Telefonica, Masorange Said to Hold Early Talks on Vodafone Spain
One of the possible scenarios being explored would be to break up Vodafone Spain's fixed-line and its mobile or enterprise operations, due to possible antitrust issues, the people said. MasOrange could also potentially take over Vodafone's low-cost brand Lowi, one of the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private.
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News24
10 minutes ago
- News24
Trump promises Ukraine security guarantee against Russia: ‘There's going to be a lot of help'
US President Donald Trump promised Ukraine security guarantees. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky may meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for direct talks to end the war. European leaders urged Trump to insist that Putin agree to a ceasefire. US President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday that the US would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any deal to end Russia's war there, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear. Trump made the pledge during an extraordinary summit at the White House, where he hosted Zelensky and a group of European allies following his meeting on Friday in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'When it comes to security, there's going to be a lot of help,' Trump told reporters, adding that European countries would be involved. 'They are a first line of defence because they're there, but we'll help them out.' Zelensky hailed the promise as 'a major step forward', adding that the guarantees would be 'formalised on paper within the next week to 10 days' and saying Ukraine offered to buy about $90 billion worth of US weapons. The tone on Monday was much warmer than a disastrous Oval Office meeting that saw Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly criticise the Ukrainian leader in February. But a peace deal still appeared far from imminent. Just before the talks began, Russia's Foreign Ministry ruled out the deployment of troops from NATO countries to help secure a peace deal, adding complications to Trump's offer. Both Trump and Zelensky said they hoped Monday's gathering would eventually lead to three-way talks with Putin, whose forces have been slowly grinding forward in eastern Ukraine. In a social media post late on Monday, Trump said he had called the Russian leader and begun arranging a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, to be followed by a trilateral summit among the three presidents. Trump told European leaders that Putin suggested that sequence, according to a source in the European delegation. While the Kremlin has not publicly announced its agreement, a senior US administration official said the Putin-Zelensky meeting could take place in Hungary. AFP The pair will meet within the next two weeks, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The last direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Turkey in June. Putin declined Zelensky's public invitation to meet him face-to-face there and sent a low-level delegation instead. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in audio remarks on Telegram on Monday that Trump and Putin had discussed 'the possibility of raising the level of representatives from the Ukrainian and Russian sides ... participating in the mentioned direct negotiations'. Meanwhile, European leaders - who rushed to Washington to back up Zelensky - urged Trump to insist that Putin agree to a ceasefire in the three-and-a-half-year-old war before any talks could advance. Trump previously backed that proposal but reversed course after meeting with Putin on Friday, instead adopting Moscow's position that any peace agreement be comprehensive. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he liked the concept of a ceasefire, but the two sides could work on a peace deal while the fighting continued. I wish they could stop, I'd like them to stop. Donald Trump 'But strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other,' Trump added. Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron voiced support for a ceasefire as a prerequisite to any direct talks with Russia. Macron also said European leaders would eventually need to be included in any peace talks. 'When we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent,' he told Trump. Trump and Zelensky spoke in private before joining the contingent of European leaders including heads of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and NATO for more than two hours of multilateral talks. Zelensky navigated Monday's meeting more successfully than his Oval Office encounter in February, which ended abruptly when Trump and Vance publicly upbraided him for not being grateful enough. In his opening remarks to the media on Monday, Zelensky repeated his thanks at least eight times. Zelensky also had reinforcements this time. The European leaders travelled to Washington to demonstrate solidarity with Kyiv and push for strong security guarantees for the country in any post-war settlement. Andre Luis Alves/Anadolu via Getty Images Trump greeted Zelensky warmly upon his arrival outside the White House, expressing admiration for his black suit, a departure from the Ukrainian leader's typical military clothes which media reports said irritated Trump in February. When a reporter asked Trump what his message was to the people of Ukraine, he said: 'We love them.' Zelensky thanked him, and Trump put his hand on Zelensky's back in a show of affection before the two men went inside to the Oval Office. Trump has pressed for a quick end to Europe's deadliest war in 80 years, and Kyiv and its allies worry he could seek to force an agreement on Russia's terms after the president on Friday rolled out the red carpet - literally - for Putin, who faces war crimes charges from the International Criminal Court. Putin denies those allegations. Russia says it is engaged in a 'special military operation' in Ukraine to protect its national security, claiming NATO's eastward expansion and Western military support for Ukraine pose existential threats. Kyiv and its Western allies say the invasion is an imperial-style land grab. Trump has rejected claims that the Alaska summit was a win for Putin, who has faced diplomatic isolation since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Both sides must compromise, according to Trump's team. But the president has put the burden on Zelensky, saying Ukraine should give up hopes of regaining Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, or of joining NATO. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said NATO membership for Ukraine was not under discussion but that there was a discussion on 'Article 5'-type security guarantees for the country. Article 5 of NATO's founding treaty enshrines the principle of collective defence, in which an attack on any of its 32 members is considered an attack on all. Joining the Atlantic alliance is a strategic objective for Kyiv that is enshrined in the country's constitution. Rutte's comments noted that a security guarantee of that scale could be offered to Ukraine in lieu of NATO membership. Zelensky has already all but rejected the outline of Putin's proposals from the Alaska meeting. Those included handing over the remaining quarter of its eastern Donetsk region, which is largely controlled by Russia. Any concession of Ukrainian territory would have to be approved by a referendum. The war has killed or wounded more than a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts, and destroyed wide swaths of the country.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Property tax across Europe: Which countries collect the most, and what's their share of total tax?
