Author: staff

U.K. ministers view next week’s two-day summit as an opportunity to showcase the Labour government’s commitment to its net zero climate goal, and its belief that phasing out fossil fuels and investing in renewables like wind and solar can forge a path to energy security. Von der Leyen is the most senior guest so far confirmed to be attending The event, hosted by U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, will be attended by energy ministers from IEA member countries. That includes the U.S., which has taken a starkly different path on energy policy under Donald…

“We are fully aware, especially in light of current tensions, of the need to increase such spending in the coming years,” he added. Italy spent 1.49 percent of its GDP on defense in 2024. It’s one of the few European countries, alongside Spain and Belgium, that still don’t meet NATO’s decade-old defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP. Belgium also announced earlier this month it would reach the goal this year. However, leaders are widely expected to raise that target to more than 3 percent during a NATO summit in The Hague in June. Meloni is, however, looking to…

From mainstream politics to everyday conversations, issues like migration, war, gender equality and the economy increasingly spark controversy. A new study revealed that in Italy (65%), France (71%) and Germany (74%), friends are the confidantes of choice for political discussions. Denmark is the exception, with 49% of people talking primarily with parents. A research from Debating Europe sought the views of 2,000 people aged between 18 and 35 from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland between November 2024 and January 2025. The survey was conducted in the participants’ native languages to aid engagement and understanding.A small share of participants (7%…

Updated: 17/04/2025 – 16:40 GMT+2Before beginning Transfer of the Christ of Mena from the Church of Santo Domingo to his Brotherhood House on the shoulders of a squad of 13 legionary soldiers, a tribute was paid to the fallen and a small mass was held. … More The transfer and enthronement of the Christ of the Good Death and Souls, better known as Christ of Mena, on the shoulders of the legionaries to his processional throne, is one of the most eagerly awaited processions of Maundy Thursday and one of the most deeply rooted traditions of Holy Week in Málaga.…

Still, the average figure masks huge national divergences — with egg prices up by 46 percent in Czechia in March from a year earlier, by 30 percent in Slovakia and by 26 percent in Hungary. Prices fell by 3.6 percent in the Netherlands, by 3.2 percent in Luxembourg and by 2 percent in Greece. The U.S., meanwhile, continues to grapple with a major outbreak of avian influenza, or bird flu, which has forced the culling of millions of laying hens. In March, U.S. egg prices climbed to an all-time high of $6.23 a dozen. Trump fumed on Thursday morning that, actually,…

President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde said on Thursday that the bank’s interest rate cut reflected growing confidence in the disinflation process towards the 2% target, alongside rising risks to economic growth from escalating trade tensions and tariffs.The ECB lowered its key deposit facility rate by 25 basis points to 2.25%, with Lagarde confirming that the decision was unanimously supported by the Governing Council.The central bank also dropped any reference to its stance being “meaningfully restrictive”, signalling a new phase in policy, shaped more than ever by a data-dependent, meeting-by-meeting approach.“Most indicators of underlying inflation are pointing to…

According to parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, the September vote will be “crucial” in shaping the country’s future. “Either we throw away everything we’ve achieved on our path to modernization and EU integration, or we move forward toward peace and development,” Grosu said Wednesday, announcing PAS’s decision to hold the elections. “Our goal is to ensure that Moldova stays on the road to peace, avoids falling under Kremlin influence, and preserves its sovereignty and freedom,” he added. Moldova has a long history of Russian interference, with Moscow repeatedly accused of backing political parties and spreading disinformation. Similar concerns were raised during the…

Thousands of worshippers filled the Vatican’s St Peter’s Basilica on Holy Thursday to witness the Chrism Mass, marking the beginning of Easter week in the Catholic tradition.Still recovering from double pneumonia, Pope Francis did not take part in the ceremony but he is expected to make some appearances throughout the celebrations. In the meantime he was replaced by Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, the retired head of the Vatican’s patrimony office. The event drew a crowd that included over 1,000 priests from around the world. During the mass the oils to be used in ceremonies in the parishes of Rome throughout the…

Many of that movement’s most iconic U.S. buildings would eventually be designed by the last Bauhaus director, Mies van der Rohe, who joined the Illinois Institute of Technology after leaving Germany. His steel-and-glass residential towers on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive became an instant reference point for high-rise housing, while his Seagram Building in New York inspired countless knockoffs in business districts. “Mies reimagined downtowns,” said Timothy Welch, director of the University of Auckland’s Urban Planning Program. “His tower-in-a-park model created a new urban typology — open plazas surrounding minimalist skyscrapers.” But the impact wasn’t just on urban areas, it also…

It was a week when penguins, bonds, the new German coalition, Louisiana soybeans, fossil fuels, the EU’s Digital Markets Act, France’s creaking politics and American bourbon all became one news story. POLITICO explains what got us all yippy. Apr 11 11 mins read