Author: staff

Maritime transport plays a key role in moving goods. Globally, around 13 billion tonnes of traded goods were transported by sea in 2024. In the EU, ports handled around 3.4 billion tonnes of goods. This corresponds to 26% of the global total. Almost 90% of the EU’s external freight trade is also carried by sea according to the EU Blue Economy Observatory. So, which are the busiest ports in the EU and which countries handle the most goods? Shipping mainly consists of two types: short sea shipping and deep sea shipping. Short sea shipping refers to transporting goods over relatively…

She pointed to Article 123 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which prohibits the ECB and national central banks from financing governments. The provision was agreed to and ratified by all EU member countries, Lagarde stressed. Lagarde also dismissed the proposal on economic grounds, citing “very, very solid economists,” including former International Monetary Fund chief economist Olivier Blanchard, who can “demonstrate easily” that such a move would be “financially dangerous.” Mélenchon renewed his call in August for the ECB to freeze pandemic-era government debt, arguing that the move would create additional fiscal space for France. Public…

The European Commission is preparing a new legislative proposal to close enforcement gaps that allow illegal products sold through e-commerce platforms to reach EU consumers, according to a leaked draft seen by Euronews. The bill does not explicitly cite China, but it comes as Brussels steps up efforts to tackle the surge of low-value e-commerce imports, particularly from Chinese platforms such as Temu and Shein. In recent months, senior EU officials have sounded the alarm over the growing trade deficit with Beijing, which they consider unsustainable, having reached a striking €1bn a day in 2025. “Significant weaknesses remain in ensuring…

Almost 3,000 drones light up the New York City skyline during a test for the ‘Tribute in Light’ installation, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The drones fill the night sky with changing formations above the city. A total of 2,977 lights will be used, matching the number of people killed in the attacks on September 11, 2001. The drones form patterns over New York as part of the annual memorial. The test offers a preview of the tribute planned for the 25th anniversary. The anniversary will be marked on September 11, 2026. The installation will…

Portugal woke up to another rise in fuel prices which, in the case of diesel, reached an all-time high. This time, the price increase, which has been occurring throughout the year, was marked by protests on the country’s roads. In the morning, drivers staged a mass horn protest on the 25 de April Bridge, the crossing that links Lisbon to the city of Almada on the south bank of the Tagus river. At the same time, further south, a go-slow march towards Galp’s refinery in Sines, the Portuguese multinational energy corporation, was getting under way. The protest, organised via WhatsApp…

Lagarde has since floated an early ECB exit to play a role in the French presidential campaign. She continues to refuse to rule out leaving before the end of her term, although has said she will stay at least until the end of the year. At today’s meeting, the ECB raised its key deposit rate for the second time this year, as energy prices driven by the Middle East war threaten to keep inflation above target through 2028. The hike was widely expected after inflation topped the 2% price-stability target for six straight months, reaching 3.3% in August as energy…

Published on 10/09/2026 – 10:31 GMT+2•Updated 14:13 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane was preparing to leave Chișinău for Oslo on Tuesday afternoon when Moldova’s military detected an unmanned aerial vehicle in the country’s airspace. What initially appeared to be another Russian drone incursion took on greater significance the following day, when Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre revealed that Zelenskyy’s plane had almost been hit by a drone. “His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he lives in,” Støre told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. The timeline shows how…

Syrian travellers crossing into Lebanon pay up to 60 times the official entry fee to brokers, fixers and travel agencies behind a profitable parallel market around Lebanese border procedures that have tightened sharply since Bashar al-Assad’s fall in December 2024. A driver working the Damascus-Beirut route, speaking to Euronews on condition of anonymity for security reasons, described a system in which travel agencies in the Syrian capital, paperwork fixers at the crossing and partners in Beirut sell packaged entry solutions to Syrians who cannot navigate the official process alone. Lebanon’s General Security Directorate charges up to $75 in official fees.…

Uzbekistan and Serbia signed a strategic partnership declaration in Belgrade on Tuesday, with the two countries’ presidents agreeing 20 bilateral agreements covering trade, transport, energy, digitalisation and labour mobility during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s first official visit to Serbia. Mirziyoyev and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić held talks before attending a business forum that brought together more than 200 government and business representatives from both countries, where they signed further commercial agreements. “Serbia and Uzbekistan are two countries separated by thousands of kilometres, yet they are close in spirit, sharing a deep appreciation for hospitality, honour and mutual respect. Today,…

The phrase “bucket list” is bandied about a lot in travel writing, but Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni absolutely deserves its place alongside heavyweights like Machu Picchu or the Pyramids of Giza. Covering more than 10,500 square kilometres, the world’s largest salt flat transforms into a gigantic mirror during the wet season (December to April) – although it’s well-worth visiting year-round to see the criss-cross salt formations. If you’ve been planning a trip, you might want to hang fire for just a little longer as a new boutique camp is set to open on the flats in late 2027. Featuring five…