Author: staff

European Union governments want to weaken a proposal that would hand Brussels greater control over the bloc’s power grid, preferring to retain control of how electricity networks are paid for and managed, according to a Council document seen by Euronews. Political talks over who will pay for the modernisation of the bloc’s power grid, a crucial step in meeting the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goal, are underway in Brussels just as electricity moves to the centre of the bloc’s economic strategy. The EU wants homes and businesses to switch from fossil fuels to electricity, while manufacturers, data centres, heat pumps…

According to a report by the UN Security Council’s Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), between 15,000 and 30,000 North Korean workers were present in Russia at the end of 2025. Up to 1,000 of them were employed at strategically important facilities, including defence plants, steelworks and shipbuilding capacities. The Ukrainian outlet “Ukrainska Pravda” also confirmed that up to 25,000 North Korean citizens are working on drone production in the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, where Russian versions of Iran’s Shahed drone are assembled. Radio Liberty cites similar data, noting that North Koreans are registered as “students” in order to…

Published on 24/09/2026 – 10:55 GMT+2 Pounds held in ordinary bank accounts have moved between rival lenders on blockchain rails for the first time. Lloyds, NatWest and Barclays carried out two remortgage transactions using tokenised deposits, while a group of three banks including HSBC ran a customer-to-customer payment simulating an online marketplace purchase, industry body UK Finance announced on Thursday. A tokenised deposit is a normal bank deposit recorded on a blockchain rather than on a bank’s internal ledger. It keeps the same legal status and protections as money already sitting in an account, but can settle instantly and be…

Mélenchon’s proposal sets him apart from his rivals, particularly those on the right and in the center, for whom fiscal discipline — particularly when it comes to pensions — is a top priority. Yet it appears to resonate with French voters, and the presidential candidate was quick to publicize a Sept. 5 poll showing 43% of the public supported canceling parts of the debt, while only 31% opposed it. Critics of the candidate, notably central bankers, argue that this would be illegal, as it would amount to direct financing of member states by the ECB, which is prohibited by the…

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews. Europe has decided that payment sovereignty matters. It is right to. But the debate has not fixed on the true target. The argument that Europe is dangerously dependent on two American card schemes has become the headline case for the digital euro, and it mistakes the visible part of the system for the vulnerable one. The real exposure is not the card in your pocket. It is the currency behind it. Payments sovereignty is not primarily about…

Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond in this Euronews news bulletin. In just a few minutes, our newsroom brings you the latest news and breaking news across world affairs, business, politics, culture, entertainment and travel, with the context you need to make sense of a fast-moving day. Reported with the independence and the European perspective that define Euronews, this regular round-up gives you a clear and reliable overview of the stories shaping our world right now, wherever you are watching from.

Published on 24/09/2026 – 11:23 GMT+2 The Netherlands will return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, despite the broadcaster previously responsible for the country’s participation (AVROTROS) continuing to oppose a return. Dutch network AVROTROS withdrew from the 2026 contest and has said it would also not take part in 2027, arguing that the competition could “no longer be considered neutral” amid Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza. “It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the Contest, undermining its neutral character. The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division,” said Taco Zimmerman, Director-General of…

Germany last month imported 30,000 barrels of diesel from the U.S., according to Kpler. This year U.S. imports have so far accounted for about 18% of Germany’s imports, according to industry association en2x. The United Kingdom, the biggest importer of American diesel in Europe at 108,000 barrels last month according to Kpler, had a similar official line to Germany. “Forecourts in the U.K. are being supplied with petrol and diesel as normal and we have a diverse and resilient supply,” a U.K. government spokesperson said. But one British lawmaker wasn’t so sanguine. “If the U.S. restricts our supply of diesel…

A fire that broke out at a Starlink satellite communications station in central Poland overnight is being called an act of “sabotage,” the country’s digital affairs minister said on Thursday. “This act of sabotage was deliberately designed to disable the station…disrupting internet access for various institutions, including the Ukrainian army,” Krzysztof Gawkowski told Polish public broadcaster TVP Info, adding that the fire broke out late on Wednesday and that the station in Wola Krobowska was still operational. “There is much to suggest that we are dealing with an element of the next phase of hybrid warfare,” he added. The station,…

With peace returning to the region, Azerbaijan’s Udi Christians continue their centuries-old practice of pilgrimage and prayer at Karabakh’s historic Christian sites, as Azerbaijan showcases the preservation of religious sites whose historical identity remains contested. For local communities and officials, these sites mean more than religious practice, as they project the safeguarding of Christian identity in the region. As part of a government programme to explore the region’s Christian heritage and religious traditions, Euronews and other media outlets met a congregation of Udi Christians for their religious service at the ancient monastery of Gandzasar, near Vangli village in Azerbaijan’s Aghdara…