Author: staff
“The idea of lowering the price cap is probably not going to fly because of the international situation in the Middle East and the volatility,” said one diplomat, granted anonymity to speak frankly about the market-sensitive policy. “At the G7 meeting this week, it was agreed by all the countries they would prefer not to take the decision right now,” the diplomat added. “The prices were quite close to the cap; but now the prices are going up and down, the situation is too volatile for the moment.” At the G7 summit in Canada, European Commission President Ursula von der…
Published on 20/06/2025 – 13:53 GMT+2•Updated 14:19Despite recent efforts to boost European defence production, the bloc remains “highly vulnerable” and heavily reliant on the United States—particularly for major, high-end defence equipment—according to a new analysis by the Brussels-based economic think tank Bruegel. Trade statistics show that the value of weapons imported to Europe increased from approximately $3.4 billion for the period 2019–2021 to $8.5 billion for 2022–2024 across the 27 member states, with the US leading this increase despite concerns over its capabilities. “Europe has the industrial production capacities to increase production of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles,” said Guntramm Wolff, Bruegel’s…
The decision — announced just one working day before the final round of negotiations with EU countries and MEPs to reach a deal was due to take place — means the EU will not be asking companies to provide verified information to back up the green claims they make. “The European Commission has the right of initiative to make but also withdraw [a] proposal after its own assessment of the legislative process,” Stefan de Keersmaecker, another spokesperson for the Commission. On Wednesday, POLITICO reported that the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) had sent a letter to the environment Commissioner Jessika…
China has approved a number of rare earth export licences, a move that could provide modest relief to global manufacturers struggling with supply disruptions. But with export volumes still sharply down and no transparency on which firms benefit, Europe’s automotive industry remains vulnerable to further disruption.At a press conference on Thursday, China’s commerce ministry confirmed it had approved “a certain number” of export licence applications for rare earths and magnets. These minerals are used in an array of high-tech products such as smartphones and jet engines.Rare earths such as neodymium, dysprosium and terbium are indispensable for producing lightweight, high-efficiency motors…
By Euronews Travel with AP Published on 20/06/2025 – 12:31 GMT+2A Spanish court rejected an appeal by Airbnb yesterday, leaving in place an order to block almost 66,000 rental listings that the government said violated local rules.The government has said the platform’s short-term rentals in city centres and tourism hot spots are contributing to Spain’s housing crunch while the country welcomes record numbers of visitors.Last month, Spain’s government ordered Airbnb to block 65,935 listings in the country after the Consumer Rights Ministry flagged them for violations. It said Airbnb had to immediately take down 5,800 of them.The ministry has said the listings it…
PARIS — Canadian pornography giant Aylo has restored access to Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube in France after blocking access to the sites for nearly three weeks in protest of age verification requirements, a spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO. Aylo’s decision comes after the porn industry scored an important legal victory on Monday, when a French court ruled that domestic authorities cannot impose these requirements to companies based in other European Union states, lifting the obligations. Aylo’s European headquarters are in Cyprus. The company said in a statement that the court’s decision “provides an opportunity to reconsider more effective approaches pending the…
Researchers in Japan have developed the world’s largest-class superconducting quantum computer.Several hardware types are used to build quantum computers, which use subatomic particles called qubits to increase computing capabilities.. Among them, superconducting quantum computers are the most widely tested, with companies like Google, IBM and Rigetti leading in this technology.The higher the number of qubits, the greater the potential computing power.However, other factors such as noise and error mitigation methods are also essential for building a practical quantum computer.The new quantum system developed by researchers at the Japanese National Research and Development Agency, RIKEN, in collaboration with the Japanese IT giant,…
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants has announced this year’s recipients of ‘The World’s Best Restaurant’ – one of the world’s most prestigious food awards.The awards ceremony took place last night in Turin, Italy, where the crowd gathered to celebrate the top restaurants and chefs for 2025. A panel of more than 1,000 experts, split into 27 regions around the world, came together to decide on the final ranking.So, what is the World’s Best Restaurant this year? The accolade went to Maido in Lima, Peru – which was placed at number 5 in the 2024 awards and now unseats last year’s winner, Disfrutar…
Those reduced healthcare costs have shifted attention to Bulgaria’s control over prices set at the state level and how those impact consumer price indices. “The only reason Bulgaria has qualified is, if you look at the inflation data, due to state-administered prices,” a former Bulgarian government official familiar with the data told POLITICO. “It is well known that statistical data was adjusted to show results more favorable than reality — especially in sectors like postal services, transport and healthcare.” While healthcare is the big factor, rail fares were also cut by over 9 percent, and postage costs were reduced by…
Peskov also said the direct participation of other actors in the conflict “is potentially even more dangerous,” as the U.S. mulls providing military support to Israel. “It will lead only to another circle of confrontation and escalation of tension in the region,” he added. Russia, for its part, has been carrying out a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine for more than three years now, in an assault that upended Europe’s established security architecture. The Kremlin spokesperson’s comments come as U.S. President Donald Trump’s team said Thursday he would decide within “two weeks” whether America will join Israel in its military…