Spain is considering a 100% tax on homes bought by non-EU buyers. While the goal is to ease the country's housing problem, property tax is a major source of income in many European countries. According to the European Commission, property tax as a share of GDP in the EU ranges from 0.3% in Czechia and Estonia to 3.7% in France in 2023. The EU average is 1.9%. But how much property tax do governments collect across Europe? What share of total tax revenue comes from property taxes? And how much does real estate transfer tax amount to as a percentage of GDP? Euronews Business takes a closer look at property tax revenues across Europe. What share of GDP does property tax make up? In the EU, property tax contributes to the highest share of GDP in France (3.7%) and the lowest in Czechia and Estonia (both 0.3%). When European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, the UK, and Turkey are included—using some OECD data—the UK ranks slightly above France, though both are around 3.7%. Belgium is also above 3%, at 3.2%. Spain ranks fifth at 2.5%, followed by Greece at 2.7%. Other countries with a share above 2% include Iceland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, and Portugal. Property tax accounts for less than 1% of GDP in nearly half of the 32 countries on the list. It is especially low in Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Czechia, all below 0.5%. Among Europe's five largest economies, Germany has a significantly lower share at 1% compared with the others. Italy ranks fourth at 2.1%, while France and the UK top the list. The chart above shows that Northwestern Europe collects a higher percentage of their GDP through property tax, while Eastern Europe and the Baltics collects a lower share. In Southern Europe, the picture is more mixed, though often on the higher side. According to the OECD, property taxes include all recurrent and non-recurrent levies on the use, ownership, or transfer of property. They cover taxes on immovable property or net wealth, inheritance and gift taxes, and taxes on financial and capital transactions. Related Where in Europe are workers losing ground as taxes rise faster than wages? Where did house prices and rents rise the most in 2024 across Europe? What about revenues from property taxes? The UK collected the most property tax revenue in 2023 at €115 billion (£100bn), followed by France at €104.5 billion. These two countries dominate property tax revenues, with third-place Italy collecting just €45.3 billion. Germany and Spain complete the top five, collecting €41.4 billion and €36.8 billion respectively. The EU total stands at €318.8 billion. Belgium (€18.8 billion), Switzerland (€17.9 billion), the Netherlands (€14.4 billion), and Poland (€10.7 billion) also collected over €10 billion in property tax revenue in 2023. In 10 EU countries, property tax revenue is below €1 billion, with Estonia the lowest at €110 million. Property tax as a share of total taxation The share of property taxes making up total taxation varies widely across Europe. In 2023, in the EU, it ranges from 0.8% in Estonia and Czechia to 8.4% in France, according to the European Commission. The EU average was 4.7%. In addition to France, seven other EU countries had property tax shares above 5%: Belgium (7.4%), Greece (7%), Spain (6.7%), Portugal (5.9%), Luxembourg (5.7%), Italy (5.1%), and Denmark (5.1%). In Germany, property taxes account for just 2.5% of total taxation. Related Global personal wealth: Which countries have the highest shares in Europe? Top UK CEOs richer than ever: FTSE 100 boss pay breaks records for third year Shares of property transfer tax across Europe Property transfer taxes, expressed as a share of GDP, indicate the importance of real estate sales as a source of government revenue in some countries. These taxes apply to financial and capital transactions, mainly involving buying, selling, and stamp duties. According to the OECD, this share was 1% of GDP in Italy in 2023, followed by Belgium, Portugal, and Spain (all 0.8%). In France, property transfer taxes accounted for 0.7% of GDP, compared with 0.6% in the UK and 0.3% in Germany. Spain's proposal for a property 100% tax for non-EU buyers is sparking debate across Europe. In May 2025, during hearings at the European Parliament, José García Montalvo, Professor of Economics at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, said housing tax policies may not be the most efficient way to address certain problems in the housing market. 