Thursday Briefing: Air Conditioning Politics
It's August, and Europe is sweltering. Temperatures are expected to surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Spain and France this week. (Track the heat here.)
In that kind of heat, many turn to air-conditioning. But in France, feelings about A.C. have suddenly become a political litmus test.
Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, declared last month that she would deploy a 'major air-conditioning equipment plan' around the country if her party came to power. Marine Tondelier, the head of the Green party, scoffed at the proposal. Instead, she suggested, France should focus on 'greening' cities and making buildings more energy efficient.
An opinion essay in the conservative Le Figaro defended air-conditioning. The left wing Libération called the technology 'an environmental aberration.' 'Is air-conditioning a far-right thing?' one talk show asked.
An awfully American amenity
For years, Europeans have viewed air-conditioning as an unnecessary — and awfully American — amenity. But times are changing fast.
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CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Live updates: Trump-Putin summit ends without concrete deal on Ukraine
Update: Date: 20 min ago Title: Analysis: No deal in Alaska, but Putin still walks away with some big wins Content: Ukraine could have had a worse night. No deal was cooked up without them. US President Donald Trump looked upset and tired. Perhaps because Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared unbowed, still talking about the 'root causes' of the war, and sounding unreformed. In what sounded like a threat, he even warned Kyiv and its European allies to not meddle in whatever ongoing process he believes he has dragged Trump into. 'We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will perceive all this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles, will not make attempts to disrupt the emerging progress through provocations and behind-the-scenes intrigues,' Putin said. Trump's call to Kyiv and its NATO allies may present some sort of framework that Putin deemed an 'agreement,' but ultimately in the look on Trump's face and his words, it was clear he made no significant deal that he thinks will fly. The two didn't even have lunch together and Putin raced out on his plane. The hardest bits of negotiations are the bits that are left to be agreed at the end. And Trump's statement that there were some 'big' things left unsolved suggests little movement on issues like what land Putin wants and a ceasefire. But there are two big wins here for Putin. First, the remarkable vision of a red carpet welcome to the United States and a ride in 'the Beast' — which both present as an extraordinary form of reputational rehabilitation for an alleged war criminal. It was a horrific sight for many Ukrainians; soured further still by the Kremlin head calling Ukraine a 'brotherly' nation, despite murdering its civilians for three and a half years. The second win is time. Putin has bought more for his forces to advance across the frontline. It is unclear if Trump is sufficiently riled that secondary sanctions may follow in the days ahead. But Putin did not seem to behave as if he was in a hurry, suggesting further meetings and ongoing work. Time matters as Putin's summer offensive is close to turning incremental gains into strategic wins. In the end, Ukraine will wake up with its world unchanged. A ghastly world, but with no sudden US-Russian rapprochement or deal to try and swallow. Update: Date: 20 min ago Title: Key lines from Trump and Putin's joint press briefing Content: No one really knows what Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed yesterday during their lengthy summit in Alaska, as the two did not take questions from reporters after a joint news briefing. But the closed-door talks were ultimately characterized positively by both leaders, even though a critical deal on ending the war in Ukraine was not reached. Here are key lines from the briefing that you should know: Breaking tradition: Putin began remarks at the briefing by acknowledging that US-Russia relations have suffered in recent years. Usually when an American president hosts a foreign counterpart, a joint news conference would begin with remarks from the US leader followed by his guest. Progress on reaching a deal: Trump said he and Putin 'made some headway' and 'great progress' in their bilateral meeting. Still, he added, 'there's no deal until there's a deal.' Putin said the primary causes of the war must be eliminated for the war in Ukraine to end. The Russian leader also told Ukrainian and European leaders not to interfere with 'the emerging progress.' Positive summary: Negotiations between Putin and Trump were held in a 'respectful, constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere,' Putin said. Trump said they had 'an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to.' Other topics mentioned: Putin said he agrees that the security of Ukraine should be ensured. He also claimed at one point that the war in Ukraine would not have happened had Trump been president in 2022. What's next: Trump said he has various calls to make following the summit — some of which include calls to NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other appropriate officials. CNN's Aditi Sangal, Nina Subkhanberdina, Darya Tarasova, Michael Rios, Kit Maher, Tori B. Powell, Kevin Liptak, Katharina Krebs, Mitchell McCluskey, and Adam Cancryn contributed reporting. Update: Date: 20 min ago Title: Trump says striking a deal now up to Zelensky Content: President Donald Trump is putting the onus on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate a ceasefire, saying yesterday evening that there would soon be a meeting set up between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'Now it's really up to President Zelensky to get it done,' Trump said in a Fox News interview following his sitdown with Putin in Alaska. 