Author: staff

Elon Musk said on Tuesday that he would back a merger of SpaceX and Tesla, as his rocket and AI company reported its first quarterly profit since going public, driven by deals to rent out computing power to AI firms. Asked about a possible tie-up on a call with analysts, Musk said he felt he was “tap dancing through a minefield”, but that a combination would be “a good idea”. Shares in SpaceX shot up nearly 5% in after-hours trading following the comments. Musk said special committees of independent directors at both SpaceX and Tesla had been established to study…

With Washington’s support for Kyiv increasingly uncertain, Brussels is looking to its allies to help keep Ukraine afloat. The price tag: €70 billion. On today’s show, Zoya Sheftalovich and Kathryn Carlson discuss how the EU hopes to persuade Canada, Britain and Japan to help foot the bill — and whether closer trade and defense ties could be part of the bargain. Then, Germany’s far-right AfD leader Alice Weidel is in Strasbourg to present her vision for a radically different European Union. And who owns your face and voice in the age of AI? As deepfakes become increasingly convincing, MEPs are…

Flames tore through the 19th-century city hall in Limoges, central France, on Saturday. The roof collapsed and the building was nearly destroyed. It happened during nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. Masked groups set fires and attacked other town halls in several cities. Nearly 2,400 people were arrested, and almost 1,000 police and gendarmes were injured. Authorities said about 550,000 people took part in the marches, while organisers put the figure at 800,000. On Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron spoke of the public’s ‘anger’ and ‘shame’. He blamed far-left activists for much of the violence, and…

Ein Datenleck trifft die AfD: Hunderttausende interne E-Mails und sensible Dokumente sind plötzlich öffentlich abrufbar. Während die Partei den Vorfall herunterspielt, hoffen andere auf Enthüllungen, die der Alternative massiv schaden könnten. Pauline von Pezold, Co-Host von „Inside AfD“, ordnet ein, wie gefährlich dieser Akt des „Hacktivismus“ für die Partei wirklich werden kann. Brennende Barrikaden in Frankreich wecken im Bundesinnenministerium die Sorge vor einem Überschwappen der Gewalt nach Deutschland. Rasmus Buchsteiner hat den Überblick, wie sich die Sicherheitsbehörden auf die bundesweiten Gen-Z-Proteste Ende des Monats vorbereiten und wo die Unterschiede zur französischen Protestkultur liegen. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview erklärt Juso-Chef Philipp Türmer, warum…

US President Donald Trump said Monday he is willing to sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next month, confirming media reports that the three leaders could meet on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Shenzhen. Trump said such a summit would centre on denuclearisation but might also touch on the war in Ukraine. Asked by reporters whether he would join Putin and Xi to discuss Ukraine, Trump downplayed that as the main draw. “I would do it, not so much for Ukraine, because Russia, frankly, has been fine with Ukraine. They…

The EU has committed to a €90 billion loan for 2026 and 2027, intended to cover about two-thirds of Ukraine’s needs. Brussels had expected other partners — including Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Norway — to provide another €45 billion, but much of that money has been slow to arrive as other governments have yet to firm up or disburse the support Brussels expected. While calls to help Ukraine defend itself are not new, the projected 2027 bill has grown as Russia intensifies its assault, the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran drives up costs and Washington shifts toward positions more…

Residents of Els Poblets, near Alicante in eastern Spain, began cleaning up on Monday after Storm Adam brought severe flooding to the region. Mud-covered furniture was piled outside homes as people swept thick layers of mud from kitchens and living rooms. Some residents said floodwaters had risen more than 1.5 metres, destroying nearly everything inside their properties. “We can’t use a single thing,” said 56-year-old Candy Vanes, whose home was badly damaged. Emergency crews arrived to assess the destruction as residents faced the task of clearing their homes and salvaging what they could.

US President Donald Trump says he warned French President Emmanuel Macron years ago that allowing large numbers of immigrants into France was “a big mistake”. Speaking at the White House, Trump claimed Paris would soon become “a Muslim city” and argued that France should have closed its borders, as the US had done. He added that France’s borders remained a problem and also criticised the country’s energy situation. His remarks came days after violent protests and looting in several French cities over the cost of living and school conditions.

Jackdaw, a major fossil fuel development off the Aberdeen coast, was first approved for a license in June 2022, but the decision was overturned in the courts following a legal challenge from green groups in January 2025. The project’s developer is Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Equinor, who are the majority owners, and Ithaca Energy. Adura estimates Jackdaw could meet around 6% of the U.K.’s North Sea gas production – enough fuel to heat the equivalent of 1.4 million homes. The government declined to comment when approached by POLITICO. Additional reporting by Abby Wallace and Charlie Cooper.

Violent clashes erupted in Albania’s capital, Tirana, on Monday as protesters threw Molotov cocktails, fireworks and stones at police, who responded with water cannon. Demonstrators also set rubbish bins on fire as riot police advanced through the streets. The unrest comes amid months of anti-government protests fuelled by anger over corruption, demands for better university conditions and calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Rama accused demonstrators of crossing a “red line”, saying protests were a right but violence was a crime. Authorities said around 300 people had been injured in the clashes, more than half of them police…