'Constant policy changes and lack of coordination between tax policy and housing supply measures undermine the effectiveness of housing tax policies leading to unpredictable market outcomes and persistent problems of affordability,' he said. Diana Hourani from the Personal and Property Taxes Unit of OECD, noted that there is significant scope to enhance the efficiency, equity and revenue potential of many different types of housing taxes in OECD countries. 'Improving these taxes can, in many cases, also ease upward pressure on house prices,' Hourani added. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Vera Clinic Is an Official Partner of the Houston Rockets for 2025-2026 NBA Season
Istanbul, Turkey--(Newsfile Corp. - August 18, 2025) - Vera Clinic, the 2021 European Medicine Award Winner for Medical Excellence in the Hair Transplant Surgery category, is pleased to announce its partnership with the Houston Rockets for the 2025-2026 NBA season. As the exclusive hair transplant provider for the Houston Rockets, the clinic has drawn attention across the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe. Vera Clinic is an Official Partner of the Houston Rockets for 2025-2026 NBA Season To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: Vera Clinic was founded in 2013 in Istanbul by Kazim Sipahi. Since then, it has become a global name in hair restoration, known for its signature Sapphire FUE technique, Oxycure post-operative therapy, and transparent treatment packages trusted by over 40,000 patients worldwide. Rather than working with a local sponsor, the Houston Rockets selected a clinic based in Istanbul, reflecting the growing recognition of international providers in global healthcare. This moment reflects a shift in how Turkey is being seen on the global healthcare map. Once known mainly for budget-friendly treatments, Turkey is now attracting international attention for its medical quality, innovative procedures, and certified specialists, particularly in the fields of cosmetic surgery, hair restoration, and regenerative therapy. The partnership builds global trust by placing Turkish medicine on a world stage. It highlights innovation by showcasing Turkish contributions to medical science, such as Sapphire FUE and Oxycure. It repositions the narrative, shifting perceptions of Turkey from simply affordable to medically advanced. It contributes to national growth, with Turkey's medical tourism sector contributing over $2.5 billion annually as of 2024, fueled by cross-border partnerships and international certifications. "Partnering with the Houston Rockets is a reflection of what has been built over the last decade," said Kazim Sipahi, the CEO of Vera Clinic. "From day one, transparency, science, and ethical care have been priorities. To be acknowledged by an institution like the Rockets means the standard is global." When a top NBA team places its trust in a clinic, fans and followers take notice. For patients who travel to Istanbul, Vera Clinic offers full-package solutions. Airport transfers, hotel stay, translator services, surgery, post-operative checkups, and medications are bundled into one fixed price, ranging from €2,500 to €6,000 depending on technique and graft count. Vera Clinic is an Official Partner of the Houston Rockets for 2025-2026 NBA Season To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: The collaboration was based on medical outcomes and clinical trust, rather than promotional endorsements. The Houston Rockets and Vera Clinic agreement reflects a larger trend in which medical credibility is transcending borders. A basketball team is investing in scientific care, clinical transparency, and global outcomes; not just sponsorship optics. Patients are increasingly searching for clinics with real metrics, therapies backed by measurable outcomes, and partnerships that signal clinical trust rather than financial arrangements. The collaboration between the Houston Rockets and Vera Clinic aligns with that model. Contact Info:Name: Mouheb BouzgarrouEmail: mouheb@ Vera ClinicAddress: Kartal Polyclinic: Kordonboyu, Turgut Ozal Blv. No: 47, 34860 Kartal/IstanbulPhone: +90 542 743 54 08Website: To view the source version of this press release, please visit Sign in to access your portfolio
