Author: Euronews

The European Commission has proposed updated rules that expand the definition of child sexual abuse and lengthen the statute of limitations. ADVERTISEMENTThe revision of the 2011 directive, unveiled on Tuesday afternoon, attempts to close the loopholes opened by the sudden advent of artificial intelligence, which has enabled criminals to produce synthetic images of child abuse and evade law enforcement.One in every five children in Europe is estimated to be a victim of some form of sexual abuse or exploitation. The scourge is pervasive and insidious: 1.5 million cases were reported in 2022, compared to one million in 2020.”With the high…

The United Arab Emirates appears on the EU’s list of suspect dirty-money jurisdictions. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU securities-market watchdog today (6 February) removed its recognition from the Dubai Commodities Clearing Corporation (DCCC) given money laundering fears.The move, which blocks EU banks from using the financial infrastructure, comes after the bloc badged the United Arab Emirates as a money laundering threat.The European Securities and Markets Authority, ESMA, had originally tried to blacklist the DCCC last year, but the attempt was put on hold pending an appeal.The Board of Appeal “found no evidence that the adverse economic consequences DCCC faced were disproportionate,” said a…

The European Union must slash greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, Brussels said on Tuesday in a recommendation aimed at ensuring climate neutrality becomes a reality by mid-century. ADVERTISEMENTThe 90% reduction, as compared to 1990s levels, would entail a massive deployment of renewable systems, the irreversible abolition of coal, and the near-total disappearance of gas from the bloc’s energy system, as well as profound changes in transport, food, buildings, factories and waste management.The target is necessary to keep the EU aligned with the 2015 Paris Agreement, which committed nations to keep the Earth’s long-term average temperature well below 2°C and, preferably,…

The Swiss bank has reported pre-tax losses in the last three months of 2023 but has impressive goals, including raising dividends. ADVERTISEMENTUBS Group AG reported a pretax loss of $751 million (€699.7 million) for the closing three months last year, as the Swiss banking giant continued to integrate its longtime rival Credit Suisse after a government-orchestrated merger.A big part of the Zurich-based lender’s losses, $508 million (€473 million), was linked to an investment in SIX Group, which operates Switzerland’s main stock market. The net loss in the quarter came in at $279 million (€260 million), which translates to a loss of 9 cents per share.…

In this episode of Smart Regions, we take a deep dive into Sicily’s underwater laboratory that could help us better understand the origins of our universe. IDMAR is Europe’s largest underwater telescope. It is located off the coast of Portopalo di Capo Passero, at the southern tip of Sicily.Spherical underwater nodes look and listen out for what’s happening in the Mediterranean, transmitting valuable information to researchers in real time.”IDMAR is located 100 kilometres from here, to the east, and through this wire, at a depth of 3500 metres, it provides us with information on geophysics, volcanology, biology and above all…

Euronews Business takes a closer look at tax across Europe to see where people are paying the most – and the least. ADVERTISEMENTAccording to the Tax Foundation, single average wage workers in Europe were paying about one third of their wages in taxes in 2022. Unsurprisingly, tax burdens across Europe vary significantly, with workers in Western European and more developed countries paying considerably more.Denmark (55.9%), Austria (55%), Portugal (53%), Sweden (52.3%) and Belgium (50%) are some of the countries with the highest personal income tax rates. On the other hand, Romania (10%), Bulgaria (10%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (10%), Kosovo (10%) and…

Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday the withdrawal of a contentious law that aimed to reduce the use of pesticides across the European Union, marking the first defeat of the Green Deal. ADVERTISEMENTThe so-called Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR) was first tabled in June 2022 with the ambitious goal of slashing the use of pesticides in half by 2030. It also envisioned the total prohibition of these products in sensitive areas, such as urban green spaces and Natura 2000 sites, and promoted the uptake of low-risk alternatives.SUR proved divisive from its inception and became the object of fierce lobbying from the agricultural sector.…

Euronews Business takes a closer look at how Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, and Tesla now account for nearly one-third of the S&P 500 Index, a concentration that sparks intense debate over the future of market equilibrium. ADVERTISEMENTThe formidable league of the United States’ most colossal technology entities, known as The Magnificent Seven, has reached a market capitalisation of $13 trillion (€12.04 trillion), a figure that strikingly matches the aggregate gross domestic products (GDPs) of Europe’s four largest economies: Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy.Such a comparison not only highlights their financial clout but also raises the question…

Thinking about investing in the popular cryptocurrency? A recent report predicts that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high in 2024. ADVERTISEMENTBitcoin (BTC) is expected to reach a new record at $88,000 (€82,000) throughout the year, before it settles around $77,000 at the end of 2024, according to a new report.The cryptocurrency’s current price sits at around $43,000. UK fintech firm Finder carried out a study based on expert price predictions of 40 crypto industry specialists on how Bitcoin would perform through 2030.It found that Bitcoin will likely hit an average peak price of $87,875 in 2024, with some experts surveyed predicting…

Boeing in the ‘last chance saloon’ warns Emirates boss Sir Tim Clark, as the manufacturer’s crisis continues. ADVERTISEMENTEmirates is planning to send engineers to monitor Boeing’s production lines, Sir Tim Clark, the airline’s president has revealed.  The decision comes after a major incident on one of Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 planes last month, when a cabin panel blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight.He had seen a “progressive decline” in Boeing’s performance, the Emirates boss told the Financial Times.  “They have got to instil this safety culture which is second to none. They’ve got to get their manufacturing processes under…