'They're going to set up a meeting now between President Zelensky and President Putin and myself, I guess.' Trump during the interview declined to detail the final issues that are holding up a deal, saying only that he wants 'to see what we can get done.' But despite not reaching an agreement on yesterday, he touted the summit as a success, ranking the meeting a 10 out of 10, 'in the sense that we got along great.' 'I want to make sure it gets done,' he added. 'And we have a pretty good chance of getting it done.' Update: Date: 20 min ago Title: Analysis: Russian media ecstatic as US rolls out the red carpet for Putin Content: In Russia, the reaction to the summit between President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump has been more than positive. Russian media was ecstatic when the Russian leader received applause from the US president as the red carpet was literally rolled out for Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. 'For years they have been talking about the isolation of Russia, and today they saw the red carpet that greeted the Russian president,' Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry wrote on social media. While both Trump and Putin said agreements have been reached, it's unclear what exactly those are. Meanwhile, Putin does not appear to have backed down from Russia's core demands. The Russian leader in his remarks after the meeting said any deal needs 'to consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world on the whole.' It's not clear how much progress was made toward a ceasefire in Ukraine, but both Trump and Putin have said they ultimately want to normalize relations between the US and Russia and they want to meet again. 'Next time in Moscow,' Russia's leader said. Update: Date: 20 min ago Title: Eastern European officials react with skepticism to Putin's comments Content: Senior government officials in Eastern Europe have reacted with skepticism to comments made by Russian President Vladimir Putin following the Alaska summit. While saying he was interested in ending the conflict, Putin said the primary causes needed to be 'eliminated' for that to happen, adding that the 'situation in Ukraine' had to do with 'fundamental threats to (Russia's) security.' In a post on X on Saturday morning local time, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene accused Putin of 'more gaslighting and veiled threats,' a reference to the Russian leader issuing a warning to Ukraine and Europe not to 'sabotage' progress made at the summit. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in a statement that he welcomed US President Donald Trump's efforts but doubted Putin's interest in a deal, according to Reuters. 'If Putin were serious about negotiating peace, he would not have been attacking Ukraine all day today,' he said. Update: Date: 20 min ago Title: US and Russia to continue building relations despite "resistance," top Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev says Content: Russia's top economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev said the US received Russia 'very well' in Alaska and that the two countries would continue building relations despite 'resistance.' 'The US-Russia summit in Alaska has definitely been productive,' Dmitriev said, adding that there were 'lots of issues that we discussed and many we agreed.' 'Some of them are to be agreed and definitely it's very important that President (Donald) Trump outlines a significant economic potential of cooperation between the US and Russia,' Dmitriev said. 'We will continue building US-Russia relations going forward despite lots of the resistance to this, but we will continue strengthening US-Russia ties.' Update: Date: 21 min ago Title: "It was positive that there was no deal," CNN's Fareed Zakaria says Content: The red-carpet welcome in Alaska for Russian President Vladimir Putin signals that US President Donald Trump 'thinks Putin is, you know, an equal,' says CNN's Fareed Zakaria. Trump treated Putin like 'this big shot on the world stage, and he's been treated by the rest of the west as a kind of pariah,' Zakaria said, referring to an ICC war crimes warrant issued for the Russian president's arrest that restricts his movements around the globe. 