France’s president pounds a punching bag on camera, and Europe notices

LONDON — The teeth clench. The brow furrows. The bicep bulges. In moody black and white, photos of French President Emmanuel Macron pounding a punching bag arched eyebrows across Europe on Thursday after his official photographer posted them to social media in what was widely received as the latest round in his drive to toughen … Read more

Europe Is Struggling to Coexist With Wild Bears

It was around 5 pm on March 15, and the light was fading fast, when Constantin and Tatiana were attacked by the bear. The young couple, aged 29 and 31 and identified in local media reports only by their first names, were Belarusians living in Poland. But Constantin had been working for the winter as … Read more

Denmark leads, with top four from Europe

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Four of investors’ top five favorite destinations are in Europe, according to the Milken Institute’s Global Opportunity Index (GOI) report. Denmark topped this year’s rankings, scoring first on business perception, a measure of the … Read more

In Portugal vote, tight race and far right gains could be bellwether for Europe

The ruling Socialists conceded defeat in one of the closest elections in Portuguese history, saying they would not challenge the victory of a center-right alliance in a vote that also saw major gains for the far right in one of Europe’s most reliably liberal countries. With more than 99 percent of the vote counted and … Read more

Apple reverses course, approves Epic Games for app store in Europe

Tim Sweeney, chief executive officer of Epic Games Inc., speaks during an interview in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021.  SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images Apple has approved Epic Games’ developer account in Sweden, which will allow the company to offer an competing app store on iPhones in Europe under a … Read more

Young voters are driving far-right surge ahead of key Europe elections

SETUBAL, Portugal — The surprising voters driving the far right’s surge in Europe scrambled for selfies inside a suburban auditorium. Rita Matias, a 25-year old ultraconservative and social media influencer, had just called for migrant quotas and curbs on abortion in a political debate. Now, her more progressive opponents in staid blazers and pullovers watched … Read more

Apple Could Be the First Target of Europe’s Tough New Tech Law

Europe changed the rules of the internet this week when the Digital Markets Act took effect, holding the biggest tech companies to tough new standards. Now the world is waiting to see which giant will be first to fall foul of the law. One of the architects of the DMA says Apple is a strong … Read more

Sweden formally joins NATO military alliance, ending centuries of neutrality

A JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter aircraft takes off from Lulea-Kallax Airport, Sweden on March 4, 2024 during the NATO Nordic Response 24 military exercise, a Norwegian national exercise carried out in northern Sweden, Norway and Finland with associated airspace and waters. Anders Wiklund | AFP | Getty Images Sweden officially joined NATO as its … Read more

Apple Fined $2 Billion as Europe Sides With Spotify

Apple has a Spotify problem—and it just cost the iPhone maker a $2 billion fine from the European Commission. For years, the two companies have been at war as the streaming service lured users away from Apple’s iTunes and accused the tech giant of exploiting its dominance to stifle innovation. In their long-running conflict, each … Read more