron. “Uncertainty on public finances remains elevated ahead of the 2027 presidential elections,” S&P said in its statement. “One example of this is the new government’s decision to suspend France’s landmark pension reform, originally introduced into law in 2023,” it said. S&P projects France’s economic growth will be 0.7 percent this year, and forecasts a “muted recovery” in 2026. “Additional risks to our growth forecast are considerable, particularly given the possibility of…

The situation is symptomatic for the Christian right universe: On October 27, two competing campus events will take place that both claim the legacy of Charlie Kirk who had an outsize impact on young conservatives in the United States. One at Louisiana State University organized by the late activist’s advocacy organization “Turning Point USA”, and one at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville by 19-year-old Brylin Hollyhand, hailed as Kirk’s “protégé. So, who is the real heir to Kirk’s legacy? His widow Erika who now runs his organization or the rising star among conservative youth? Hollyhand who calls himself “the…

Comparing car prices across Europe is a complex challenge. Focusing on one or a few specific models might seem like a reasonable approach, but it can be misleading. Such comparisons fail to capture the broader market situation within each country, as car brands follow different pricing and marketing strategies. Used car prices also vary widely across Europe, further complicating direct comparisons. The price level index for ‘personal transport equipment’, published by Eurostat, is one way to look at differences between countries. The data includes motor cars, motorcycles, and bicycles, while excluding maintenance, repairs, spare parts, and fuel. For motor cars,…

“It’s coercion. We need to see how we will respond,” said the other Commission official, who like the others cited in the story was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive discussions. Codependency risk China’s export curbs triggered an escalatory threat from President Donald Trump to hit Beijing with 100 percent tariffs. While Washington has since scaled back the confrontation, top U.S. officials are also drawing the consequences of Beijing’s lockdown on critical minerals. “China’s actions have once again demonstrated the risk of being dependent on them, on rare earths, and for that matter, anything,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “If…

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he believed to be able to carry the momentum of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas towards successfully putting an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine, too. “I think we carry a lot of momentum, a lot of credibility. Getting Middle East done was very important. Nobody thought it could be done”, Trump said. “We got it done pretty swiftly after we set the table properly. We had to set the table properly. I think the table is set properly here too now”. “It’ll be a great honour to get it…

But since the letter came to light, some of the French companies it claims to speak on behalf of are backtracking.   The letter is a good summary of the discussion held at Evian, said BPIFrance, the French public investment bank. But its CEO, Nicolas Dufourcq, doesn’t consider himself bound by it, he told POLITICO in a written statement.  Dufourcq said the letter was “not a big effort.” Although he was in Evian, he did not see it before it was published, and therefore doesn’t consider that he signed it. The letter complained that the current European competition rules “often hinder the formation of European champions” and urged that, by the end…

However, the move garnered support from major fossil fuels producers, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, which traditionally push back against climate measures aimed at cutting the use of oil, gas and coal. Major shipping countries and several with large flag registries, including Singapore and Liberia, also objected.   Others shifted positions. China, the world’s biggest ship builder, switched from supporting the measure in April, to voting to delay it on Friday.   The clash highlighted the differences between countries worried about the measure’s economic impact against those fearing the consequences of global warming. A Saudi delegate, who could not…