Author: Euronews

The majority of UK manufacturers view the country as a more competitive place to locate their activities. ADVERTISEMENTMore than half (52.7%) of UK manufacturers think their country is now a more competitive place to operate, compared to just 31% last year, although they are wary of the current threat to their competitiveness posed by China and the US.The findings come from a 2024 survey by manufacturers’ organisation Make UK and accountancy firm PwC, published on Monday. The poll of more than 200 senior manufacturing executives shows that around a third believe the UK is increasing its competitiveness against Germany and France,…

Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could take the reins at the European Council in July unless EU leaders can swiftly find a successor to its current president. ADVERTISEMENTCharles Michel unexpectedly announced on Saturday that he would be the lead candidate for his Belgian liberal party – the Reformist Movement (MR) – in the European elections which take place on 6-9 June.This means Michel, a former Belgian prime minister who has presided over the European Council since 2019, is highly likely to be elected as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) and stand down as Council chief following the election.The EU’s…

Elon Musk’s possible use of illegal drugs is causing concern for bosses within his companies, according to a Wall Street Journal report. ADVERTISEMENTAllegations made against Elon Musk over possible drug use is worrying executives within his companies, a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has suggested.  Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla and SpaceX, has denied the claims, insisting no trace of drugs or alcohol has been found in his body during random tests over three years.The allegations followed a recent SpaceX meeting, when, the report said, an executive  described Musk as “nonsensical,” “unhinged,” and “cringeworthy” after the chief…

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews. Our commitment and destiny lie within the EU, but the speed of our journey towards membership will directly impact democracy and the living standards of our citizens, Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović writes. ADVERTISEMENTFor decades, Bosnians and Herzegovinians have been waiting for good news from Brussels. My compatriots, who are no strangers to ill fortunes, always knew that the road to European Union membership is not without significant obstacles.If anything, Bosnia and…

JD Sports shares fell around 20% on Thursday, following the retail chain issuing a gloomier profit forecast than before ADVERTISEMENTJD Sports shares plunged about 18% on Thursday, ending up around €1.39 on Friday afternoon, following the company issuing a downbeat profit forecast. The shoe retailer warned profits may come in about £125 million lower for the financial year ending in February 2024.The new profit forecast is now estimated to be in the range between £915 million and £935 million, 10% less than its previous forecast.JD Sports revealed the warning was mainly due to lower-than-expected sales during the winter and festive…

In this edition, we look ahead to a year that will be marked by key European Parliament elections and a leap in AI. ADVERTISEMENTThis week we are joined by Didrik de Schaetzen, Secretary General of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Laura Shields, Managing Director of Red Thread EU and Andrea Renda, Director of Research at the think tank CEPS.Panelists look ahead to what will be a bumper year of elections all across the globe and take a look at the major challenges of 2024. The big day in Europe’s agenda this year will be the European Parliamentary…

European markets were somewhat downbeat this week, due to disappointing economic data and upcoming US non-farm payrolls ADVERTISEMENTEuropean shares dropped on Friday afternoon, pressurised by lacklustre economic data from major economies such as Germany and France earlier in the week. On Friday, Eurozone inflation for December came in at 2.9%, above November’s 2.4%, mainly due to several government subsidies winding up.The French CAC 40 index fell 2.49% this week to €7,358.7, while the Stoxx 600 index dipped 1.24% to €472.5. The FTSE 100 index also slid 0.77% to £7,663.1.According to the lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, Sophie Lund-Yates: “The…

China is launching an anti-dumping probe into imports of brandy from the European Union, a move which follows the bloc’s trade inquiry into Chinese electric vehicles. ADVERTISEMENTThe Chinese ministry of commerce said Friday that the investigation comes after complaints were made by the country’s alcoholic beverages association on behalf of a domestic brand.An anti-dumping probes involves investigating whether a country is importing products at a price below fair market value.A spokesperson on behalf of the European Commission confirmed that the investigation concerned “spirits (commonly known as brandy) products derived from distilled wines originating in the European Union.””We are now assessing the…

The US economy saw the most job increases in the government, healthcare and leisure and hospitality sectors ADVERTISEMENTUS non-farm payroll numbers for December 2023 came in on Friday, with the US labour market having added about 216,000 new jobs, more than 173,000 in November, as well as higher than analyst estimates of 170,000.This was mainly led by the government sector, which saw an increase of 52,000 jobs, as well as the healthcare sector, with 38,000 additional jobs. Leisure and hospitality added 40,000, with construction adding 17,000 and social assistance, 21,000.On the other hand, warehousing and transportation saw a dip of…

Six months ahead of the EU elections, polls predict strong results for the two most right-leaning groups in the European Parliament. ADVERTISEMENTDecember polling by aggregator Europe Elects suggests that, if combined, the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group and the eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) could muster enough support to match the size of the centre-right European People’s Party – currently the parliament’s largest group.But the poll also predicts that the informal coalition between the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and centrist-liberal Renew Europe (RE) will still retain its comfortable absolute majority, with 404 out of…