Author: Euronews

The average UK rent price has risen to yet another new high, although supply and demand is starting to even out. ADVERTISEMENTAdvertised UK rents outside London reached an average of £1,280 (€1,500) per month in the final quarter of 2023, according to a report from property site Rightmove.Despite the price figure reaching a record high for the 16th month in a row, the figure is only a £2 (0.2%) increase on the July to September figure.Looking at annual changes, advertised rents are now 9.2% higher than last year, the lowest annual growth rate seen since 2021.”We can’t keep seeing double…

EU says it’s “extremely concerned” by Israel’s allegations that staff of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees were involved in October 7th attacks. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission and foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called in a joint statement for UNRWA to “provide full transparency on the allegations and to take immediate measures against staff involved.”UNRWA announced earlier on Friday it was probing the potential involvement of several of its staff members in Hamas’ 7 October attacks, which left more than 1,200 Israelis dead and provoked a war in Gaza that has left claimed the lives of more than 26,000 Palestinians.According to…

European markets benefited from spillover sentiment from US equities this week, as well as upbeat economic data. ADVERTISEMENTEuropean shares closed the week on an upbeat note, drawing optimism from the record performance of the S&P 500 this week, which was at all-time highs of $4,894.17 (€4,500.34) on Friday afternoon. A surprisingly robust advance estimate for the Q4 2023 US gross domestic product (GDP) report contributed significantly to the positive sentiment.The CAC 40 index inched up 2.52% this week to €7,637.8, with the Stoxx 600 index also rising 2.71% to €484.1. The FTSE 100 index closed up 2.46% at £7,640.9 (€8,956.2).Gold…

Farmers’ protests across Europe sparked a surge in popularity of right-wing populist parties and have made agricultural policy one of the main topics of the upcoming European election campaign. ADVERTISEMENTFarming policy has long been a sensitive issue in the European Union with farmers acquiring a track record of disruptive protests, especially in France, the EU’s biggest agricultural producer.This week, following similar protests in countries from Germany to Romania, their French colleagues hit the barricades – or rather built barricades.The protests were over a series of long-standing grievances, including low pay, new environmental regulations and rising energy costs which farmers say…

The latest economic data from Ireland’s national statistical office shows the economy is continuing to contract. ADVERTISEMENTIrish gross domestic product (GDP) experienced a 0.7% quarter-on-quarter contraction in the fourth quarter of 2023. According to a preliminary estimate published by the Central Statistics Office on Friday, GDP was 3.4% lower compared with the same period last year.The decline was mainly driven by decreases in the multinational-dominated sectors between October and December 2023.”In today’s release, GDP is estimated to have fallen by 0.7% in Q4 2023 in volume terms when compared with Q3 2023, driven by decreases in the multinational-dominated sectors of…

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews. Encouraging some 13,500 teenagers to start driving lorries would be a dangerous experiment, leading to many more of the highest-risk group of drivers behind the wheel of vehicles that cause the most devastation when crashed, Antonio Avenoso writes. ADVERTISEMENTImagine driving a car along a rural road at night with your kids asleep in the back. Conditions are a little foggy, and visibility is reduced. All of a sudden, a 40-tonne articulated lorry is coming towards you from the…

A recent boycott campaign in Italy against a large pasta brand has caused a social media stir after a senior Italian politician visited the factory. But in fact, how powerful can a boycott campaign be on brands? ADVERTISEMENTOne of Italy’s most popular pasta makers, Rummo, which exports its products to more than 60 countries worldwide, has recently become the target of a social media boycott campaign.Italian Deputy Prime Minister and right-wing League leader, Matteo Salvini, visited the pasta factory last Friday, and shared a video of the site on his social media accounts. He said: “The scent doesn’t reach you, though, in the…

It is “premature” for NATO allies to make “conclusions” about the impact of Donald Trump’s potential return on the military alliance, its US Ambassador has told Euronews. ADVERTISEMENTJulianne Smith told Euronews in an interview on Thursday that she would “hesitate to make any predictions” about November’s US presidential elections. “There’s always the difference between what candidates say on the campaign trail and what actually transpires should they assume a leadership role,” Smith said from NATO’s headquarters in Brussels. Her remarks came as former US president and current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump widened his lead over Biden in the early polls.Trump, a NATO…

The ECB President warned that the European economy most likely experienced stagflation in the last quarter of 2023 and outlined the risks of further economic slowdown. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Central Bank (ECB) is proceeding with caution in the face of global economic uncertainties, according to President Christine Lagarde. She has emphasised that, while the disinflation process is underway, the ECB remains committed to a data-dependent approach and will make decisions on a meeting-by-meeting basis.In its January meeting, the ECB maintained interest rates at their current level for the third consecutive time, in line with market expectations. Lagarde indicated no explicit direction…

Members of the European Parliament spent Wednesday afternoon grilling three Commissioners over what they described as a “background deal” with Viktor Orbán to release frozen EU funds. ADVERTISEMENTCommissioners Didier Reynders (Justice), Nicolas Schmit (Jobs) and Johannes Hahn (Budget) were questioned over the decision to unblock cash for Hungary, which the European Commission had previously paralysed over persistent rule-of-law concerns.The main point of contention was the particular timing of the mid-December decision to release €10.2 billion in reaction to the judicial reform to decrease political interference that Budapest adopted,which was taken one day before a high-stakes summit of EU leaders.The overhaul was…