Author: staff
Here are some profiles that are on the docket. A team captain Jean-Louis Borloo, a former minister who once owned the Valenciennes football club, has been floated as an option in Elysée circles in recent days. One of his biggest selling points: “He won’t be the man who has to ask the president permission to take a leak,” said a government adviser, granted anonymity to speak candidly. Borloo, like Macron, comes from France’s political center, but he doesn’t belong to the French president’s political team. He founded UDI, a small centrist party, and is seen as much more independent from…
The transformation followed months of higher-than-average rainfall across the desert’s foothills and highlands, marking one of the wettest years in recent memory. Scientists say more than 200 plant species lie dormant beneath the Atacama’s red soil year-round, waiting for enough moisture to spark life. This year, rainfall from both the Amazon basin and the Pacific coast exceeded the threshold needed for germination, triggering a spectacular explosion of colour across the landscape. The result is a fleeting yet breathtaking display that has drawn thousands of visitors to the northern Copiapó region. The floral phenomenon, which lasts only a few weeks, has…
Published on 09/10/2025 – 14:00 GMT+2 Google has announced a new €5 billion investment in Belgium to expand its data centres and AI infrastructure, marking one of the largest single technology investments in the country’s history and signalling the tech giant’s growing involvement in Europe. The investment will fund the expansion of Google’s existing site in Saint-Ghislain, in the Wallonia region of Belgium, and support the creation of around 300 jobs. The project is viewed as key to accelerating access to artificial intelligence and cloud services across Europe. “With today’s announcement, Google is deepening its roots in Belgium, extending our…
PARIS — Le président du parti Les Républicains n’achète pas du tout l’idée d’un potentiel prélèvement sur les très hauts patrimoines. “Je n’avais jamais entendu parler de la taxe Zucman. Mais quand j’ai su que [Gabriel Zucman] était Français, je me suis dit : bien sûr, il ne pouvait être que Français”, a ironisé Bruno Retailleau lors du sommet POLITICO sur la compétitivité, jeudi 9 octobre. “Pour avoir une imagination fiscale à ce point débridée, il fallait être Français”, a-t-il développé, tout en soulignant que la France avait aussi inventé “l’impôt sur le revenu” et “la TVA”. La popularité de…
The US has sanctioned Serbia’s main oil supplier, which is majority-owned by Russia, the company confirmed on Thursday. The sanctions against the Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS), which employs 5,000 people, took effect at 6 am on Thursday. American authorities sanctioned the oil giant, which operates a refinery and 330 petrol stations in Serbia, because it is controlled by Moscow. The move comes as part of the West’s crackdown on Moscow’s energy sector, following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. NIS’ main shareholder is Russia’s Gazpromneft with 45%, and after a swap deal, the Gazprom Capital-related JSC Intelligence…
Kyiv will nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize if he sends Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine and helps broker a ceasefire with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday.“During our most recent meeting, I didn’t hear a ‘no.’ What I did hear was that work will continue at the technical level and that this possibility will be considered,” Zelenskyy told journalists in Kyiv about a meeting he held with the U.S. president on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York at the end of September. “The plan for ending the war won’t be easy, but it…
Five people were injured on Thursday following a Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, according to local authorities. The strike caused widespread damage to port infrastructure and nearby residential areas, triggering a large fire that burned for several hours. Emergency officials said more than eighty firefighters were deployed to contain the blaze, which spread rapidly through the affected zone. Local authorities described the operation as challenging due to intense heat and difficult access to the centre of the fire. The attack also left over thirty thousand residents without power as emergency crews worked to restore electricity across the…
By AP with Euronews Published on 09/10/2025 – 12:32 GMT+2 iPhone users have a new tool to combat the scourge of nuisance phone calls: a virtual gatekeeper that can screen incoming calls from unknown numbers. It’s among the bevy of new features that Apple rolled out with last month’s release of iOS 26. The screening feature has been getting attention because of the ever-increasing amount of robocalls and spam calls that leave many phone users feeling harassed. Here’s a run-through of the new function: How to activate call screening First, you’ll need to update your iPhone’s operating system to iOS 26, which is…
STRASBOURG — The head of the EU’s biggest political family has had a tough week keeping his party under control, with internal divisions on display on everything from climate goals to veggie burgers. On the day that Ursula von der Leyen faces two votes of no-confidence that could topple her and her Commission, Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party of which von der Leyen is a member, is also under pressure. Weber is still racking up wins — such as slashing green rules for businesses and pushing the Commission toward a tougher stance on migration — but efforts…
Europe has welcomed the announcement overnight on Thursday that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the first phase of a peace plan championed by US President Donald Trump. However, many leaders stressed that this must be the premise for a two-state solution, which Israel’s leadership believes is a red line. “This agreement must mark the end of the war and the beginning of a political solution based on the two-state solution,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X on Thursday morning. “France stands ready to contribute to this goal. We will discuss it this afternoon in Paris with our…