Author: staff

Updated: 04/10/2025 – 12:00 GMT+2 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this October 4th, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to respond swiftly to Hamas’ move late on Friday. “Hamas’ commitment must be followed up without delay,” he posted online. Meanwhile British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Hamas’ stated readiness to release hostages was “a significant step forwards.” “We call on all sides to implement the agreement without delay,” Starmer said, according to a statement from his office. Even though Trump called on Israel to stop bombing the Palestinian enclave on Friday, there were some reports on Saturday morning that Israel was continuing its offensive. On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Israeli armed forces…

The combined market value of the United States’ Magnificent Seven tech giants has now exceeded the entire output of the European Union, as a relentless rally in technology stocks stretches valuations and stokes concerns over potential market excess. As of the close on 2 October 2025, the seven leading US tech companies — Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Tesla — commanded a total market capitalisation of $20.8 trillion (€17.7tn), eclipsing the EU’s total economic output of $19.4tn (€16.5tn). Nvidia alone, now the world’s most valuable company, boasts a market valuation of around $4.3tn (€3.9tn) — equivalent to the…

Merz said that “the radiance of what we in the West call liberal democracy is noticeably diminishing,” adding: “It is no longer a given that the world will orient itself towards us, that it will follow our values of liberal democracy.” “New alliances of autocracies are forming against us and attacking liberal democracy as a way of life,” Merz said. Recent global turmoil has struck Germany with particular force. Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine and the erosion of the transatlantic alliance have compelled the country’s leaders to invest massively in rebuilding the relatively feeble German military. The energy shock that…

Demonstrators said Italy’s government did not do enough to defend the crews on the flotilla. They are calling on the government to cut military ties with Israel, recognize a Palestinian state and cut arms spending. Rome has said it will not recognize Palestinian statehood until the hostages are released and militant group Hamas is out of government in Gaza. Protestors on Friday obstructed major highways in Pescara, Trento, Bologna, Milan and Turin, as well as walking onto tracks and blocking trains in Florence, Genoa, Perugia and Cagliari. Riot police clashed with protesters in Turin and Naples. Transport workers, healthcare workers…

Published on 03/10/2025 – 20:22 GMT+2 Prosecutors in Poland are investigating an alleged Russia plot that involved smuggling food cans labelled as corn packed with explosives into the country, according to Polish media.  An article published in Gazeta Wyborcza on Thursday cited sources at the Polish National Prosecutor’s Office and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) confirming the development.  A Ukrainian suspect linked to Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU), who has only been identified as Władysław D, allegedly transported the cans to Poland after digging them up at a cemetery in neighbouring Lithuania.  The young man left them near the city…

A Belgian security service officer was arrested and indicted for espionage, two people with knowledge of the case told POLITICO. He was taken into custody on Thursday and his home searched the same day. An investigating judge later released him under strict conditions. The charges relate to spying for China, one of the people said, adding that the man, whose precise role within Belgium’s national security apparatus has not been disclosed, was recruited for his access to Brussels’ international diplomatic circles. Brussels is home to many EU institutions, NATO headquarters, some 100 international organizations and 300 foreign diplomatic missions. The…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he wants to enshrine the right to abortion in the Constitution, following the example of France, which last year became the first country in the world to take the historic step.  In a post on social media, Sánchez said he is planning to bring a proposal to Parliament to constitutionalize the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy. “With this government, there will be no step backward in social rights,” he said.  The post follows approval by Madrid’s city council of a measure which will make health centers inform women considering abortion about so-called “post-abortion…

Local research network Online Risk Labs said it has found 286 accounts on TikTok with “a cumulative reach of 5 to 9 million views per week,” exceeding that of many political party leaders, which look to boost extremist parties like the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) or far-left Enough! (Stačilo!). Both of these parties could, for the first time since the fall of communism in 1989, end up directly in government — or providing support to Andrej Babiš’s right-wing populist ANO party, which is leading in the polls. “The content includes, for example, glorification of Vladimir Putin, disinformation and…

“We are ready to ask the Commission to withdraw its current proposal and make a new and better one reflecting our concerns,” the Socialists and Democrats said in a statement to POLITICO. “We have made our decision on what we are ready to do with this proposal,” the statement said. Both major parties want von der Leyen to ditch a plan to lump agricultural funds and regional payments ― which make up more than half of the budget ― into a single cash pot handled by national governments. They complain this is a smokescreen to cut funding to farmers, who are core…