Author: staff

The morning political podcast which gives you all need for the day ahead in 20 minutes, usually with Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy. But, for this episode, Anne is somewhere over the Atlantic travelling back from the US so Sam is joined by Politico’s Tim Ross. Mark Carney’s Liberal Party has won the Canadian election. It’ll give Keir Starmer a centre-left ally at G7 but how will the PM position himself now in the Trump-Carney standoff? Elsewhere, with political leaders out and about in Bristol, Scunthorpe, South Cambridgeshire and Wiltshire – there are plenty of clues about…

Updated: 29/04/2025 – 11:32 GMT+2Millions across Spain and Portugal faced disruption on Monday after a major power outage shut down subway networks, traffic signals and ATMs. … More In Lisbon, traffic jams brought the city to a standstill as lights failed and Metro services halted, forcing people to walk home. Airports were also hit, with passengers stranded at Lisbon’s terminals.Portugal’s government said the blackout likely stemmed from issues with the distribution network in Spain. The investigations into the cause of the outage continue.Authorities ruled out a cyberattack, describing the incident as one of the most serious power failures recorded in…

The Spanish economy grew by 0.6% in the first three months of the year, compared to the revised 0.7% in the prior quarter, the National Statistics Institute said on Tuesday.The year-on-year GDP growth was 2.8%, compared to 3.3% in the previous quarter.Although the economy’s pace of growth is therefore easing, Spain is still outperforming many of its European neighbours.In the coming months, consumption is expected to remain robust thanks to rising wages, high savings, and immigration.Domestic demand contributed 0.4 points to quarter-on-quarter growth, while external demand contributed 0.2 points.Domestic demand contributed 3.2 points to year-on-year GDP growth, while external demand…

The forum opened with a clear call to action from Mario Nava, director-general for employment, social affairs and inclusion at the European Commission. “Competitiveness and strong social rights are intrinsically linked and you cannot have one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin,” Nava said. He outlined three main goals: keeping employment high and of good quality, bolstering citizens’ well-being, and providing real opportunities for people of all ages. Competitiveness and strong social rights are intrinsically linked and you cannot have one without the other That sentiment was echoed in a compelling fireside chat with former Finnish…

With the European People’s Party (EPP) Congress under way in Valencia, where state and party leaders are set to gather, the party’s President Manfred Weber cautioned against the authoritarian wave arriving in Europe, pledging to firmly reject any formal alliance with parties he sees as extremist.”The main competitors for us for the coming years are the populists and extremists. We are facing an authoritarian wave all over the world, and it is also coming and arriving in Europe,” Weber told Euronews.”I work together with serious (parties), but with those who are really taking Europe into question, like (Alice) Weidel and AfD…

Swedish auto giant Volvo Cars reported on Tuesday that it would be slashing 18 billion krona (€1.7bn) worth of costs, following its operating profit for the first quarter of the year falling significantly. The company, which is owned by China’s Geely Holding, recorded an operating profit of 1.9bn krona (€0.2bn) in Q1 2025, in contrast with 4.7bn krona (€0.4bn) in the corresponding period in 2024. Similarly, revenue dropped to 82.9bn krona (€7.6bn) in the first quarter of this year, down from 93.9bn krona (€8.6bn) in the same quarter last year. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) margin came up to 2.3% in…

“The EU and Canada have a long and close partnership. We are allies and strong trade partners. We share the same values, and attachment to the UN Charter and the rules-based international order. We will continue working closely together, including in the G7 format,” said European Council President António Costa. Carney, who previously headed up two G7 central banks and worked for more than a decade at Goldman Sachs, was elected Canada’s prime minister Monday night, after running on his economic record — and standing up to the belligerent Trump. Carney defeated the Conservative Party led by Pierre Poilievre, though…

Despite the progress, a state of emergency will remain in place Tuesday while recovery efforts continue. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is set to meet the National Security Council on Tuesday morning, which will be chaired by King Felipe VI. The blackout, which began early Monday afternoon, disrupted key infrastructure across both Spain and Portugal, affecting public transportation, traffic signals, hospitals, manufacturing plants, digital payment systems, as well as nuclear power facilities. “This has never happened before,” Sánchez said in a national address on Monday evening. “We don’t have conclusive information on the causes, and I ask the public not…

The war poses a dilemma for Simion. Although he’s a nationalist who aligns with MAGA on leaving Ukraine to fend for itself, he’s far less keen than Trump to align publicly with Russia. Indeed, Simion styles himself as the candidate who can keep the U.S. committed to stationing troops in Romania.   “What we wish, as a country affected by German and Russian imperialism in history, is that this peace formula comes with new security guarantees for the next 30 to 50 years so that Russia cannot do again what it did, violating all international treaties,” Simion said. While competitors in…

A power outage on Monday caused chaos in Spain, Portugal and parts of France, leaving millions without power. Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, declared a state of emergency as midnight approached and only half of the country’s power had been restored. His Portuguese counterpart, Luis Montenegro, said authorities were investigating the disruption however there was “no indication” of a cyber attack. Chaotic scenes showed families sitting in their homes lit by candlelight, traffic disrupted, thousands stuck in metro tunnels and people unable to pay with card. Stay with us as we bring you the live updates as power slowly returns…