Author: staff
Europe’s transition to a low-carbon economy is losing momentum as prohibitively high electricity prices continue to undermine both household adoption of clean technologies and industrial competitiveness, according to Morningstar’s latest Electrification Observer. While the European Union has pinned its decarbonisation strategy on electrifying key sectors — such as transport, heating, and heavy industry — the pace of change remains sluggish. Despite generous subsidies and ambitious targets, the continent is on track to electrify only 25% of its total energy consumption by 2030, far short of the 32% needed to meet its climate commitments. “Europe finds itself in a difficult bind,”…
The intended recipients are also heading to Brussels with a lengthy wish list, hoping Fitto’s plan will reignite their economies. Their concerns will take center stage during a summit of leaders from Eastern European countries in Helsinki on Dec. 16. “We want to have special attention to our region — the eastern flank, including Lithuania — because we see the negative impact coming from the geopolitical situation,” Lithuania’s Europe minister, Sigitas Mitkus, said in an interview with POLITICO earlier this month. “Sometimes it’s difficult to convince [investors] that … we have all the facilities in place.” But skeptics warn that any…
Published on 27/11/2025 – 6:00 GMT+1 Firefighters are battling one of Hong Kong’s deadliest modern blazes for a second day on Thursday, fighting to control the fire that blackened several high-rise towers and killed at least 44 people. Thick smoke continued poured out of the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near the border with the mainland on Thursday morning. The fire that started on Wednesday afternoon local time had spread across seven of the complex’s eight buildings. The city’s fire services said that the blazes in four of the towers were under control by…
Another claim was that in 1973, he’d attended a convention of the Italian fascist party, MSI, in the company of two fellow members of the Monday Club — a British right-wing pressure group. There, Hamilton had “thought it was jolly good fun if I did a speech in Italian because I could do a Charlie Chaplin Great Dictator speech which they would not recognize but would give us a lot of enjoyment.” Whether it had worked as comedy or satire, one probably needed to have been there, but as proof of a genuine fascist mentality, it fell short by a…
East-West divide In France, the reintroduction of a voluntary service comes almost four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For those on Russia’s doorstep, however, the comeback of mandatory schemes has been a no-brainer and has followed the relentless pace of Moscow’s offensives. After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Lithuania was the first to reintroduce compulsory military service, followed later by Sweden and then Latvia after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in 2022. “The primary objective is to reinforce military capacity from a quantitative perspective. The sheer reality is that when you face a national crisis or…
The North Sea hasn’t escaped its taxes: Fossil fuel lobbyists were desperate to see a cut in the so-called Windfall Tax, which, oil and gas firms say, limits investment and jobs in the North Sea. But Rachel Reeves ultimately decided to keep the tax in place until 2030 (even if North Sea firms did get a sop through rules announced today, which will allow them to produce oil and gas in areas linked to existing, licensed sites.) Fossil fuel lobbyists, Offshore Energies UK, were very unimpressed. “The government was warned of the dangers of inaction. They must now own the…
Published on 26/11/2025 – 15:59 GMT+1 •Updated 16:08 European Union migration rules are actively worsening risks to minors travelling along dangerous routes to Europe from Sudan, according to a Save the Children report published on Wednesday. The study shows that the EU’s efforts to keep asylum seekers in neighbouring countries, providing financial and operational support to North Africa, are in fact exposing children to harm. The EU is striking more migration agreements with countries in Africa, investing in operational support for their border management in order to prevent people from embarking from their coasts on often perilous journeys. In October,…
By Christina Thykjaer & Euronews with AP Published on 26/11/2025 – 21:20 GMT+1 •Updated 22:59 Two National Guard soldiers were shot on Wednesday near the White House. West Virginia’s Governor Patrick Morrisey at first confirmed their deaths in a social media post. However, shortly afterwards, he posted that reports about the condition of the two victims were “conflicting”. A suspect who has been taken to custody was also shot and sustained injuries that are not thought to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official not authorised to speak publicly and who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. One of the National Guard members…
Wednesday’s compromise doesn’t fully please either camp in the lobbying fight. Police and investigators fear illegal content will remain out of sight on end-to-end encrypted applications, while privacy activists say large-scale surveillance of communication will still expand. Privacy activists voiced concerns over the proposal, particularly over how targeted the scanning measures would be — a sign that they’ll continue to pressure negotiators in coming months. Andy Yen, CEO of the Swiss privacy-friendly tech maker Proton, said in a statement it is “vital we all remain vigilant” against attempts to introduce mandatory scanning “through the back door” during the negotiations. Ella…
Annual alcohol consumption per capita reached an average of 8.5 litres of pure alcohol across OECD countries in 2023, according to the organisation’s Health at a Glance 2025 report. Six EU countries recorded consumption below the average, with Greece reporting the lowest amount, at 6.6 litres per capita. In contrast, Romania, Portugal and Latvia had the highest consumption, reaching over 11.5 litres annually. Over the past decade, most countries have seen a decrease in alcohol consumption. Between 2013 and 2023, Belgium and Lithuania reported the largest declines in alcohol consumption, with reductions of 2.5 litres or more. On the other…