Author: staff

The Czech energy group EPH has emerged as a potential buyer for Germany’s stake in Uniper. The German government has approached Czech energy company EPH, identifying it as a potential buyer for its stake in Uniper.That’s according to a Reuters report, based on accounts from three sources familiar with the matter.A potential acquisition would be another feather in Daniel Křetínský’s cap, as the owner of EPH expands his reach in Europe.The Czech energy group already owns major stakes across several industries, holding interests in firms such as Thyssenkrupp, Sainsbury’s, Casino and International Distributions Services – parent firm of Royal Mail.EPH…

The Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online should help platforms comply with the Digital Services Act. The European Commission on Monday formalised efforts by Big Tech companies to counter illegal hate speech online by integrating their industry commitments into the framework of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the bloc’s platform rules.The Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online – which was first drafted in 2016 – was signed by Dailymotion, Facebook, Instagram, Jeuxvideo.com, LinkedIn, Microsoft hosted consumer services, Snapchat, Rakuten Viber, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube.They commit to setting up a network of ‘Monitoring Reporters’,…

Under the code, online platforms agree to review two-thirds of takedown requests within 24 hours and better transparency over hate speech, the Commission said in a Monday press release. It also sets out a “clear methodology” for “monitoring reporters” – which can be civil society groups or public authorities – to flag problematic material and assess platforms’ responses, another Commission official told the same press briefing. The 2016 code was signed by Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, X, TikTok, Google’s YouTube, Microsoft’s LinkedIn, Snapchat, Rakuten, Dailymotion, Jeuxvideo.com, Viber, and Twitch. The signatories had requested that it be turned into a formal measure,…

“We cannot do this with a trade war on our doorstep, and national budgets everywhere are not capable of increasing defense budgets to more than 3 percent,” Séjourné said about increasing military spending during an interview with France Inter. NATO currently demands that its members spend 2 percent of GDP on defense, but that figure is likely to be increased at the alliance’s June summit in The Hague. Secretary-General Mark Rutte said last week the new figure will likely be north of 3 percent. In recent days, Trump has even touted that NATO allies spend a whopping 5 percent of…

The charges, which Arena has denied, are the latest in the Qatargate allegations that foreign lobbyists attempted to purchase influence in the European Parliament. Maria Arena, a former socialist party member of the European Parliament (MEP), has been charged with membership of a criminal organisation, the Belgian federal prosectuor has confirmed to Euronews.  The move follows the Qatargate scandal that rocked the Parliament in 2022, that has seen mulitple MEPs and staffers charged with corruption and money laundering. The charges were confirmed following revelations in newspaper La Libre, but the spokesperson declined to comment further on the investigation into the alleged…

Updated: 20/01/2025 – 12:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.

This isn’t the first time Pope Francis has clashed with Trump over the Republican standard-bearer’s immigration policies. The first Latin American pope and first non-European leader of the Catholic church in almost 1,300 years called Trump “not Christian” in 2016 over his plans to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump hit back then, calling Pope Francis “disgraceful” and a “very political person.” The two ostensibly smoothed things over in 2017 when Trump visited the Vatican in a trip he called the “honor of a lifetime.” Pope Francis said Sunday he hadn’t spoken to Trump since the president-elect won…

👉Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam’s on your podcast app👈 On the day of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard have their guide to the day ahead in both British politics, and politics across the pond. So how is Trump 2.0 going to influence the UK? Can UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government work with President Trump? And with Peter Mandelson due to start as our ambassador to the US, Sam has the inside track on how he got the job. But will the MAGA crowd block his appointment? Meanwhile,…

Prime ministers don’t boss kings around, but, said Harman: “Ultimately, the royals are public servants. If the state wants them to entertain and talk to, meet and get on with whoever’s in the White House, then it’s their duty to do what the elected government wants them to do.”  Pomp and ceremony  A fresh Trump visit to the U.K. is unlikely to be free of controversy. Just last week, the opposition Liberal Democrats said the firebrand U.S. president — a “threat to peace and prosperity” — should not be afforded the trappings of another state visit unless he agrees to…

Embracing interconnectedness where prudent while building autonomy where it can, this is an approach that can be called “strategic interdependence.” Today, the imbalanced strategic status quo has been most salient when it comes to security. The war on Ukraine was a wake-up call, exposing Europe’s overreliance on the transatlantic partnership. But this realization doesn’t mean the EU should prioritize autonomy over alliances. U.S. nuclear deterrence and defense partnerships, including NATO, are indispensable, and Europe cannot take this defense arrangement for granted.  That’s why the bloc must become a stronger pillar within NATO — both for its own sake and for…