Author: staff

Overall, tech is essential to the wider strategy’s success, yet it still accounts for most of Europe’s productivity gap with the U.S., and progress has been too slow. There are other things EU leaders can do in the meantime, however. For example, with the U.S. and the EU now striking a deal on tariffs, Washington’s haphazard approach should revitalize the bloc’s wider trade agenda. The EU-Canada trade deal is a great start in this direction. But the agreement is still in what’s known as “provisional implementation,” which 10 EU member countries have to ratify. And without full ratification, the investment…

POLITICO could not independently verify all the information in the Reuters report. Responding to a request for clarification from POLITICO, a State Department spokesperson said Monday: “We are monitoring increasing censorship in Europe with great concern but have no further information to provide at this time.” Reuters did not identify which EU or member country officials could find themselves in the firing line, and said no final decision on going ahead with the measures has been made. The Digital Services Act regulates online platforms, like social media and e-commerce, as well as search engines. Those with more than 45 million…

Lithuania’s Social Democrats signed a coalition government deal on Monday with the populist Dawn of Nemunas and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, along with their controversial allies, replacing the Democrats “For Lithuania” party. The Farmers and Greens enter the new government alongside their troublesome partners, the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania–Christian Families Alliance led by Waldemar Tomaszewski — a longtime critic of the government’s stance on Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine and the country’s ban on Russian TV channels. Along for the ride are two unaffiliated MPs: Ignas Vėgėlė, a vocal opponent of Covid vaccinations, and Rimas Jonas…

Published on 25/08/2025 – 18:53 GMT+2 Riot police shot rounds of tear gas at thousands of students who attempted to reach Parliament in Indonesia’s capital on Monday to protest against the lavish allowances of members of parliament. The demonstrators are enraged by recent reports that 580 members of the House of Representatives had been receiving a housing allowance of 50 million rupiah (€2,637) per month since September 2024. They view the allowances as unjust due to the economic hardship faced by most citizens in the country. Police fired tear gas as the protesters tried to approach Parliament. Protesters fought back, hurling…

Habeck took on the vice chancellorship when his Greens joined a government with the center-left Social Democrats and neoliberal Free Democrats in 2021. He also presided over a powerful super-ministry uniting the climate and economy portfolios. The coalition collapsed late last year. When the Greens returned to the opposition benches following February’s snap election, Habeck withdrew from senior party positions and was rumored to be considering quitting politics altogether. A petition signed by nearly half a million people asked him to stay on. In Monday’s interview, Habeck appeared downcast about the ability of Germany’s centrist parties to halt the rise…

Published on 25/08/2025 – 16:10 GMT+2 Between the Oscars slap heard around the world, falling off the Hollywood radar as a result and some relationship woes, it’s fair to say that it’s been a rough few years for Will Smith and his cultural relevancy. Things didn’t look up this year, with the March release of his first studio album in 20 years, ‘Based On A True Story’. It failed to chart in any major territory – a first for Smith – and as for the songs themselves, their swagger was unconvincing and the lyrical platitudes came off a self-indulgent. Don’t…

PARIS — French Prime Minister François Bayrou will convene lawmakers for an extraordinary session to hold a a high-stakes confidence vote ahead on Sept. 8 ahead of debate on his unpopular budget proposal. “Things must be clarified,” Bayrou told reporters at a press conference in Paris Monday. The prime minister last month unveiled an aggressive €43.8 billion budget squeeze for next year. The government projects the proposal, which also slashes two public holidays, will bring down France’s budget deficit down to 4.6 percent of gross domestic product.

Bikers and motorists drove through the Kenyan capital waving Palestinian flags, while some chanted “Free, free Palestine.” Activist Shakira Wafula told the crowd: “The genocide in Palestine has to stop. Children are dying, women are suffering.” The conflict began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel and abducted 251. Gaza’s health ministry says more than 62,680 Palestinians have been killed since. Aid groups have long warned that the war and months of Israeli restrictions on food and medical supplies entering Gaza are causing starvation.

Shares in Danish company Ørsted were down by around 16% in Copenhagen on Monday afternoon. The fall followed an order from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), issued to the firm late on Friday, to halt all works on a nearly completed project near the coast of Rhode Island, until further notice. The delay, potentially increasing the costs of the investment, could result in major losses for the company, which had already been on the hunt for funding. To pay for the Revolution Wind project, Ørsted announced on 11 August that it was going to carry out a…

 On Sunday, Allen spoke during an online session alongside some of Russia’s top movie directors, cinematographers and actors, many of whom, including director Fyodor Bondarchuk, who interviewed Allen, have publicly supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Allen — who has won four Oscars — talked about AI and described a visit to the USSR as a grim experience, but also praised Russian cinema and said he could potentially make a movie in Russia, although he has not yet received any offers to do so, Russian media reported. “If there were similar proposals, I would sit down and think about what…