Author: Euronews

Recent research has shown that cold temperatures can cause us to get sick by damaging the immune response in our noses. ADVERTISEMENTThe moment the temperature drops, it might seem like everyone around you is suddenly sneezing and coughing.While bacteria and viruses are present all year round, winter is considered the season when people are more likely to catch the common cold or flu. But why? Is the cold really to blame?In 2022, scientists discovered evidence that people do indeed contract more respiratory diseases when it’s cold. The main reason is that cold air damages the immune response in our noses, creating a…

Car buyers may have been charged unfair interest rates on motor loans, according to the UK’s financial regulator. ADVERTISEMENTPeople in the UK who bought a car using a loan between 6 April 2007 and 27 January 2021 could have been charged unfair rates.That’s the verdict from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who have launched an investigation into the matter.The inquiry, set to be concluded in September, will determine whether banks knowingly deceived customers through discretionary commission deals.This means that brokers, or car dealers, were allowed to adjust the interest rates on loans offered towards vehicles, a practice that was banned…

Brussels efforts to coax back wayward members like Poland and Hungary are far from foolproof, the budget watchdog said. ADVERTISEMENTA deal to offer Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán EU funds as part of a deal over support for Ukraine was slammed by the bloc’s budget watchdog in a report released today (22 February).Brussels should enforce the rule of law based on sound analysis, not political horse-trading, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said.The European Commission has long had significant concerns over judicial independence in Poland and Hungary, but new rules it has introduced are far from watertight and prone to…

The share price of HSBC Holdings slumped by more than 8% in London as the UK’s biggest bank left investors disappointed with the profits reported for the final three months, and for all of 2023. ADVERTISEMENTPretax profit for the final three months of the year fell to $1 billion (€920 million) from more than $5 billion (€4.62 billion) the previous year, mainly due to two major expenses; $3 billion (€2.77 billion) to pay for an impairment charge relating to the investment in the Chinese Bank of Communications Co. and another $2 billion (€1.85 billion) relating to the sale of the lender’s retail…

Ursula von der Leyen has ruled out working with political parties that are “Putin’s friends” if she is re-elected president of the European Commission. ADVERTISEMENTHer comments come as opinion polls project a significant, possibly seismic surge of hard-right and far-right parties after the June elections to the European Parliament. Von der Leyen’s first tenure has been supported by a grand coalition of conservatives, liberals and socialists that is all but guaranteed to shrink in the next legislature as Eurosceptic forces make inroads and gain influence over the political agenda.”I work with pro-European, pro-NATO, pro-Ukrainian, clearly supporters of our democratic values…

British airline EasyJet is set to return to the UK’s famed FTSE index after a rocky pandemic period. ADVERTISEMENTFour years after EasyJet’s exit from the London Stock Exchange’s top 100 index, the airline is on track to make a return.This is according to indicative results released by index compiler FTSE Russell on Tuesday.EasyJet is set to take the place of Endeavour Mining Plc, a London-headquartered multinational operating gold mines in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Senegal.After suffering heavy losses linked to the Covid-induced freeze on travel, airlines have seen a recent rebound.This upturn has been fuelled by increased demand, higher…

A final report from the World Trade Organization (WTO) marked a significant win for the EU in its ongoing dispute with the US on Spanish black olives. ADVERTISEMENTThe latest development in the long-standing trade spat comes as a WTO compliance panel report made public on Tuesday (20 February) confirmed the EU’s justification for challenging US tariffs on Spanish black olives.The case dates back to 2017 when the US imposed tariffs on Spanish olives, citing harm caused to American producers due to EU subsidies directed at Spanish olive producers through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).Subsequently, the US Department of Commerce levied…

Increases in income tax, corporation tax and national insurance collections contributed to January’s total public sector receipts. ADVERTISEMENTThe UK’s public sector net borrowing, excluding public sector banks, hit a new record surplus in January 2024, the highest since monthly records started being maintained in 1993, according to the Office for National Statistics.Public sector net borrowing, not including public sector banks, saw a surplus of about £16.7 billion in January, which was more than twice January 2023’s surplus of £7.5 billion. However, it was still a just below analyst expectations of £18.7 billion.Total public sector receipts inched up by 3.4%, coming…

The European Union agreed on Wednesday to slap Russia with a new round of sanctions, which for the first time target companies in mainland China suspected of helping the Kremlin get hold of forbidden items. ADVERTISEMENTThe sanctions have a heavy focus on fighting circumvention and go after firms around the world accused of providing Russia with advanced technology and military goods manufactured in the EU.Companies from Turkey and North Korea have also been targeted.Nearly 200 people and entities have been added to the blacklist, which now covers more than 2,000 names, mostly from Russia.”We must keep degrading Putin’s war machine,” said…

The UK government has pointed the finger at iconic British businesses such as EasyJet, Greggs, Hamleys and Harrods who it says have failed to pay staff members the minimum wage. ADVERTISEMENTMore than 500 companies have been named by the UK government for failing to pay the minimum wage.”The 524 employers were found to have failed to pay their workers nearly £16 million [€18.7 million] in a clear breach of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) law, leaving over 172,000 workers out of pocket,” Kevin Hollinrake MP, Department for Business and Trade, said in a press release.The employers named include major high street…