'So there was a lot of the atmospherics that were cringeworthy,' he said. However, Zakaria said that in his analysis, 'it was a positive that there was no deal.'I think everyone was worried that there was going to be a deal in which Trump was going to make major concessions. I don't think anyone thought Putin was going to make any concessions. The fear was that Donald Trump was going to cave in the various ways — sell out Ukraine, sell out Europeans. And he didn't do that. And so I think, you know, I'm at least relieved,' Zakaria said. Update: Date: 20 min ago Title: Trump and Putin skipped Q&A because 'exhaustive statements were made,' Kremlin spokesperson says Content: US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin skipped answering questions at yesterday's joint news conference because their statements said it all, according to the Kremlin's spokesperson. 'Exhaustive statements were made,' Dmitry Peskov said when asked why the two leaders only delivered remarks at the news conference, according to Russia's RIA Novosti news agency. 'The conversation is really very positive, and the two presidents spoke about it. This is the very conversation that allows us to confidently continue moving forward together on the path of seeking resolution options,' Peskov said, RIA reported. Update: Date: 11 min ago Title: Trump says he and Putin made "great progress" toward a deal and that he's calling Zelensky and NATO leaders Content: US President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin 'made some headway' and 'great progress' in their bilateral meeting, but added that 'there's no deal until there's a deal.' 'I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate. And I'll, of course, call up President [Volodymyr] Zelensky and tell him about today's meeting. It's ultimately up to them,' Trump said after today's summit in Anchorage, Alaska.'We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,' Trump said, adding, 'We didn't get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.' Trump added that Ukraine would have to 'agree' with what Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and others in his administration discussed with Putin today, though he did not delve into specifics on any framework for a deal. Trump and Putin took no questions after their statements. Putin kicked of remarks and spoke for about eight minutes. Trump, who is known for typically longer and at times free-wheeling news conferences, only spoke for about four minutes. 'I'm going to start making a few phone calls and tell them what happened,' Trump said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Davos founder Schwab cleared of misconduct by WEF probe
An investigation conducted by the World Economic Forum's board on Friday cleared the body's founder Klaus Schwab and his wife of wrongdoing, after a probe into whistleblower complaints. "Following a thorough review of all facts, the Board has concluded that ... there is no evidence of material wrongdoing by Klaus Schwab," the board announced. In April, the Wall Street Journal reported that an anonymous letter sent to the prestigious institution's board of directors accused Schwab and his wife Hilde of mixing their personal affairs with Forum resources without proper oversight. A spokesperson for Schwab had immediately denied all these accusations, but the 87-year-old said he would step down as head of the WEF. The board of the WEF, best known for its annual summit for political and business elites in the luxury Swiss ski resort of Davos, asked a law firm to carry out an independent probe of the allegations. "Minor irregularities, stemming from blurred lines between personal contributions and Forum operations, reflect deep commitment rather than intent of misconduct," the statement said. "The Board has taken action to address all issues identified throughout the investigation, including strengthening the governance in general." Also on Friday, the WEF said it will be replacing former Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe as interim chairman of the board. He is being replaced by the billionaire duo of Larry Finck, the American co-founder of the investment fund Blackrock, and Andre Hoffmann, the Swiss vice-chairman of the pharmaceutical group Roche, according to a separate statement. The letter alleged Schwab had asked junior employees to withdraw "thousands of dollars" from ATMs for him and used organisation funds to pay for massages during hotel stays. But the probe found nothing improper in his conduct. Schwab was born in Ravensburg, Germany, on March 30, 1938. He was married with two children. He was a professor of business management at the University of Geneva, where he taught until 2003, when in the early 1970s he launched the "European Management Forum," the precursor to the current Forum. He expanded it by inviting American business leaders, successfully building a huge network of the world's economic and political elite, transforming the event into a major high-level international gathering dedicated to business relations and the exchange of ideas. The Forum's success has led to the satirical concept of "Davos Man", the supposed avatar of a globalised elite of the stateless ultra-rich committed to free trade and high-minded seminars on corporate social responsibility. Like other international organisations, the WEF has spurred conspiracy theories alleging that it was seeking to establish a "new world order". Elon Musk, the world's richest man and once an influential member of US President Donald Trump's inner circle, accused Schwab on his social media platform X of wanting to "be the emperor of the Earth." vog/gv/dc
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Family benefits in Europe: Which countries offer the best social security?
