Author: staff

Portugal’s social security system looks healthy on paper. A new report says that is an illusion, and pensions are set to shrink in the years ahead. Those are two of the central warnings in “Reforming Pensions in Portugal: For a Sustainable and Fair System — A Contract Between Generations”, a report drawn up by a working group led by economist and professor Jorge Bravo. The report puts the real social security deficit at almost €1.94 billion in 2025, once the accounts of the Caixa Geral de Aposentações, the public body responsible for civil servants’ pensions, are combined with the general…

Published on 21/08/2026 – 16:26 GMT+2 Starting Monday, tens of millions of ChatGPT users across Europe will see adverts inside their conversations with the chatbot for the first time, as OpenAI rolls out its recently launched advertising programme to its largest market yet. The company is extending ChatGPT Ads to 31 European countries from 24 August, and the rollout brings the total up to 40 markets. OpenAI began testing ads in the US in February, then extended the programme through the year to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea. Ads will only show up…

Back in my day (not that long ago – I’m only a millennial), recommendations from family and friends, along with a YouTube vlog or a scroll through Pinterest snaps, were the go-to sources of travel inspiration. My, oh my, how things have changed since then. Now, short-form videos on TikTok are increasingly shaping where people want to go and what they want to do abroad, especially among Gen Z travellers born between 1997 and 2012. TUI Musement looked into how social media is influencing how travellers now discover, book, experience and share their holidays. In the study conducted across Spain,…

French health authorities warned Friday that more than 40,000 noncompliant condoms have been sold online in recent months, urging anyone who used affected products to get tested for sexually transmitted infections. The products were “likely to pose serious risks to the health and safety of users,” including unwanted pregnancies and STIs, France’s consumer-fraud watchdog, the DGCCRF, and its general directorate for health, or DGS, warned Friday. Platforms selling the items were told to “immediately remove the ads,” with 36 listings taken down. Several sites have since promised to review their screening process. According to the statement, investigators uncovered around 30…

More and more European governments are announcing their intention to transfer, or that they have already transferred, so-called Dublin transferees to Italy. After Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Finland, Sweden has also confirmed to Italian news agency ANSA that it intends to “apply the rules as set out” in the new EU Pact on Asylum and Migration, which entered into force on 12 June, and that it expects “all member states to fulfil their obligations,” Italy included. Spain and France are taking the opposite line, two other countries that are key points of first entry into Europe for migrants, and have…

The footage captures the moment the ground suddenly gives way at the Zamboye artisanal gold mine, engulfing people gathered nearby. Freddy Metchoubatchou was on site when the landslide struck on 18 August and filmed the collapse from close range. The mine is in Nana-Mambéré prefecture, about 50 kilometres from Baboua near the Cameroonian border. Prosecutors in Baboua said several underground tunnels may have collapsed, causing the disaster. Rescue workers were still searching for victims on 21 August, but the number of people underground at the time remains unknown. Recovery efforts have been hampered by limited equipment and expertise. Local officials,…

In the last few years, lithium has emerged as one of the most crucial metals for the global electric transition. This is mainly due to its widespread usage in electric vehicles (EVs), through lithium-ion batteries. These provide high energy density, a lightweight structure and fast-charging capacity, along with a long cycle life, which supports modern driving range and performance. As such, it has become key to achieving widespread, practical advancements in automotive electrification. However, lithium continues to face vital long-term structural supply challenges, which has led to more EV producers considering other alternatives like manganese and magnesium. Why magnesium? Magnesium,…

Tourism to Greece maintained strong momentum in the first half of 2026, recording a significant increase in both arrivals and travel revenues, according to the latest figures from the Bank of Greece. Between January and June, travel receipts increased by 14.8%, reaching €8.80 billion, while inbound travel traffic rose by 15.4% to 13.49 million travellers. As a result, the travel balance posted a surplus of €6.93 billion, compared with €6.01 billion in the same period of 2025. The picture in June In June 2026, travel receipts came to €3.48 billion, marking a relatively modest year-on-year increase of 1.2%. At the…

This year’s Palme d’Or winner is a divisive one. And it aims to be. After winning his first Palme d’Or in 2007 for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu took home Cannes’ top prize this year for the second time with Fjord. It’s a thought-provoking social drama which asks a question that will be tough to answer for some, especially in current times: Would you fight for the rights of someone even if you fundamentally disagreed with them? Inspired by real events and recent cases in Norway, the story sees the Gheorghiu family arrive in…

The letter prompted swift criticism from within his own party: “I don’t like it. I can say that very clearly,” Saxony-Anhalt CDU Premier Sven Schulze told POLITICO’s Berlin Playbook Podcast on Thursday. “I think his approach is wrong. Definitely,” adding that he did not share Prange’s views “in any way.” As for whether the mayor will remain a Christian Democrat, Schulze was in no rush to make a call: “We’ll deal with the issue after the election,” he said. “Right now, it’s campaign time.” In an interview published earlier on Wednesday, Schulze had dismissed speculation about possible defections after the…