United States

Assange tells Strasbourg assembly he ‘pleaded guilty to journalism’ to gain freedom
Est. 4minWikileaks founder Julian Assange said Tuesday he was released after years of incarceration only because he pleaded guilty to doing "journalism", warning that freedom of expression was now at a "dark crossroads".

Walz and Vance clash politely, at policy-heavy vice presidential debate
Est. 7minDemocrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance clashed on Tuesday (1 October) at a vice presidential debate that was surprisingly civil in the final stretch of an ugly election campaign marred by inflammatory rhetoric and two assassination attempts.

France eyes European system to track terrorism finance
Est. 3minIn the absence of better cooperation from Washington, France wants European countries to set up their own system to track terrorism finance.

Donald Trump stirs global outrage with anti-Muslim comment
Est. 6minRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump yesterday (8 December) defended his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States, comparing his plan to the World War Two detainment of Japanese-Americans in an attempt to dismiss growing outrage from around the world.

Future carbon market: The Far East
Est. 6minSPECIAL REPORT / While the price of carbon remains low, support for pricing schemes is growing. Asia will soon overtake Europe as the home of the world’s biggest carbon markets. EURACTIV France reports.

700 cities promise renewable energy transition by 2050
Est. 4minWhile national negotiators struggle to agree on climate action at the COP21, the mayors of 700 cities have committed to generating 100% of their energy from renewable sources by 2050. EURACTIV France reports.

Commission investigates McDonald’s tax rulings in latest Luxleaks twist
Est. 3minEU antitrust regulators will investigate McDonald's tax deals with Luxembourg which enabled the US fastfood chain to escape paying taxes on European franchise royalties from 2009, in a move which could lead to hefty back taxes for the company.

US mulls visa restrictions on EU travellers after Paris attacks
Est. 3minLawmakers were introducing legislation this week tightening the program that allows millions to travel to the United States without a visa, as Congress moves to enhance security following the deadly Paris attacks.

COP21: A shaky start to negotiations
Est. 5minWorld leaders made a grand display of impotence at the opening of the COP21 in Paris on Monday (30 November). The ambitions of the big emitters remain as low as ever. EURACTIV France reports.

Car emissions campaigners turn sights on Renault
Est. 4minRenault's flagship Espace minivan released toxic diesel emissions 25 times over legal limits in a Swiss study, despite complying with EU tests carried out at unrealistically low engine temperatures, a German environmental group said on Tuesday (24 November).

Civil society could force governments to stick to their climate commitments
Est. 6minCivil society is making increasing use of national courts to enforce international environmental agreements. Even a non-binding agreement in Paris will increase pressure on governments to cut emissions. EURACTIV France reports.

Vitamin D deficiency increases risk of cardiovascular disease
Est. 4minA vitamin D deficiency can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by 35%. This risk is particularly high in Northern Europe, which has relatively few sunlight hours. EURACTIV France reports.

Rich powers cut export aid for coal plants
Est. 3minAdvanced economies - including the United States, Japan and European Union - have agreed for the first time to restrict state aid for exports of large, inefficient coal-fired power stations, the OECD announced Wednesday (18 November).

Paris climate deal must be legally binding, EU tells John Kerry
Est. 4minThe EU has warned the Obama Administration that a global climate deal at the Paris summit must be legally binding, after the US secretary of state John Kerry said that it “definitively” would not be a treaty.

Piketty: Rich individuals must foot bill for climate change
Est. 5minIndividuals, not states, should be charged for the CO2 they emit. This idea is central to the system proposed by French economist Thomas Piketty, which would place more responsibility for climate change at Europe’s door. EURACTIV France reports.

US says VW also violated emission rules in larger engines
Est. 5minThe Volkswagen emissions-cheating scandal widened Monday (2 November) as US regulators said the German automaker also included illegal "defeat devices" on its larger 3.0 liter diesel engines over the past three years.

Orbán aide calls US criticism ‘downright irritating’
Est. 2minPrime Minister Viktor Orbán's chief of staff on Thursday (29 October) rejected criticism of the Hungarian government by the US ambassador to Budapest, saying her remarks amounted to interference in Hungary's affairs.

EU regulators avoiding controversial messaging platform
Est. 4minFew scandals illustrated the buildup to the financial crisis better than the interest rate rigging case, when banks twisted the rules, and avoided regulators, in order to fill their pockets.

Irish court orders investigation of Facebook data transfers to US
Est. 2minIreland's High Court on Tuesday (20 October) ordered an investigation into Facebook's transfer of European Union users' data to the United States, to make sure personal privacy was properly protected.

‘Good’ cholesterol is actually bad after menopause, new research finds
Est. 3minResearchers in the United States have found that hormonal changes in women during the menopause can cause so-called ‘good cholesterol’ to become dangerous to their health. EURACTIV France reports.

No regulation needed for online ‘gatekeepers’, experts tell Commission
Est. 5minThe European Commission's intention to regulate online giants such as Google, Ebay and Uber, has received a lukewarm response among analysts in the field.

EU, US line up sanction waivers on Iran
Est. 4minThe United States and the European Union both took formal legal steps on Sunday that will lift sanctions once Iran meets the conditions tied to a landmark nuclear agreement with major world powers.

Digital economy far from full potential, OECD warns
Est. 5minSPECIAL REPORT / The potential for information technologies to boost growth across all industrial sectors is still huge, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - but it calls on governments to think "strategically" in terms of education and employability.

Climate finance: The Global North is failing on its $100 billion promise
Est. 4minA report by the OECD has found that efforts will need to be stepped up if developed countries plan to honour their promise of providing $100 billion per year to the Global South from 2020. Journal de l'Environnement reports.