Author: staff
The European Commission is preparing for a possible no-deal scenario in negotiations over a future free trade agreement with Ukraine as time is slipping away with the existing scheme set to expire on 5 June.“There are time constraints, therefore we are also exploring potential transitional measures in case the negotiations for reviewing the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) are not finalised and applied by 6 June,” a Commission spokesperson said on Wednesday.The spokesperson added that these potential measures are now also being discussed with Ukrainian counterparts.“I’m not saying transitional measures will definitely be needed,” he continued. “What I am…
Happy birthday David Beckham! The former England football captain is 50 today. Hitting the half-century mark is significant in most people’s lives, perhaps even more so if you’re well established, internationally recognised bona fide star worshipped for your good looks. Euronews Culture never needs an excuse to come correct if anyone says party so while we wait patiently for our invite to David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash let’s take a moment to celebrate Walthamstow’s legend’s rise and rise, and his glittering trophy-laden career that’s taken him from east London to Miami, via Manchester, Madrid, Milan, Los Angeles, and Paris. Celebrity…
Following the latest drone attacks, Russian government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov condemned “the Kyiv regime” and “its propensity for terrorist acts.” Ukrainian forces said they had hit two military-industrial plants in Russia. “Unlike the Russians, who are hitting residential high-rise buildings in peaceful cities, the SBU [Ukraine’s counterintelligence service] is working clearly on military facilities that help the enemy carry out armed aggression against Ukraine,” an SBU official told POLITICO. “Work on weakening Russia’s military capabilities will continue,” the official added. According to a message that Russian flag carrier Aeroflot sent to its passengers, “temporary restrictions” were introduced Tuesday night at…
As the conclave begins today, social media has been hard at work already when it comes to turning the process of electing a successor to the late Pope Francis into something that feels more like the Met Gala and less like a secretive ritual. How? Through memes. Heresy for some; adding some lightness to an ancient ceremony featuring a lot of elderly men in robes for others. And for those who aren’t convinced by that second option, let’s not forget that it was Pope Francis who said: “There is faith in humour.” Many are choosing to memeify the conclave through the film…
The U.S. president caught the global film industry off guard Sunday as he pledged to slap a 100 percent “tariff” on movies “produced in Foreign Lands.” Britain — home to the famous Pinewood Studios which has hosted blockbuster U.S. franchises like Star Wars — would be particularly hard hit by any potential Trump clampdown. “I’m not sure precisely what is intended,” said Bryant of Trump’s idea. “I don’t know what a tariff on a service would look like. I don’t know whether it’s intended that that will be on movie theaters.” Bryant met U.S. and U.K. filmmakers Monday and said…
Conservative leader Friedrich Merz was elected as German chancellor on Tuesday, but only after a second round of voting in the Bundestag.The unprecedented failure in the first round has raised doubts about the new government’s ability to push Europe’s largest economy out of stagnation.Tuesday’s stumble, which marked the start of the new coalition government between Merz’ Union bloc and the Social Democrats, has thrown uncertainty over the fate of the economy that hasn’t seen significant growth since before the COVID-19 pandemic.Above all, Merz had been expected to end the squabbling over spending and budgets that plagued predecessor Olaf Scholz’s unruly…
More than 2 million Lady Gaga fans rocked up at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night to join the singer in what was the largest show of her career as of yet, and it was free.Meanwhile, authorities arrested two individuals in connection with the alleged plot — a man, identified as the group’s leader, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul on charges of illegal weapons possession, and a teenager in Rio on charges relating to child pornography. Police did not provide further details about their specific involvement in the plot or how the…
Socialists at the European level have spearheaded a campaign to keep far-right parties out of decision-making in Brussels’ institutions, routinely blaming the conservative EPP and Weber for voting alongside those parties on topics such as green policy and migration. Now, their Romanian colleagues are putting the group’s credibility in doubt. The leader of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the Parliament, Iratxe García, “cannot remain silent,” Weber said. “In the face of rising extremism across Europe, there is no room for political games.” Simion, the hard-right leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), is on track…
BMW Group reported a major drop in its earnings for the first quarter of the year, partially driven by lower demand in China. The group also reported significantly rising EV sales and confirmed its 2025 financial guidance, citing expectations that overall demand is going to rise in many markets this year. BMW Group’s net profit dropped by 26.4% to €2.17bn in the first three months of 2025 compared to the previous year. The automotive segment’s margin was 6.9%, close to the top end of the current guidance and better than expected by analysts. Group revenues dropped by 7.8% to €33.75bn, mainly due to weak…
The French capital experienced the first emergence of the art and design phenomenon that was later termed Art Deco in the 1910s but only truly blossomed at the Paris World’s Fair of 1925. An artistic and philosophical response to the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th century meant that, after the brutality of war and destruction during World War One, intricacy, whimsy and romanticism gave way pretty quickly to clean lines and geometric design. But there was also a sense of the need to enjoy oneself in style now it was possible again. So, 100 years later to the…