Author: staff

The Commission will propose an EU-wide levy on tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars. These goods are currently being taxed by individual countries, who keep the revenues for themselves. The EU’s idea comes amid a push to introduce new taxes on e-cigarettes and vapes that are opposed by Italy, Greece and Romania. | Tolga Akmen/EPA The EU’s idea comes amid a push to introduce new taxes on e-cigarettes and vapes that are opposed by Italy, Greece and Romania. While not opposing the proposed new taxes, Sweden said that handing part of its national revenues to the EU is “completely…

It began last year, when Milanese banking giant UniCredit angered Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government by attempting to take over crosstown rival BPM, which Meloni had hoped to merge with the partially bailed-out Tuscan lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena. In response, Rome deployed screening tools known as the ‘golden power’ — whose purpose is to prevent malicious foreign investment — to impose tough conditions on the bid, which UniCredit claims has effectively blocked it, prompting a court battle that unfolded earlier this week. But more broadly, Rome’s strong-arming has also come into conflict with the grand industrial vision of…

A French official briefed on the negotiations, granted anonymity to discuss the status of ongoing talks, said Paris had been in contact with Brussels about the legal approval of the deal before it was publicly announced and was hoping for a swift and positive outcome. In exchange for each migrant returned to France, Paris will transfer one asylum seeker to the U.K. ― generally someone with a family connection or other reason to seek sanctuary there. French border forces will also be able to take proactive measures to stop boats in shallow waters, subject to a review by the French…

“He’s not a computer guy,” Bélot said. “He didn’t notice any strange behavior on the computer because he doesn’t know how computers work.” A French court denied Kasatkin bail on Wednesday, and he remains in jail awaiting formal extradition notification from U.S. authorities, according to Bélot. Kasatkin had traveled to France to visit Paris with his fiancée and was detained shortly after arriving at the airport. He played collegiate basketball briefly at Penn State, then four seasons for the Moscow-based MBA-MAI team. Bélot said Kasatkin’s physical condition has deteriorated in jail, which he argued is harming his athletic career. Joshua…

Churches, memorials, libraries: Russia has damaged or destroyed more than 500 cultural sites in Ukraine, including 150 religious sites, in more than three years of its war, according to UNESCO.These include the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa and the Popov Manor House in the town of Vasylivka in the Zaporizhzhia region.A “deliberate”, “coordinated,” and “strategic” strategy on the part of Moscow, says the European Union’s Culture Commissioner.”Our enemies, the Russian aggressors, know that a nation is more than just a territory. A nation is its people, its histories, its traditions, its values, its culture,” Commissioner Glenn Micallef told Euronews.”That’s why we…

PARIS — Le parquet de Paris ouvre formellement une enquête sur l’algorithme de la plateforme X. La procureure de la République Laure Beccuau a annoncé ce vendredi 11 juillet dans un communiqué que la gendarmerie nationale avait été saisie d’une enquête sur le fonctionnement de la plateforme du milliardaire américain Elon Musk. L’ouverture de cette enquête fait suite à des signalements sur “l’utilisation supposée de l’algorithme de X (ex-Twitter) à des fins d’ingérence étrangère”, précise le parquet. Les investigations porteront notamment sur les infractions d’”altération du fonctionnement d’un système de traitement automatisé de données en bande organisée”, et d’”extraction frauduleuse…

Government funding for humanitarian aid could contract between 34% and 45% by the end of the year compared to 2023, according to research by the Activity Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP).In early 2025, United States President Donald Trump cut 80% of contracts administered by the US Agency for International Development, in line with his America-first approach, which is hostile to overseas spending. On their end, faced with the rising military threat of Russia, European nations have been diverting aid to defence and rearmament budgets. Despite 2025 marking a turning point, ALNAP reports that record cuts to aid began in…

Published on 11/07/2025 – 15:30 GMT+2Greece’s parliament approved a three-month suspension of asylum claims for migrants arriving by sea from Libya on Friday, despite strong criticism from the United Nations refugee agency and Europe’s top human rights official.The measure suspends asylum application processing for those arriving by sea from North Africa, following a dramatic surge in Mediterranean crossings that has overwhelmed reception centres on the island of Crete.Authorities on Crete are struggling to provide basic services, using temporary facilities to house migrants, primarily from Somalia, Sudan, Egypt and Morocco, according to island officials.The suspension passed by a vote of 177-74 despite…

‘Plagiarism hunter’ While the parliament was set to vote on three judges today, it was the dispute over SPD nominee Brosius-Gersdorf that deeply divided the coalition. Abortion in Germany is technically illegal, but is tolerated within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy on the condition that women seek counseling. Brosius-Gersdorf had developed a legal framework for decriminalizing abortion, leading some conservatives to oppose her nomination. Still, conservatives speaking publicly suggested the true reason is the plagiarism accusation. “The election of a judge to the federal constitutional court should not be the subject of a heated political debate,” Steffen Bilger, a…

Published on 11/07/2025 – 15:36 GMT+2The Senegalese navy intercepted 201 West African migrants, authorities said on Wednesday, as the Atlantic Ocean crossing continues to be the most popular and deadliest migration route from Africa to Europe.The operation was carried out by Senegalese marines based in Foundiougne, in the Fatick region of western Senegal, the army said in a statement.Sixty-nine people were stopped on land, the statement said, while 132 others were intercepted aboard a small wooden boat in the Saloum delta on Tuesday evening.While migration to Europe has been steadily falling, the Atlantic Ocean crossing from West Africa to Spain’s…