Author: staff

Published on 28/04/2026 – 13:32 GMT+2•Updated 13:51 Germany’s telecom giant is exploring a full tie-up with its US arm in a move that would reshape global telecoms and potentially eclipse every M&A deal ever struck. Deutsche Telekom is weighing a complete merger with T-Mobile US, widely reported by domestic German outlets and previously first published by Bloomberg, in a deal that could create the world’s most valuable wireless operator and could redefine the future of the European tech champion. The German group already holds just over 53% of T-Mobile US, making it the dominant shareholder in the American carrier. Now,…

Since the start of Ursula von der Leyen’s second mandate as Commission president, the EU executive has put forward 10 so-called omnibus proposals that reopen existing laws to get rid of anything deemed overly burdensome.   “We are determined to bring about change so that in Europe and in the member states we can more quickly and effectively create an environment where companies can grow and develop the global competitiveness they need,” von der Leyen said during a meeting with leading conservative politicians in Berlin on Monday. So far, EU decision-makers have agreed to reduce environmental disclosure obligations for companies, make…

Nearly 40 people, including journalists, trade unionists and opposition figures, were arrested in Istanbul on Tuesday ahead of International Workers’ Day on 1 May, which has traditionally seen a police crackdown. The prosecutor general’s office in the city told reporters that arrest and search warrants had been issued against 62 people, of whom 46 it deemed “likely to carry out attacks.” Of the 46, 39 were detained in Istanbul and in the nearby Kocaeli area, it added. Turkey’s MLSA, a press and legal freedom body, said police raids had been carried out at the home of a lawyer and the…

Eurobonds have returned to the spotlight after Emmanuel Macron revived the debate last week, calling for increased joint EU borrowing to boost the European economy. The French president has often argued the EU will need billions in fresh funding as the bloc faces mounting competition from China and the United States and invest massively in defence and advanced technologies. Macron is leading a group of countries that argue no single member state can meet these challenges alone. Instead, they argue it would be more effective to raise funds collectively on financial markets, unlocking billions of euros for shared European projects.…

Nearly half of London’s workforce is in roles where generative artificial intelligence could transform some of their tasks – and the capital and especially women are more exposed than any other region in the United Kingdom, according to a new report from the Mayor of London’s office. Around 2.4 million people in London work in occupations classified by the report as “GenAI-exposed occupations”, representing 46% of the city’s workforce – compared to a national average of 38%. “In many cases, AI is more likely to transform roles than replace them outright, shifting the mix of tasks, skills and judgement required…

Published on 28/04/2026 – 13:52 GMT+2 Tony Wilson, who was best known as one of the founding members of the British soul band Hot Chocolate, has died aged 89. Wilson’s family confirmed that the songwriter and bassist died on Friday (24 April) at his home in Trinidad. “He left a lot of music behind…forever and ever,” Wilson’s daughter wrote on Facebook. “I am thankful that on Friday 17th, during our conscious talk time, he was led to the Lord with understanding. Some mornings later he asked for prayers. He said that he was leaving.” The statement continued: “The peace that…

Two vessels allegedly carrying looted Ukrainian wheat were headed toward Israel this week to dock in Haifa and unload their cargo. Israeli newspaper Haaretz previously reported that four shipments of stolen grain from Ukraine have already been unloaded in Israel to date. According to Zelenskyy, Kyiv had taken “all necessary steps through diplomatic channels to prevent such incidents,” but that had not been enough to halt the deliveries. “This is not — and cannot be — legitimate business. The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying,” he…

The European Parliament on Tuesday approved a resolution calling for an EU-wide definition of rape based on the absence of freely given and informed consent. It is now up to the European Commission to propose legislation, which would then need to be approved by EU member states, usually a political and difficult step. The resolution urges that “only a clear, affirmative, freely given and unambiguous indication of consent is valid” in sexual relations. It adds that “silence, a lack of verbal or physical resistance or the absence of a ‘no’ cannot be interpreted as consent.” Any sexual act outside this…

Getting to the City of Love from Paris Charles de Gaulle is about to get quicker thanks to the launch of an express train. Dubbed the CDG Express, the new line connecting one of Europe’s busiest airports to Gare du l’Est in the 10th arrondissement will begin welcoming passengers from 28 March 2027. Departing from CDG Airport every 15 minutes, the train takes just 20 minutes to reach central Paris, and will run from 5am to midnight seven days a week. The price for the express line has not been set, but children under 16 travelling with their families will…

Older generations often lament that music was better in their day, but was it more complex? A new study, which evaluated classical and jazz music in particular, believes these genres have become simpler – and that it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Hoping to identify long-term patterns in musical evolution, a team of Italian researchers surveyed approximately 20,000 MIDI files of music from between 1600 and 2021. “We first considered how to measure the ‘complexity’ of music in a way analogous to approaches used for text,” Niccolò Di Marco, an assistant professor at the University of Tuscia in Italy and…