Author: staff
“We follow the evolution of the platform, in particular the status of developments regarding data protection and cybersecurity concerns,” the Commission said. There is little sign the Commission’s policy is about to change. Dana Spinant, the Commission’s director-general for communications, opposes creating an official account, according to another official familiar with the discussions. Spinant did not respond to a request for comment. A third official said there was frustration in some commissioners’ cabinets that Brussels was absent from a platform where young Europeans increasingly derive their news and views. A second official argued that Russia has no such qualms about…
By Frances Lopez & Leo Arnoux Published on 02/09/2026 – 10:27 GMT+2 From binge-watching weekend drama series on Netflix or streaming live football matches on DAZN, nearly one in three people across the European Union now pay a recurring monthly fee just to watch films, series, or live sports online. New data released by Eurostat shows that 32.7% of internet users across the bloc held a paid streaming subscription in 2025. But how much Europeans actually open their wallets for digital content varies dramatically depending on the country they call home. When breaking down the numbers by member state, a stark geographical split…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 9:35 GMT+2 Anti-narcotics agents from the United States and Sri Lanka seized almost half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine following a joint operation targeting a Pakistani drug network, police said on Wednesday. Some 463 kilograms of the synthetic drug were seized from a shipping container that arrived in Colombo over the weekend and two Pakistani men were arrested, police deputy inspector-general Ashoka Dharmasena told reporters. The US embassy in Colombo said the narcotics, valued at $21 million (€18 million) and concealed in bath towels, were meant to be smuggled to international markets via Sri Lanka. The…
August once again brought negative figures for employment in Spain. Spain’s Social Security system lost 162,840 contributors, while unemployment increased by 44,419 people, in a month traditionally marked by the end of the tourist season and a fall in hiring for sectors such as education. Despite the drop, the loss of contributors is the smallest recorded in an August since the Covid-19 pandemic. On a year-on-year basis, the Spanish labour market has created around 680,000 jobs. At the end of the second quarter of 2026, the unemployment rate in Spain fell to 9.87%, the lowest since the first quarter of…
After a stop in the Netherlands to meet with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron will embark on a two-day visit to Britain, becoming the first EU leader to meet new Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Downing Street. The French President and Dutch Premier will meet in Eindhoven to discuss how to strengthen ties, especially concerning the shared priority of bolstering European sovereignty. According to the Elysée, Macron is set to be accompanied by a delegation of French companies, including Mistral AI — widely viewed as Europe’s leading AI champion — during his visit to…
By Olga Kepinski & Euronews Russian Published on 02/09/2026 – 10:34 GMT+2•Updated 10:36 Russia is raising utility tariffs for the second time this year, with an average 15% increase taking effect on 1 October — a move the central bank says will push inflation further above its target in an economy already under severe pressure from war costs and sanctions. The increase will range from 8% to 22% depending on the region. Residents of Stavropol Krai, Dagestan, and the Tambov and Tyumen regions face the steepest rises, while Moscow tariffs will go up 15% and St Petersburg 14.6%. An earlier 1.7% increase took…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 10:42 GMT+2 BP has appointed Ian Tyler as its permanent chair after months of upheaval at the top of the British energy giant. Tyler takes up the position immediately following a search that considered both internal and external candidates, BP said on Wednesday. BP shares were little changed in early London trading. They have gained around 25% since the beginning of the year, broadly matching the rise in rival Shell’s shares. Tyler had served as interim chair since 26 May, when BP abruptly dismissed his predecessor, Albert Manifold, after less than eight months in the role.…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 9:35 GMT+2 Apple has become the latest company to adopt US President Donald Trump’s new name for Lake Ontario — Lake America — on its Apple Maps platform. The move came less than a week after Trump formally ordered the change in an executive order. Lake Ontario is one of North America’s five Great Lakes, alongside Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie. The name change was driven largely by the collapse of trade talks between the US and Canada at the end of August, after the US imposed new 50% tariffs on around $20 billion (€17.3bn) worth…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 9:30 GMT+2 This year’s Star Trek Day is a special one. Taking place on Tuesday 8 September, the 2026 edition of the annual celebration will mark the seminal show’s 60th anniversary. How best to celebrate? By breaking a record, naturally. Hundreds of fans are gearing up to set the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous Vulcan salute at London’s Science Museum. For the heathens amongst you, the Vulcan salute is the gesture made famous by Leonard Nimoy’s character Spock. It involves raising your hand, palm forward, with the middle and ring fingers parted. The split…
Other ministers struck an equally hard line. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the attack part of a “long-running attempt by the Kremlin to destabilize the European Union, its democratic processes” and weaken support for Ukraine. “We will not let an act of such gravity go without consequences,” Barrot said, adding that France would support Germany’s sanctions proposals and propose measures against additional Russian vessels. Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said Europe had moved beyond talking simply about “hybrid threats.” “We’re talking about significant activity,” she said, accusing Moscow of a “very, very clear attempt” to divide EU governments and…