Family benefits play a key role in fighting poverty and promoting social inclusion. They help support households and are especially important in preventing child poverty. Across Europe, social security systems and family benefits vary hugely. One way to compare them is by looking at how much each country spends per person. In 2022, EU countries spent an average of €830 per person on family benefits. That's a 47% rise from €566 in 2012. But how do these benefits compare across Europe? Which countries spend the most to support families? In the EU, expenditure on family benefits per person in 2022 ranged from €211 in Bulgaria to €3,789 in Luxembourg according to Eurostat. When EU candidates and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries are included, Albania offered the lowest benefits per person at just €48, closely followed by Turkey (€57) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (€59). North-West vs South-East divide in family benefits In general, family benefits per person are highest in Northern and Western Europe, and lowest in the South and East. After Luxembourg, Nordic countries top the list: Norway (€2,277), Denmark (€1,878), Iceland (€1,874), Sweden (€1,449), and Finland (€1,440). 'Nordic countries and France remain among the highest overall spenders on family benefits, although their approach relies more on in-kind services such as childcare, which are not fully captured by per capita cash benefit measures,' Dr Anne Daguerre from University of Brighton told Euronews Business. Germany (€1,616), Switzerland (€1,375), Austria (€1,340), and Ireland (€1,026) also spend over €1,000 per person. Belgium (€976) and France (€867) rank above the EU average, but don't reach the €1,000 mark. The Netherlands offered €670 per person in family benefits. This is €160 below the EU average. Italy (€524) and Spain (€427), both part of the EU's 'Big Four' economies, fell short. EU candidate countries offer the lowest levels of family benefits. Montenegro (€131) and Serbia (€117) follow Albania, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are among the bottom three. Prof. Grega Strban from the University of Ljubljana expressed caution when comparing countries: 'The question is whether all the countries classify all benefits in the same manner.' He emphasised that there are many policy considerations behind them. 'Some focus on the support for parents (or guardians of a child), others on children (and students) themselves. Some are universal, some targeted. Some are linked to disability or social assistance,' he added. Related Educated but still unemployed: How does unemployment vary among university graduates across Europe? Surviving retirement: Where do older Europeans get their money? How have family benefits changed over the past 10 years? Among 32 countries, family benefits per person decreased in only two nations in euro terms, while increases varied significantly over the past 10 years. In the EU, the average rose from €566 in 2012 to €830 in 2022. This a 47% increase, or €264. It declined by 5% (or -€130) in Norway and 18% (or -€62) in Cyprus. Part of this change may be due to exchange rate fluctuations. In percentage terms, Poland reported an unprecedented increase of 320%, followed by Latvia (245%), Romania (227%), and Lithuania (198%). Family benefits per person also more than doubled in Estonia (125%), Serbia (115%), Bulgaria (112%), Iceland (110%), and Croatia (101%). The increase was below 30% in Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Hungary, France, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland. Most of these countries already offered higher benefits with the exception of Hungary. In euro terms, the largest increases were recorded in Iceland (€980), Luxembourg (€819), and Germany (€558). Drivers of change in family benefits 'Family benefit spending per person has increased markedly across the EU since 2012, but the drivers of this growth differ sharply between countries,' Dr Daguerre told Euronews Business. She noted that the most striking increases are in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, particularly Hungary and Poland: 'In these cases, the growth is largely driven by selective pronatalist policies aimed at boosting fertility rates and supporting traditional family models. These cash-heavy strategies reflect a broader shift toward more socially conservative welfare agendas.' She also added that Italy under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been following a similar path since 2022. Growth in family benefits can also reflect different priorities. 'Lithuania, for instance, has also seen significant increases, but through the introduction of a universal child benefit in 2018. This reform was primarily designed to reduce child poverty and ensure more inclusive access to support, especially for low-income families who had previously been excluded from tax-based systems,' she explained. Dr Anne Daguerre pointed out that some Southern European countries like Greece and Cyprus show stagnation or only modest increases in spending, despite persistently low fertility rates. Related Personal income tax rates in Europe: Where do workers pay the highest and lowest taxes? Which nations have the highest and lowest minimum wages across Europe? What are family benefits? Family benefits are 'all benefits in kind or in cash intended to meet family expenses under the social security legislation of a Member State' according to the European Commission. Family benefits include parental and child-raising allowances that help cover the costs of raising a child and compensate for lost income when a parent stops working. Childcare allowances for working parents also fall under family benefits. The chart above shows the impact of family tax allowances: One-earner couples with two dependent children have significantly higher take-home pay relative to their gross salaries. Euronews article titled 'Net vs gross salaries in Europe: How much are employees really taking home?' analyses in more detail the role of family allowances on personal finances across Europe. Sign in to access your portfolio
