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EU to ban miniature hotel shampoo bottles in sustainable packaging deal
Tiny shampoo bottles in hotel rooms will be banned, while takeaways will have to let you bring your own container, under new EU rules to cut waste.
EU agrees to ban goods made with forced labour, including many Chinese solar panels
The EU has decided to ban importing goods made using forced labour, in a move that also limits access to Chinese-made solar panels.
‘Terror teens planned attack on Brussels concert hall’
Belgian police have arrested teenage terror suspects who allegedly aimed to strike in the heart of Brussels.
EU gives banks just nine months to prepare for instant euro payments
The EU has given payment providers just nine months to get ready to accept instant euro payments, a move that the bloc hopes will help European payment providers…
‘Belgium has expelled dozens of Russian diplomats,’ PM De Croo says
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on TV that "Belgium has deported dozens of so-called Russian diplomats from the country in recent months", claiming…
Russian leak leaves Berlin squirming and everyone asking: Is there more?
A leaked recording of an online conversation between high-ranking German generals discussing the possible delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine is causing major…
EC hammers Apple with €1.8 billion fine and threatens ‘further action’
The European Commission has fined Apple €1.8 billion for breaking the bloc's anti-trust rules regarding music streaming.
MEPs put brakes on driver medical exams, outraging safety advocates
Road-safety advocates slammed the European Union after MEPs rejected a proposal to make health checks mandatory across Europe for people renewing their driving licences.
EU forced-labour crackdown ‘could curtail Chinese solar-panel imports’
A proposed European Union crackdown on goods made with forced labour could cut the number of Chinese solar panels imported into the bloc, the European Commission…
Oktoberfest tapped
Oktoberfest may still be a few months away, but it's never to early to prepare with our report of last year's event from James Jeffrey. “It’s tapped!
Musk’s X in spotlight as EC ponders further regulation crackdown
The European Commission is mulling a further regulatory crackdown on Elon Musk's X, the body said.
German Catholic Church plots ban on ‘right-wing extremists’ amid anti-AfD push
Organisations intimately linked with the German Catholic Church are plotting bans on so-called "right-wing extremists" amid an ongoing conflict with the populist…
Exclusive: Holocaust survivor content binned in Polish public TV ‘revolution’
A Polish TV interview with the UK's Lord (Daniel) Finkelstein recounting the rescue of his family members by Polish diplomats during the Second World War, has been…
The populist revolt is about to up-end Portugal’s politics. If the traditional parties seek to exclude Chega, they will only turbo-charge the upstart
Portuguese elections rarely make news outside that country. Sunday’s parliamentary vote will be different if the polls prove correct.
Israel agrees to revise Eurovision song lyrics that evoked Hamas attack
Israel has agreed to revise the lyrics of its potential submission to the Eurovision Song Contest after the contest organizers took issue with verses that appeared…
A $1.5 trillion ‘ESG’ debt market has started bleeding clients
In the world’s second-biggest ESG debt market, corporate clients are starting to walk away.
Hundreds of tonnes of Russian wood reach Belgium, despite EU sanctions
Belgian authorities have intercepted hundreds of tonnes of Russian wood despite EU sanctions that have been in effect since early 2022.
EU unblocks about €2 billion from suspended funding for Hungary
Hungary managed to unblock about €2 billion in European Union funds as Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government made further progress in the recovery of crucial…
Hungary signs-off on Sweden’s accession to NATO, clearing final hurdle
Hungary's Parliament Speaker Sándor Lezsák has signed-off on the ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession and forwarded the legislation to the Hungarian President's…
Musk sues OpenAI for ‘stark betrayal of aim to benefit humanity’
Elon Musk, the US billionaire owner of X, Tesla and SpaceX, is suing OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman.
MEPs green-light EU-wide digital ID system
MEPs have passed the implementation of a proposed European Union-wide digital ID system.
EU must give Ukraine ‘whatever it needs’ to defeat Russia, MEPs say
The European Union and its Member States must hand Ukraine "whatever it needs" in order to win its defensive war against Russia, the bloc's Parliament has declared.
Dutch PM Rutte signs ‘€2 billion security deal’ with Ukraine
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte signed a security guarantee deal with Ukraine President Voldymyr Zelenskyy in the Northeastern frontline city of Kharkiv.
Macron is no Napoleon and no Talleyrand: Floating his proposal of sending troops to Ukraine was a work of stunning political ineptness that only boosted Putin
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord must have been the world’s greatest political survival artist.
Down wi da kidz? Germany’s Schulz looks to TikTok amid AfD’s rising popularity
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he wanted the Government to open an account on TikTok, apparently amid concerns about the hard-right Alternative für Deutschland…
France’s RN leader Bardella reveals ‘tricolour strategy’ for European Parliament elections
Jordan Bardella, head of National Rally (RN) in France, presented his party's strategy for June’s European Parliament elections, "clarifying" its intentions regarding…
EC withholds some UN funds for Palestine but ups overall aid budget
The European Commission will hold back part of a payment of €82 million for the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) - but increase overall aid…
Tusk says Poland ‘will ignore EU Green Deal and Ukraine policies’ unless reformed
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met protesting farmers in Warsaw and called for reform of both the European Union’s Green Deal and the EU free-trade agreement…
German Government culture chief slams ‘disgusting anti-Semitism on the Left’
Claudia Roth, Green party MP and Commissioner for Culture and Media in the German Government, has accused left-wing elements of anti-Semitism.