Author: staff
“Does Europe want to own its future (and invest) or rent it (and continue spending as before)?” Vandenberghe asked. “Yes, climate action has a cost. The cost of non-action is higher.” The exchange raised eyebrows. Two lifetime eurocrats having it out in public was “not usual,” said an EU official, who has worked with both men and spoke on condition of anonymity. “But it is both funny and healthy.” The timing was salient. For the last five years, the EU has favored top-down regulation to tackle problems like climate change and biodiversity loss. Now, the top political priority for leaders…
The recall affects more than 80,000 vehicles in the United States. The company said it took the action to remedy a wiring issue which could potentially lead to improper air bag deployment. Kia America is recalling more than 80,000 vehicles because of an issue identified with wiring beneath the front passenger seat in some of its vehicles that can could potentially prevent vehicle airbags and seat belts from deploying properly.According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the damaged wiring could also cause unintended air bag deployment.The recall covers the 2023-2025 Niro EV, Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) and…
Tice said recent flooding in the U.K. had “nothing to do” with climate change — a view sharply at odds with climate science. These positions are not shared by voters, the majority of whom believe climate change is one of the biggest issues the country faces. They broadly support ministers’ plans for big, climate-friendly investments, according to polling by YouGov. Parties like the Greens, which have even stronger climate goals than Labour, also made gains in July. “It is definitely true that Reform voters prioritize climate change less than other groups of voters, but they also don’t vote Reform for…
Wealthy clients will be able to match their car’s palette with their private jet or yacht colours, added the company statement. British car maker Jaguar Land Rover will invest £65 million (€77m) to expand its custom paint services, the firm announced on Monday.New paint facilities will be created in Castle Bromwich in the UK, and Nitra in Slovakia, to support the operation.Jaguar said it would more than double its capacity for custom paintwork to meet “growing demand for personalised luxury vehicles”.Wealthy clients will be able to match their car’s palette with their private jet or yacht colours, added the company…
Media reports suggested Diageo was considering asset sales to boost growth, cashing in on high demand for Guinness. UK drinks company Diageo has denied that it is considering a sale of its Guinness brand, along with a 34% stake in the champagne and cognac business, Moët Hennessy.In a statement released on Sunday, Diageo insisted that it had “no intention to sell either”, responding to media reports released days earlier.Bloomberg News reported on Friday that Diageo was reviewing its portfolio in an effort to revive growth.The report said that Guinness, which could be privately sold or publicly listed, could be valued…
The unveiling of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s latest AI model, which outperforms its US rivals, caused a sharp decline in the value of US and Europe’s tech stocks. The Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek sent jitters to global markets, sparking a tech-led selloff in the US and Europe on Monday. The Chinese AI is reportedly more cost-effective and performs better than America’s leading models, raising concerns about the valuation hype of the soaring tech stocks. Market responsesNvidia, the world’s largest AI chipmaker, saw its shares plummet by 17%, before recovering on Tuesday afternoon, erasing $600bn (€573bn) in market capitalisation in what…
Ireland could entirely offload its stake in the lender this year after nationalising the bank more than a decade ago. The Irish government is offering a 5% stake in Allied Irish Banks (AIB), reducing its holding from 17.5% to 12.5%.In a statement, the finance ministry said on Tuesday it had sold 116 million shares at €5.60 each – raising around €652m.This latest transaction achieved a price which was 14% higher than that achieved in the previous AIB sale last June. The total will be placed into the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, awaiting further direction from Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe.The State’s…
A China-linked influence operation impersonated a human rights organization on social media to encourage Spaniards to overthrow their government in the wake of the deadly October floods in Valencia, according to a new report. Accounts associated with the Spamouflage operation, which is reportedly linked to China, posed as the Madrid-based Safeguard Defenders on social media platforms including Facebook, X, BlueSky and TikTok from November to January, according to the report, which was authored by American social network analysis firm Graphika. Posts from the imposter accounts purported to show both English and Spanish content critical of the Madrid government and of…
The ECB is expected to cut rates by 25bps to 2.75% on Thursday as inflation nears 2% and growth remains weak. Analysts see further cuts in 2025, but US trade tariffs could add uncertainty. The European Central Bank (ECB) is widely expected to lower interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday, easing monetary policy further as inflation trends towards the 2% target and economic indicators signal cooling momentum.The deposit facility rate is anticipated to drop from 3% to 2.75%, marking its lowest level since February 2023.Yet, while inflation and economic growth trends support lower interest rates, escalating US trade…
In reality, Moscow tried to influence Romania’s presidential election last year in favor of pro-Russian independent Călin Georgescu, and did the same in a presidential election and EU accession referendum organized by Moldova in October. Additionally, in last year’s sham Russian presidential election, held without authentic political opposition, President Vladimir Putin won with 87 percent of the vote. United Russia, Putin’s ruling party, has been accused of vote-rigging to maintain its tight grip on power since 2001, with Putin serving as either president or prime minister for the whole period.