Author: Euronews

German inflation eased to 3.1% in January year-over-year from 3.8% in December, confirming preliminary data, according to the country’s federal statistics office. ADVERTISEMENTThe fall in German inflation will further fuel speculation about an early European Central Bank (ECB) rate cut. However, despite the positive data, there are still plenty of price pressures to worry about.”In the coming months, inflation developments will be determined by two opposing trends: more disinflation and potentially even deflation as a result of weaker demand, but also new inflationary pressures due to less favourable base effects, new inflationary pressure as a result of the tensions in…

A new report challenges the view that only people in rich societies can be happy. ADVERTISEMENTMany people in small societies across the world are very happy with their lives despite having very little income, according to a new study. Even though previous research, including the World Happiness Report, suggest that economic growth (essentially more money) is a fail-safe way of increasing the well-being of societies, the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) teamed up with McGill University in Canada to challenge this view.The researchers studied small-scale societies, including Indigenous peoples, saying that previous studies neglected these…

Life expectancy is rising, birth rates are falling, and pension systems are starting to creak – so what does ageing mean for interest rates and the wider economy? ADVERTISEMENTBy 2050, the number of people aged 65 and over is set to rise to 1.6 billion globally. This is more than double the figure seen in 2021. The trend is driven by two intrinsically positive factors: improved population health and female autonomy. Whilst people are living longer, women’s education is also improving, meaning they’re generally having fewer children.The effects of an ageing population are more concerning than its catalysts. Just last year,…

The European Commission will pledge more than €210 million in fresh money to support Mauritania manage migrant flows and clamp down on human traffickers, President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday. ADVERTISEMENTSpeaking during a visit to Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott, Von der Leyen said she had discussed a “common roadmap” on migration management with Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, that should be finalised this spring.It would see Brussels commit a financial envelop of “more than €210 million” before the end of the year to help the West African country tackle the root causes of migration, provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and…

The new head of the European Investment Bank told Euronews on Thursday that the institution should support farmers. ADVERTISEMENTThe former Spanish deputy prime minister and economy minister, who took office in early January, told Euronews’ The Global Conversation that the green transition could be at risk if there is not enough private investment. Calviño pledged the EIB will help build investor confidence for projects in areas such as green hydrogen and battery factories. “Companies have to think twice before undertaking some of the necessary investments,” she said. “There is a lot of uncertainty and geopolitical tensions that also limit the tolerable risk for…

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the European Parliament – troubled by the so-called “Russiagate” affair – called on the EU to take action to prevent the Kremlin from interfering in the European decision-making process. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Parliament is calling for Russia’s attempts to interfere in the EU decision-making process to be stopped. In a resolution adopted on Thursday, MEPs warned that Moscow is seeking to rebuild its network of allies in Europe and that this is particularly dangerous for democracy.”Russia is in the process of recovering. The Kremlin is recovering. They are trying to reorganise their proxies in different areas.…

Finnair stock moved higher as it launched a voluntary weigh-in policy for passengers at Helsinki airport to better estimate cargo weight and fuel needs for airplanes. ADVERTISEMENTFinland’s national carrier Finnair recently announced that it would be launching a three-month long study at the Helsinki airport, where passengers could voluntarily choose for their weight to be measured before boarding a flight.According to a statement by the company, as reported by Sky News: “Finnair will collect data by weighing volunteering customers and their carry-on baggage at the departure gate. The weighing is voluntary and anonymous, and the data will only be used…

The European Parliament and the Council struck on Thursday a new deal on a draft law to improve the conditions of platform workers, after the previous agreement had been derailed in a last-minute revolt. ADVERTISEMENTThe provisional deal is part of a concentrated push to wrap up all pending legislative files by the end of the month, the cut-off date imposed by the upcoming EU elections.”After many hours of negotiations, I am glad to see that we reached a provisional agreement today. It is a balanced text that protects workers, good employers and provides for a European level playing field,” said…

Ties are getting stronger between India and some European economies in the form of a new free trade agreement and enormous investment plans. ADVERTISEMENTSixteen years of negotiations are coming to an end as India is concluding a first-of-its-kind trade agreement with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, reported Bloomberg.These countries form the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which agreed to invest in India as part of a free trade deal, in exchange for easier access to the world’s most populous nation, a market of 1.4 billion people.  The unusual feature of this Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is that it comes with investment guarantees,…

The European Union has refuted reports that it is considering sanctions on American polemist Tucker Carlson for his controversial interview with Vladimir Putin, recorded during his trip to Moscow. ADVERTISEMENTOn Wednesday, a flurry of conservative commentators falsely claimed the bloc was mulling slapping a travel ban on Carlson, a former Fox News anchor, after the Kremlin confirmed his sit-down with the Russian president had taken place. It marks Putin’s first interview with a Western reporter since he launched the all-out war on Ukraine.The claim was initially reported by the American magazine Newsweek, based on comments made by a current and former…