Author: staff
The North Sea hasn’t escaped its taxes: Fossil fuel lobbyists were desperate to see a cut in the so-called Windfall Tax, which, oil and gas firms say, limits investment and jobs in the North Sea. But Rachel Reeves ultimately decided to keep the tax in place until 2030 (even if North Sea firms did get a sop through rules announced today, which will allow them to produce oil and gas in areas linked to existing, licensed sites.) Fossil fuel lobbyists, Offshore Energies UK, were very unimpressed. “The government was warned of the dangers of inaction. They must now own the…
Published on 26/11/2025 – 15:59 GMT+1 •Updated 16:08 European Union migration rules are actively worsening risks to minors travelling along dangerous routes to Europe from Sudan, according to a Save the Children report published on Wednesday. The study shows that the EU’s efforts to keep asylum seekers in neighbouring countries, providing financial and operational support to North Africa, are in fact exposing children to harm. The EU is striking more migration agreements with countries in Africa, investing in operational support for their border management in order to prevent people from embarking from their coasts on often perilous journeys. In October,…
By Christina Thykjaer & Euronews with AP Published on 26/11/2025 – 21:20 GMT+1 •Updated 22:59 Two National Guard soldiers were shot on Wednesday near the White House. West Virginia’s Governor Patrick Morrisey at first confirmed their deaths in a social media post. However, shortly afterwards, he posted that reports about the condition of the two victims were “conflicting”. A suspect who has been taken to custody was also shot and sustained injuries that are not thought to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official not authorised to speak publicly and who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. One of the National Guard members…
Wednesday’s compromise doesn’t fully please either camp in the lobbying fight. Police and investigators fear illegal content will remain out of sight on end-to-end encrypted applications, while privacy activists say large-scale surveillance of communication will still expand. Privacy activists voiced concerns over the proposal, particularly over how targeted the scanning measures would be — a sign that they’ll continue to pressure negotiators in coming months. Andy Yen, CEO of the Swiss privacy-friendly tech maker Proton, said in a statement it is “vital we all remain vigilant” against attempts to introduce mandatory scanning “through the back door” during the negotiations. Ella…
Annual alcohol consumption per capita reached an average of 8.5 litres of pure alcohol across OECD countries in 2023, according to the organisation’s Health at a Glance 2025 report. Six EU countries recorded consumption below the average, with Greece reporting the lowest amount, at 6.6 litres per capita. In contrast, Romania, Portugal and Latvia had the highest consumption, reaching over 11.5 litres annually. Over the past decade, most countries have seen a decrease in alcohol consumption. Between 2013 and 2023, Belgium and Lithuania reported the largest declines in alcohol consumption, with reductions of 2.5 litres or more. On the other…
The country announced measures for 2026 that will affect pensions, the retirement age and social support, prompting unions to call three days of action. In Brussels, public transport stopped and Brussels Airport cancelled all departing flights, with many arrivals also scrapped. Tram and bus lines across the country were quiet as workers joined the strike. Union leaders described the budget as a setback for workers and said the impact would fall on households already under pressure. Similar walkouts have taken place throughout the year, including a major demonstration in October that drew more than 100000 people.
Then, finally, there is the question of what sort of chancellor Reeves will be; tax-raising, redistributive and pouring funding into public services, or slashing regulation in the name of growth. She insists she can be both, but her critics — especially among conservatives — believe she has gravitated to the former. While Britain’s growth projection was revised up to 1.5 percent in 2025, it was revised down for every future year. Inflation is now projected to fall to the Bank of England’s 2 percent target only in 2027, a year later than previously thought. And while real spending on government…
The European Parliament has de facto approved a change to EU legislation that will allow investment in “controversial weapons” to be included in the bloc’s sustainability framework – a move that mean companies producing incendiary weapons, depleted-uranium ammunition, and even nuclear weapons could now be eligible for the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) label. Earlier this year, the European Commission proposed to reduce the number of companies in the weapons industry that are excluded from the EU’s sustainability benchmarks in order to avoid confusion and uncertainty for the companies’ investors. In practice, this means that companies involved in the production…
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff advised a Russian presidential aide on how to draft a peace plan for ending the war in Ukraine and how to communicate with Trump, according to a leaked recording published on Tuesday. Trump called the recording a “standard thing” when asked about it by reporters on Air Force One. “He’s got to sell this to Ukraine. He’s got to sell Ukraine to Russia,” Trump said. “That’s what a dealmaker does.” According to the transcript of the call, allegedly recorded on 14 October and published by Bloomberg, Witkoff, who helped broker the Israel-Hamas…
STRASBOURG — Aux yeux de ses alliés centristes, le Parti populaire européen (PPE) est allé trop loin en travaillant avec l’extrême droite. Mais, de leur propre aveu, ils ne peuvent rien y faire. Les Socialistes et démocrates (S&D), Renew et les Verts ont choisi de laisser couler après que leur partenaire de centre droit, le PPE — le plus grand groupe au Parlement européen — se soit appuyé sur le soutien de l’extrême droite pour faire passer un assouplissement de la réglementation écologique. Malgré la grogne et les ultimatums lorsque le PPE a rompu les rangs, la stratégie des groupes…