Author: Euronews

The “pink tax” is a little-known phenomenon that occurs on certain sale items which can have a surprisingly frustrating effect on consumers. ADVERTISEMENTThe “pink tax” is not a legal tax, but rather a surcharge or markup on products traditionally marketed towards women, while typically the male version of the same products are less expensive. This can be seen in personal care items such as shampoos, razors, deodorants and more, as well as clothing, shoes and toys, amongst others.Services such as haircuts, car repairs and maintenance, dry cleaning are also affected. Although the pink tax has been spoken about ever since…

This edition of State of the Union focusses on three issues feeding citizens’ anger with the establishment in the EU and beyond: possible nepotism in the EU Commission, infringement of free speech and Georgia’s controversial “foreign agent” bill ADVERTISEMENTWhen, in January, the EU Commission appointed German Christian Democrat MEP Markus Pieper for a new position as a small business envoy, it sparked an outcry.The reason: Markus Pieper scored worse than other candidates for the plum position with almost 19.000 euros per month.The recruitment drew accusations of cronyism, as Pieper belongs to the same political party as Commission President Ursula von…

London’s FTSE 100 hit an all-time high on Tuesday as traders digested latest economic data and positive corporate earnings from Primark owner Associated British Foods. ADVERTISEMENTAt the time of writing, the FTSE 100 in the UK, which measures the performance of the 100 largest companies traded on the London Stock Exchange, was up 0.32% on the day at 8,049.70 points. Earlier in the trading session it reached 8,075.68 – a fresh record for the blue-chip index.”No sooner had the FTSE 100 hit a new record closing level, the blue-chip index has now scored another goal by achieving a new intraday…

Following his divorce with Fidesz’ former justice minister, Péter Magyar emerged as a key opposition figure of Viktor Orban’s government. Source link

CVC, which holds stakes in the Six Nations rugby and Lipton Teas, prepares to sell over 100 million shares after years of planning. ADVERTISEMENTCVC Capital Partners is seeking a valuation of €13 billion to €15 billion as it readies itself to go public on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.This means that 114 million shares, priced at €13 to €15 each, will become available to public investors, rather than being reserved for private buyers.CVC is issuing 18 million new shares, whilst the remaining 96 million are being sold by existing stakeholders.Sellers include Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, the Kuwait Investment Authority, and…

The EU Executive has used new powers for the first time against an unnamed security equipment company. Source link

European private sector economic activity rebounds strongly in April, led by robust demand in services, although manufacturing continued to contract. However, resuming inflationary pressures cast uncertainty on the speed of ECB rate cuts. ADVERTISEMENTEuropean private sector economic activity showed a strong rebound in April driven by strong demand in services. However, some inflationary pressures do not appear entirely vanquished, leaving uncertainty regarding the speed of returning to European Central Bank (ECB)’s 2% target.The flash Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) surveys released by S&P Global on Tuesday continued to indicate robust growth in the services sector across major European economies, alongside persistent…

Lawmakers want to see more support for Ukraine as US and UK counterparts advance. Source link

The landslide vote heralds a return to fiscal responsibility after the pandemic era – but some worry new norms could kill vital green investment ADVERTISEMENTMEPs today (23 April) formally approved new fiscal rules for the EU, brushing aside opposition from trade unions and civil society organisations who fear a return to the austerity era of reduced public spending.The revision was approved 359-166 with 61 abstentions, after several years in which strict Brussels budget controls were largely abandoned due to the pandemic.”This reform constitutes a fresh start and a return to fiscal responsibility at the same time,” Markus Ferber (Germany/European People’s…

The campaign season in Hungary began on Saturday, allowing candidates to begin collecting voters. Both municipal and European Parliament elections are set to take place on June 9th concurrently, a decision made by the Fidesz party to reduce expenses. ADVERTISEMENTEU election campaigning in Hungary kicked off on Saturday, allowing candidates to begin reaching out to voters. Both municipal and European Parliament elections are to be held for June 9th, consolidated by the Fidesz party to reduce expenses.Election experts note that the opposition faces limited means for promoting their campaign due to extensive media control by the current government.Zoltán Tóth, an…