Page 17 - Europe

Europeans, Arab nations launch initiative for independent Palestinian state

European, Arab and Islamic nations have launched an initiative to strengthen support for a Palestinian state and its institutions, and prepare for a future after the war in Gaza and escalating conflict in Lebanon, Norway's foreign minister said Friday. Espen Barth Eide told The Associated Press that there is a growing consensus in the international community from Western countries, from Arab countries, from the Global South, that we need to establish a Palestinian Authority, a Palestinian government, a Palestinian state and the Palestinian state has to be recognized. Eide said many issues need to be addressed, including the security interests of Israel and the Palestinians, recognition and normalization of relations after decades of conflict and the demobilization of Hamas as a military group. These are pieces of a bigger puzzle, Norway's chief diplomat said. And you can't just come in there with one of these pieces, because it only works if all the pieces are laid in place. But e

Deadly flooding in Central Europe made twice as likely by climate change

Human-caused climate change doubled the likelihood and intensified the heavy rains that led to devastating flooding in Central Europe earlier this month, a new flash study found. Torrential rain in mid-September from Storm Boris pummelled a large part of central Europe, including Romania, Poland, Czechia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Germany, and caused widespread damage. The floods killed 24 people, damaged bridges, submerged cars, left towns without power and in need of significant infrastructure repairs. The severe four-day rainfall was by far the heaviest ever recorded in Central Europe and twice as likely because of warming from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, World Weather Attribution, a collection of scientists that run rapid climate attribution studies, said on Wednesday from Europe. Climate change also made the rains between 7 per cent and 20 per cent more intense, the study found. Yet again, these floods highlight the devastating results of fossil fuel-driven .

Commerzbank warns UniCredit merger threat to Germany's businesses

Earlier this month, UniCredit took a 9 per cent stake in Commerzbank, catching German authorities off guard.

Severe flooding across globe linked to climate-fueled rain storms

Different meteorological phenomena are behind the series of storms, according to climate scientists

June-August recorded as India's 2nd-hottest quarter since 1970: Scientists

India experienced its second-hottest quarter from June to August this year since 1970, with over one-third of the country's population enduring at least seven days of dangerous heat, according to a new report by a US-based group of climate scientists and communicators. The report from Climate Central said climate change made high temperatures over three times more likely on 29 days during these three months. "June through August 2024 was India's second-hottest season since at least 1970, when reliable satellite records are available," the report said, adding that India had the highest number of people exposed to climate change-driven temperatures in Southern Asia during this period. More than 20.5 million people endured high temperatures heavily influenced by climate change for at least 60 days, it said. More than 426 million people (about one-third of India's population) faced at least seven days of dangerous heat, with temperatures exceeding 90 per cent of the usual highs for the

EU court confirms Qualcomm's antitrust fine, with minor reduction

The chipmaker did not immediately reply to an emailed Reuters request for comment

Central Europe floods: Poland, Czech Republic evacuate amid 17 deaths

Torrential rains over the weekend severely impacted the Poland-Czech border, causing bridge collapses, evacuations, and major damage to vehicles and homes

Heavy rains in Central Europe cause flooding, leaving 16 dead in region

Exceptionally heavy rainfall pounding Central Europe has prompted deadly flooding in the region, with four new deaths reported Monday in Poland, three in the Czech Republic and one in Romania. The flooding has swamped parts of Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania as a low-pressure system crossing the region has unleashed record-high rains for days, and it was expected to affect Slovakia and Hungary later in the week. So far 16 people have been reported killed seven people in Romania, five in Poland, three in the Czech Republic and one in Austria. In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk held an emergency meeting and later declared a disaster in flooded areas, a government measure to facilitate evacuation and rescues. He also said the government would provide 1 billion zlotys (USD 258,000) in immediate payouts to victims. The flooding in Poland has burst dams and embankments while receding waters left streets covered in piles of debris and mud. It prompted a hospital in the

French EU commissioner resigns after attacking Ursula von der Leyen

An influential French member of the European Union's powerful executive branch resigned on Monday, calling into question the leadership of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen just as she tries to assemble a new team for the next five years. Thierry Breton, a French business executive and commissioner for the EU's vast internal market who recently clashed with tech billionaire Elon Musk, suggested that von der Leyen had gone behind his back to get another French official named in his place to the next commission. In a post on social media platform X containing his resignation letter to the EU's top official, Breton said that von der Leyen's move was further testimony to questionable governance - I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the college. The commission proposes legislation for the 27 EU member countries and ensures that the rules governing the world's biggest trading bloc are respected. It's made up of a College of commissioners with a .

Germany conducts checks at land borders to crack down irregular migration

Germany on Monday began random checks at its borders with five Western European nations as it seeks to crack down on irregular migration, expanding a system of controls that are already in place at four other borders. The police controls began at the borders with France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark on Monday morning and are due to continue for six months. Germany has already been carrying out the checks at its borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland since last year. Germany, a European Union member, announced last week that it was expanding border checks to all nine of its land borders this week as part of an effort to crack down on irregular migration and crime following recent extremist attacks. Last month, a knife attack blamed on a Syrian asylum-seeker in Solingen killed three people. The suspect claimed to be inspired by the Islamic State group. In June, a knife attack attributed to an Afghan immigrant left a police officer dead and

Washington's crackdown on cheap Chinese goods adds to Temu and Shein woes

The move threatens to reshape parts of the US retail arena and deflate the excitement that's accompanied the meteoric ascent of bargain bazaars like Temu, Shein and Alibaba's Aliexpress

EU antitrust order to Google's adtech business unlikely for now: Report

A break-up order could come at a later stage if Google continues its anti-competitive practices, they said, pointing to a precedent setting case involving Microsoft two decades ago

Strikes deep inside Russia will mean US, Europe at war, says Putin

Putin warned that the West will have direct involvement in the conflict if they allowed Ukraine to use long-range missiles

ECB cuts interest rates as growth dwindles, gives no clue of next step

Economists think the most she will do is keep the door open to another cut in October by saying that all meetings, including the next one, are 'live'

China's commerce minister to visit Europe ahead of EV tariff vote

The announcement of Wang's Europe trip followed the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to China earlier this week where he unexpectedly said the EU should reconsider its position

Planning a trip to Europe? Here's how countries are tackling over-tourism

Overtourism is pushing up rent prices, displacing locals, and straining infrastructure

European business confidence in China is at all-time low, says report

China must reprioritise economic growth and reforms and boost investor confidence by levelling the playing field for all companies in the country, a European business group said Wednesday. With business confidence now at an all-time low over lagging domestic demand and overcapacity in certain industries, the annual European Business in China Position Paper called on China to open its economy and allow a more free market to determine resource allocation. It also recommended introducing policies to boost domestic demand. Profit margins in China are at or below the global average for two-thirds of the companies surveyed earlier in the year, according to the paper published Wednesday by the European Chamber of Commerce in China. In August, China filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation over European Union tariffs on electric vehicles made in China. It also launched anti-dumping and subsidies investigations of European dairy products, brandy and pork exports. The tit-for-tat .

Amazon Web Services to invest $10 billion in UK data centres over 5 years

The company expects the investment project to contribute 14 billion pounds to the country's gross domestic product by the end of 2028 and to support more than 14,000 jobs at British businesses

Mario Draghi urges policy reform, investment drive to revive lagging EU

EU countries had already responded to the new realities, Draghi's report said, but it added that their effectiveness was limited by a lack of coordination

Europe air safety regulator orders checks on Airbus A350-1000 engines

The move affects the larger of two models of twin-engined A350, the A350-1000, which represents 15% of the A350 fleet or 86 jets