'19 months into a genocide: The intent from the Israeli side is to ethnically cleanse Palestinians'
06:25
20/05/2025
Rethinking management of natural resources: Filtration of bottled water just the tip of the iceberg
20/05/2025
Gaza: International pressure mounts in Israel
20/05/2025
The first humanitarian trucks allowed into Gaza after 3 months without aid
20/05/2025
EU leaders to pressure Russia with more sanctions
20/05/2025
Trump administration to pay $5 million to family of woman shot at US Capitol riot
20/05/2025
Strikes kill scores in Gaza as Israel ramps up 'extensive' ground offensive
20/05/2025
Israel recovers possessions linked to Eli Cohen, a spy executed in Syria in the 1960s
20/05/2025
Choose France Summit: Indonesia eyes new markets and strategy to navigate Trump's trade war
20/05/2025
In Barcelona, the price of coffee rises the longer you stay on the terrace
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France 24
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Syria introduces dress code for women at public beaches
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Euronews
32 minutes ago
- Euronews
European Commissioner Maria L Albuquerque advocates for investing in savings with risk
The Union of Savings and Investments is "an idea that seeks to create opportunities for people's savings to be invested with a higher return, especially when we think of long-term savings,' she said. 'We will issue a recommendation to the Member States to create a savings and investment account, through which a set of investment options that are simple, low-cost (...) and with tax incentives will be made available so that people feel more drawn to this type of investment." The European Commissioner acknowledges that the alternative to fixed-term deposits is investment in financial products with higher risk, in the medium- and long-term. "We will recommend to the Member States that they create these accounts, in which the products offered are, obviously, suitable to the profile of the retail investor. But yes, investment in the capital market involves risk. There is no capital guarantee." But, if the money is a low-interest deposit, bank customers are losing money due to inflation. "They are, in a way that they do not realise, probably. Because, if we put €1,000 in a deposit, at the end of the period we will receive that €1,000 plus interest. The truth is that with that €1,000, we can buy fewer things. When it is said that money is lost in deposits, it is not losing in terms of euros, but what we can purchase with them. It is, therefore, a loss and a waste of the savings effort," emphasised Maria Luís Albuquerque. Regarding the protectionist positions of some EU governments concerning mergers and acquisitions of foreign banks, as is the case with Portugal, the European Commissioner has a warning. "There are, in fact, very focused protectionist attitudes regarding a national perspective. I have been saying that we need to change our way of thinking and we must understand that being domestic means being European,' she said. 'The Commission, as you know, never comments on specific cases. But, concerning banking issues, we have in place a banking union that already involves all the countries in the euro area, and in which the rules that must be followed for mergers and acquisitions of banking institutions are defined. It is the European Central Bank, the relevant supervisor, and the competition authorities that must pronounce on any specific operation." European companies and banks need to be bigger and gain scale to compete with the US and other regions, argues Maria Luís Albuquerque. "For us to compete with the United States, with China, with the big international blocs, we need the muscle that represents the European Union as a whole and not each of the member states per se.' 'Because none of us is big enough, even the largest, or powerful enough to face that level of competition. Therefore, in that sense, we need companies and banks that are capable of competing with the big global financial institutions to offer more and better services, at more competitive prices," Maria Luís Albuquerque explained. A new study revealed that Denmark, Finland and Sweden are the top three among 16 European countries ranked by their favourability towards women in the workplace and living conditions in 2025. The research from an online gaming company, CasinooftheKings, gathered data from Eurostat, OECD, the International Labour Organisation and the European Institute for Gender Equality to analyse gender-related economic and social indicators across 16 countries. The 10 key indicators include the gender wage gap, bank account ownership and the share of women who are entrepreneurs. Denmark leads the list, with a life score of 83, reflecting smaller gaps in employment and high gender equality. The country offers the longest maternity leave in the ranking, with 18 months, and has a high gender equality index of 0.78. Denmark also has the smallest gender gap in managerial positions, with 27.9%. In second place is Finland, with a life score of 80. The country has more female entrepreneurs than Denmark, at 1.9%, and the smallest employment gap in the ranking, at 1.5%. However, it trails behind in maternal leave availability and the gender wage gap. Sweden ranks third on the list of the best countries for women to work and live in 2025, scoring 79. The country has the widest gender gap in managerial positions in the top 10, with 42.3%, but stands out with a small wage gap of 7.3% and a full year of maternity leave. "The Nordic countries continue to dominate global rankings for gender equality in the workplace, demonstrating that comprehensive social policies can create environments where women thrive professionally," said a spokesperson from CasinooftheKings. "These results highlight how structural supports like parental leave and wage transparency translate to measurable differences in women's lives, providing a blueprint for other nations seeking to improve gender equality." On the other hand, Italy and Greece are at the bottom of the list, with life scores of 52 and 56. Italy has the highest employment gap among all the analysed countries, followed by Greece. Meanwhile, the UK has the smallest percentage of women entrepreneurs, and France has the widest median gender wage gap, at 22.2%.
