Author: Euronews

Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Richard Branson… All these stars seem to have something to say about Ukraine. Turns out darker forces are at work. ADVERTISEMENT“It’s frustrating to see how Ukraine uses our aid. Someone seriously needs to put a stop to this,” reads a quote in French and German next to a photo of star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. “I want to ask why the Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska is buying $1 million worth of Cartier jewellery when her husband is asking the US for money for the war,” reads another quote implying it was said by US talk show host…

A substantial rise in the Turkish minimum wage before the mayoral elections will offer relief to households but also present challenges in managing inflation. ADVERTISEMENTTurkey’s government will raise the minimum wage by almost half to ₺17,002 (€520) per month next year, to compensate for the skyrocketing inflation in the country, some 62% in November 2023. The sharp increase aims to help with the high cost of living and might appeal to voters before the nationwide municipal elections of March 2024.The hike is twice the rate at the beginning of this year and marks a 49% rise from the adjustment made mid-year.…

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews. How can one ban fishing products from forced labour without being able to identify the vessels’ legal owners and the individuals who ultimately benefit from these offences, Matti Kohonen writes. ADVERTISEMENTAn estimated 128,000 fishers suffer horrific forced labour abuses onboard fishing vessels every year, a figure that likely significantly understates the full extent of this crisis. Abuses include physical violence, unpaid wages and having to spend years at sea, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).A recent report found…

Amazon Prime Video is introducing ads next year, and it’s not the only one. Euronews Business explores why more streaming companies are adopting this strategy. ADVERTISEMENTAmazon’s Prime Video streaming service is set to introduce “limited advertisements” in films and TV shows starting from the end of January. If customers want to keep ad-free viewing, the company says they can but they will have to pay more. Europe will see the UK and Germany first in line for the scheme, with advertising starting as early as the first week of February. France, Italy, and Spain will follow later in the year. The move…

Romania and Bulgaria have struck an agreement with Austria to partially join Europe’s borderless Schengen travel zone by March 2024, Bucharest and Sofia have confirmed. ADVERTISEMENTThe political agreement will allow Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen zone by air and sea only, with further negotiations to follow on land borders, the Romanian interior ministry said Wednesday.Austria had been blocking both countries’ accession to Schengen over concerns it could lead to an influx in irregular migrant arrivals in Europe via the Turkish and Western Balkan routes.There are 27 countries currently in the Schengen area, 23 of them European Union states, and…

The festive period is a notorious strain on the purse strings, but in some European countries, employers are legally obliged to dish out bonuses. ADVERTISEMENTThe 13th month is a tradition that began in the Philippines in the 1970s and has since spread across the globe.In order to reward employees for their year’s work, as well as to help with festive expenses, bosses began to offer an extra paycheck in December, which was equivalent to one month’s salary.Fast-forward 50 years, and the 13th month bonus has now become a legal requirement in many Latin American countries, where it’s known as an…

As the year draws to a close, Euronews breaks down ten pivotal moments that shaped Europe in 2023. 1. One year of war in UkraineADVERTISEMENTUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked one year since the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine with a whirlwind tour of London, Paris and Brussels. He called on allies to step up their support for the war-torn country, and in Brussels pitched for Ukraine’s speedy accession to the European Union.”This is our Europe. These are our rules. This is our way of life. And for Ukraine, it’s a way home,” Zelenskyy told a full house of the…

Euronews Business looks at how major healthcare stocks such as Pfizer and Moderna performed this year ADVERTISEMENTHealthcare stocks have lagged quite a bit this year, as pandemic and vaccination profits start to taper off. While medical device makers may have got a gloomier deal, weight-loss drug manufacturers did considerably better.Consistent monetary policy tightening by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) has been pressurising the healthcare sector. Continued resilience in the US economy has also dampened demand somewhat, especially since healthcare stocks are seen more as a defensive, or hedging sector, with more or less constant demand.Novo NordiskAt the time of writing,…

France, Germany and the United Kingdom have joined the United States in condemning Iran’s sharp increase in enriched uranium production as part of its nuclear programme. ADVERTISEMENTA report published on Tuesday by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found that Iran had accelerated its production of 60% enriched uranium to a rate of nine kilograms a month since the end of November, up from around three kilograms in the previous months since June.The four Western nations said in a joint statement on Thursday that this represents a “backwards step” in what had previously been a slowdown of Tehran’s nuclear activities.”We condemn…

Elon Musk may not be sitting too long on top of the world’s biggest electric car empire. ADVERTISEMENTChinese automaker BYD calls itself ‘the biggest car brand you’ve never heard of,’ yet they are on the verge of surpassing Tesla in global sales, according to a new report.Although BYD is one of the world’s largest electrical vehicle (EV) manufacturers, the brand is not widely known among European car buyers. However, this might soon change, given BYD’s strong sales performance in two crucial European markets, Germany and Sweden. The company has also announced the opening of its first European EV factory in Hungary.Meanwhile, BYD has…