EU bans AI ‘nudifier’ apps and delays wider AI Act rules
European Union lawmakers and member states have agreed to ban artificial intelligence systems that generate sexualised deepfakes.
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Economy
Latest reporting and analysis on economy.
EU weighs US kerosene as Middle East war squeezes Europe’s jet fuel supply
The European Commission has said the European Union (EU) is not yet facing jet fuel shortages, but is readying contingency measures.
Korea University and Moderna have been working on mRNA hantavirus vaccine since 2023
Korea University's Vaccine Innovation Center and US biotech firm Moderna (formerly ModeRNA Therapeutics), made world-famous by its multibillion-dollar Covid-19 vaccine…
Tusk’s Polish government taxes laptops, smartphones and TVs
Poland’s ruling centre-left government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has taken a contested decision to extend the scope of a fee paid by producers and importers…
European chat app launches, pioneering DMA’s messaging interoperability
Latvia-based BirdyChat has officially launched across Europe, becoming one of the first home-grown messaging apps in line with the European Union’s Digital Markets…
Lufthansa warns of hefty fuel cost hit, preparing for shortages
German airline giant Lufthansa said today its 2026 fuel bill would be 1.
EC approves defence loan for Poland helping Tusk government sidestep President’s veto
Poland is set to become the first country to sign an agreement under the European Union's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence loan programme.
EU tries to extend Russian sanctions to Chinese companies, China punches back
The European Union adopted its 20th sanctions package against Russia in April. The announcement from Brussels was confident.
Biontech stops Covid vaccine production in Germany
German biotech company Biontech has announced it will cease the production of Covid-19 vaccines in Germany and close down most of its domestic production sites.
Men ‘bad for the planet’, new academic paper declares
A new academic paper has declared that male behaviour is damaging the planet, with elite white Western men singled out as a particular obstacle to action on climate…
Top Dutch environmental activist takes top job at Tata Steel
Donald Pols, the long-serving director of Dutch environmental organisation Milieudefensie, will join Tata Steel Nederland, one of Europe's largest steel producers…
European Parliament urges Spanish Government to reconsider Almaraz nuclear plant closure
The document explicitly states in its conclusions that the nuclear facility should not be shut down, describing the decision as one driven solely by political and…
Merz marks a bitter first year as German Chancellor amid record-low approval, coalition strife and a transatlantic rupture with Trump
A year on from the day he became the first German leader to need a second Bundestag vote to take office, Merz has presided over a stagnant economy, a coalition at…
Brussels urges Washington to restore 15 per cent tariff cap before summer
European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has urged the United States to return swiftly to the terms of the trade pact agreed by both sides in July 2025.
‘Systematic discrimination’: China denounces EU’s industrial proposals
Is the European Union ready for neo-mercantilism? China certainly doesn’t think so.
World faces what ‘could be most severe energy crisis in history’, Brussels warns
European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen made the comments at a press conference.
EU and Armenia sign connectivity deal at first Yerevan summit
The partnership is to focus on transport, energy and digital links between the EU and Armenia, supporting the country's economic development.
EU ammo supplier accused of profiteering with Soviet-era stockpiles sold at premium price to Ukraine
A major Central European defence contractor at the heart of the European Union’s emergency push to arm Ukraine is facing explosive allegations that it has built…
Amsterdam introduces advertisement ban on fossil fuel and meat
Amsterdam has become the world’s first capital city to prohibit public advertisements for meat products, alongside fossil fuels,.
EU’s €90 bn ‘loan’ to Kiev is a bet on Ukraine victory and Russian humiliation. Oh, sure thing
The EU has finally agreed to lend Ukraine another €90 billion.
EU and UK explore British role in €90 billion Ukraine loan
The European Union has held talks with Britain about London joining its €90 billion loan to Ukraine, a move officials said would deepen defence industrial ties…
UK ‘must pay €1.6bn per year’ to access Single Market, says EU
The European Union has told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the UK must make annual payments of approximately £1 billion (€1.
Azerbaijan cuts ties with European Parliament as Brussels’ energy realism holds
Azerbaijan suspended institutional co-operation with the European Parliament on May 1, accusing Brussels of interference in its sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Brussels admits it does not know how much fuel Europe holds
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the conflict was costing the EU nearly €500 million a day in higher energy costs.
University of Vienna cancels award for famous mathematician due to his criticism of gender studies and climate change
The University of Vienna in Austria has abruptly cancelled an award ceremony for one of the country’s most prominent authors and mathematicians, Rudolf Taschner.
Tech industry rejects EC’s ‘unbalanced’ evaluation on Digital Markets Act
The European Commission has declared its flagship Digital Markets Act (DMA) “fit for purpose” in its first statutory review, claiming it has delivered tangible…
French economy records zero growth in first quarter
France's economy recorded zero growth in the first quarter of this year due to "sluggish" domestic demand and a "strongly" negative contribution from foreign trade,…
Belgium takes over entire nuclear fleet from Engie in surprise move
In a dramatic policy shift that marks the final nail in the coffin of Belgium’s long-standing nuclear phase-out, the federal government has announced plans to…
Tech has broken our entire world model, but we are in denial
Geopolitics is in flux, history has “returned”, there is war, political upheaval and technological disruption everywhere: These matters command an overwhelming…
‘Total failure’: Leading economists tear into German federal budget
Several high-ranking German economists have expressed scorn and criticism of Germany’s federal budget plan for 2026 to 2030.