Author: staff
The first earnings season of 2026 carries unusual weight. European companies will report their quarterly results this month against a backdrop that has shifted dramatically since their last guidance: a conflict in the Middle East that erupted in late February, a surge in energy prices that pushed eurozone inflation to 2.5% in March and an ECB now expected to raise interest rates for the first time in years. The numbers landing from mid-April will do more than tell investors how the first quarter went. They will set the tone for how European executives are pricing the crisis — and how…
With overtourism on the rise in several European countries like Greece, Spain, Italy and France, travellers are now looking for destinations where they can avoid the crowds while still having a memorable holiday. This trend is mainly driven by Gen Zers and millennials, who want more hidden gems and authentic experiences on their travels. This can be anything from finding destination dupes for more popular holiday spots, or off-the-grid places that focus on local communities and conservation. Finding more affordable spots is another factor supporting this shift, too. So, which under-visited European countries should you pick for your next getaway?…
Published on 08/04/2026 – 14:02 GMT+2 Raja Ravi Varma’s 19th century painting Yashoda and Krishna has been bought for €15.3 million (17.9 million dollars) to become the most expensive piece of Indian art to be sold at auction. The luminous oil-on-canvas depiction of an infant Krishna and his foster mother Yashoda set a new record at a Delhi auction last week. Its value far exceeded pre-auction estimates which topped around €11 million. The sale smashes the previous record set by Indian painter and director M.F. Husain’s Untitled (Gram Yatra), which was bought for nearly €12 million ($13.8 million) last year…
Bei Umfragewerten um die 40 Prozent greift die AfD in Sachsen-Anhalt nach der Macht. Pauline von Pezold und Frederik Schindler haben das Antragsbuch zum Landesparteitag seziert: Von der Konfiszierung privater Vermögenswerte bei Asylbewerbern über das Ende der schulischen Inklusion bis hin zur Kündigung der Rundfunkstaatsverträge. Die beiden analysieren, wie radikal der geplante Umbau wirklich ist. Den Spaziergang von Gordon Repinski mit Spitzenkandidat Ulrich Siegmund hört ihr hier. Ein Bundestagsabgeordneter fliegt auf Steuerzahlerkosten in die USA und nutzt offizielle Termine im State Department offenbar, um die „Isolation der AfD“ aufzubrechen. Der Ärger im Bundestagspräsidium und wie Julia Klöckner nun eine strengere…
Published on 08/04/2026 – 12:04 GMT+2 Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun arrived in China on Tuesday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, in what she’s calling a “journey for peace” as Beijing continued its decades-long push for the self-ruled island to come under its control. The visit is the first by a Taiwanese opposition leader in a decade and comes ahead of a meeting in Beijing between Xi and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, scheduled for May. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament has stalled its government’s attempts to pass a $40 billion (€34.2 billion) special defence budget, expected to fund…
Published on 08/04/2026 – 13:33 GMT+2•Updated 13:36 Two ships have become the first to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Iran agreed an overnight ceasefire, according to maritime monitor MarineTraffic. The Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth crossed the strait at 10:44 am CET, while the Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach transited earlier at 8:59 am CET, after departing the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas a bit over an hour earlier at 7:28 am CET. The passages mark the first confirmed transits under what are likely the new terms of the truce affecting the world’s most critical energy chokepoint.…
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “a moment of relief” and is set to travel to the Middle East on Wednesday to work with Gulf partners on making the reopening of the strait permanent. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the goal now was a “lasting end to the war.” Pope Leo said he welcomed the ceasefire announcement “with satisfaction and deep hope,” after condemning as “unacceptable” Trump’s threat on Tuesday to erase an entire civilization. “Only through a return to the negotiating table can we bring the war to an end,” the Pontiff said after his general audience Wednesday…
Published on 08/04/2026 – 12:21 GMT+2 Reports of the two-week US-Iran ceasefire potentially opening the Strait of Hormuz to vessels after over a month of near-total closure has prompted shipping companies to weigh their options against persistent uncertainties. The world’s second-largest container shipping operator, Maersk, has taken the lead in responding to the development. “The ceasefire may create transit opportunities, but it does not yet provide full maritime certainty and we need to understand all potential conditions attached,” the Danish company stated. Maersk further guaranteed it is “working with urgency” to clarify exactly how ships will be able to pass…
The Israeli defense minister said in late March that Israel would remain in southern Lebanon — a region it illegally occupied from 1982 to 2000 — even after the current conflict ends. Macron has repeatedly condemned attacks against Lebanon, one of France’s closest allies in the Middle East, and urged the Israeli government to start talks with its Lebanese counterparts. France has also accused Israeli soldiers of seeking to “intimidate” French military forces taking part in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the region. But it is unclear whether the Pakistani-brokered U.S.-Iran ceasefire — which the French president hailed as…
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte begins a scheduled three-day visit to Washington on Wednesday, amid renewed threats from US President Donald Trump that he is considering withdrawing from the alliance. Rutte is expected to meet Trump following Tuesday’s last-minute reprieve in tensions with Tehran, which reportedly includes a two-week ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, although the terms remain unclear. He will meet the US president alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House later on Wednesday. Rutte is also due to hold talks with members of Congress and deliver…