France 24
39 minutes ago
- France 24
Ukraine's Zelensky hopes to push Trump on US Russia sanctions at G7
In two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul, Moscow and Kyiv have so far only agreed large-scale prisoner exchanges, with Russia rejecting calls to halt its three-year invasion. Trump has urged both sides to strike a peace deal and shown increasing frustration with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin for not having found a way to end the war. He has at times threatened new sanctions on Russia, which has ramped up its aerial attacks during the talks, but has so far failed to follow through. "I count on having a conversation" with Trump at the G7, Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv. "This sanctions package is very important... the final decision is still in the White House, it depends on the President of the United States," he added. US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, is pushing what he calls a bipartisan "bone-breaking" bill to introduce a 500-percent tariff on countries buying Russian oil and gas, mostly targeting China and India. 'Appeasement' Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia invaded in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes as towns and cities across eastern Ukraine have been flattened by heavy bombardments. Trump's return to the White House has upended the West's vital aid for Kyiv. Europe has been left scrambling to see how it could fill any gap if he decides to pull US military, financial and intelligence support. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius appeared to deliver a blow to those plans during a visit to Kyiv on Thursday. Speaking alongside Zelensky, he said Berlin was not planning to deliver Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine. "Asked whether we are considering this, my answer is no," he told a reporter of the possibility of sending the missiles, which could allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory. Instead, Pistorius announced 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in additional military aid. The setback came just after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga told a security conference in Rome that the "diplomacy of appeasement does not work with Russia" -- a veiled reference to Trump's soft approach towards Putin. "We want to end this war this year," he said. Russia has been advancing on the battlefield for months and launched record drone strikes at Ukraine in recent days. Two civilians were killed in the frontline Donetsk region in a drone strike on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. Kyiv has responded to Russian bombardments with its own wave of drone strikes. In Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, a two-year-old child was killed following one such attack, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. POW swap The warring sides completed the latest stage of a prisoner swap on Thursday, freeing wounded soldiers in line with a deal struck at talks in Istanbul. "Today, warriors of our Armed Forces, National Guard, and Border Guard Service are back home," Zelensky said on social media. The two sides agreed to each free more than 1,000 prisoners of war -- all wounded or under the age of 25 -- and return the bodies of killed soldiers. Zelensky published pictures of the Ukrainian servicemen, all with freshly shaved heads, draped in national flags and smiling as they made phone calls and hugged people welcoming them at the border. "They all require medical treatment," as they were "severely wounded and seriously ill", Zelensky added. At the exchange, AFP reporters saw dozens of people -- mostly women -- waiting with pictures of their captured or missing relatives, hoping the freed soldiers could offer news about them. Russian state media showed Moscow's returned troops in uniforms chanting "Russia, Russia" with national flags around their shoulders. Russia later accused Ukraine of not being "ready to conduct exchanges" on a daily basis, as it said the two sides had agreed at the Istanbul talks.
