Author: staff
A new EU-wide report shows that poor upfront choices are the main reason behind dropouts from education. Eurostat data shows that the vast majority (43%) occur when students realise the course is too difficult or does not meet their expectations, a figure that rises to 50% in post-secondary school studies. Overall, 14% of EU citizens aged 15 to 34 have quit school, university or training at least once in their lifetime. Dropout rates vary widely across the bloc. The Netherlands tops the ranking, with around one in three (32%) students who have left education early. Denmark follows at 27%, while…
Published on 19/12/2025 – 14:21 GMT+1 Just when you thought 2025 couldn’t get any weirder. Donald Trump has announced that an event is being planned at the White House to coincide with the US’ 250th anniversary celebrations next year. It’s a four-day athletic event for high school students called the “Patriot Games”. “In the fall, we will host the first ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented four-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes,” said Trump. “One young man and one young woman from each state and territory.” The idea behind the initiative is to “renew the patriotism, pride, and…
“The Russian Federation used this tanker to circumvent sanctions and earn money that went to the war against Ukraine; therefore, from the point of view of international law and the laws and customs of war, this is an absolutely legitimate target for the SBU,” the official said. “The attack in international waters demonstrates that Ukraine will pursue Russian assets wherever they operate and will not allow vessels supporting Moscow’s war effort to act with impunity.” The strike was announced while Vladimir Putin was holding his annual end-of-year press conference. Asked about prospects for peace in Ukraine, Putin said he would…
“It’s robbery,” Putin said Friday during his annual question and answer session with journalists and the Russian public. “But why isn’t it working? Why can’t they carry out this robbery? Because the consequences could be severe for the robbers.” “No matter what they steal or how they do it, sooner or later they will have to give it back,” the Russian president added, warning that such actions undermine investors’ trust in the eurozone. “We will defend our interests, particularly in the courts.” Putin’s legal threats aside, Ukraine’s fresh cash injection in the new year means Russia will be forced into…
By Euronews Published on 19/12/2025 – 12:52 GMT+1 French lawmakers failed to reach a compromise on the 2026 state budget on Friday, leaving France without a new budget approved before the end of the year. The joint committee of seven senators and seven deputies broke down in less than an hour, with disagreements so pronounced that discussions never properly began. Philippe Juvin, the Senate budget rapporteur, acknowledged “the absence of agreement on a common version” that could be adopted by both chambers within the required timeframe. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he regretted that parliament would be unable to vote on…
It’s that time of year again when we round up our favourites and count down to the Best Album of 2025. It’s been an eventful year in music, with Britpop reunions, failed comebacks, the Trump administration beefing with Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter, no discernable Song of the Summer, and a hell of a lot of ear-assaulting slop courtesy of AI-generated “artists” like The Velvet Sundown, Xania Monet and Breaking Rust. There’s also been a rash of really naff albums with equally mediocre titles, proving that nominative determinism is alive and well. Main offenders included Morgan Wallen’s prophetically-titled album ‘I’m…
Mette Frederiksen (and the Nordics) Denmark’s prime minister stayed largely out of what was framed as a German-led fight, but Frederiksen, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU — and the broader Nordic bloc — quietly backed the “only game in town” narrative. What resurfaced was a familiar fault line: frugals versus joint debt, this time refracted through a dispute over how to use frozen Russian assets. In the end, one camp clearly prevailed. Leaders agreed to move toward joint borrowing to cover Ukraine’s financial needs for the next two years, sidelining alternative schemes that…
Greek authorities rescued 545 migrants from a fishing vessel off Gavdos on Friday in one of the largest operations in recent months, as arrivals from Libya to Greece’s southernmost islands continue to surge. The Hellenic Coast Guard received a distress signal shortly after 3 am on Friday. Three coast guard vessels, three Frontex ships and three commercial vessels responded to the emergency approximately 16 nautical miles southeast of Gavdos. Rescuers located hundreds of migrants packed aboard a fishing boat. After several hours, the operation was completed safely and all 545 people were transferred to the port of Agia Galini on…
The Bank of Japan’s historic shift away from ultra-loose monetary policy is firmly underway, and signs of tension are starting to emerge across global bond markets. At its December meeting, the BoJ raised its key short-term policy rate by 25 basis points to 0.75%, the highest level since 1995. While the move itself was widely expected, the tone surrounding it was not. Governor Kazuo Ueda leaned toward a hawkish stance, underlining that Japan’s era of extremely low interest rates is drawing to a close, and that the implications may stretch far beyond Tokyo. A hawkish shift from the BoJ In…
“Voices of reason in the EU BLOCKED the ILLEGAL use of Russian reserves to fund Ukraine,” he added in a post on X. “Law and sanity win… for now.” Grigory Karasin, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, wrote on Telegram “for now, international law, not Ursula von der Leyen, is prevailing.” The EU’s climbdown was “a moderately encouraging sign,” he added. “The remnants of a civilized approach to financial traditions have stopped those who were pushing the situation toward a major collapse.” Thursday’s talks hit a wall after Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever refused to…