Entertainment
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Eurovision Basel: nearly 42,000 tickets sell out in minutes
The excitement for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2025 in Basel is at an all-time high, as nearly 42,000 tickets were snapped up within minutes on Wednesday. Fans eager to attend the live30 January 2025Read More... -
France’s Louvre museum in crisis: a call for urgent restoration
The Louvre, the world's most-visited museum and home to Leonardo da Vinci's iconic Mona Lisa, is facing critical challenges. Struggling with water leaks, ageing infrastructure, and26 January 2025Read More... -
Miss Nederland contest ends after 35 years, replaced by new empowerment platform
After 35 years, the Miss Nederland beauty pageant has officially come to an end, owner Monica van Ee announced Thursday. The pageant will be replaced by an innovative online platform12 December 2024Read More... -
Brussels to celebrate Art Deco heritage in 2025
A century after the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, which coined the term "Art Deco," Brussels will dedicate 2025 to celebrating this influential28 November 2024Read More... -
New European Songbook aims to foster cultural exchange across the EU
The European Union Songbook Association will unveil the EU Songbook on November 5, featuring 164 songs from across the European Union. The collection includes three iconic tracks by01 November 2024Read More... -
Croatian city named among top European autumn destinations
While many travelers choose to take their holidays in the summer, others find autumn to be the ideal season for exploring Europe. With fewer crowds, more affordable22 September 2024Read More... -
Antwerp to build new public heritage depot to house 800,000 cultural artifacts
Antwerp will soon have a new heritage depot in the Zuid district, designed to house the city’s entire heritage collection of 800,000 items and make them accessible to20 September 2024Read More...
Economics
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Europe's €200 billion AI alliance aims to lead global AI development
Europe is making a significant push to establish itself as a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) with a €200 billion public-private partnership. The European Union will contribute €50 billion...Read More... -
Portuguese minimum wage holds 11th place in EU rankings
Portugal's gross monthly minimum wage saw another increase in 2025, but the rise wasn't enough to improve its standing compared to other European countries.Read More... -
French government: LVMH is a source of national pride, but Arnault’s concerns are understood
The French government considers luxury goods giant LVMH a source of national pride but acknowledges the frustrations expressed by its CEO, Bernard Arnault, over the country’s tax policies,Read More... -
Polish exports to Ukraine soar, poised to hit record high despite war
Poland has surpassed Germany to become Ukraine's second-largest supplier, trailing only China, as exports surge despite the ongoing war, according to Rzeczpospolita.Read More... -
Eurozone’s private sector unexpectedly returns to growth
The eurozone’s private sector unexpectedly expanded in January after two months of contraction, as the struggling manufacturing sector showed slight improvement.Read More...
News
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Chinese artist Ai Weiwei denied entry to Switzerland due to visa issue
Renowned Chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei was denied entry into Switzerland on Monday after failing to provide the necessary visa. According to an Instagram post by Ai, he spentRead More... -
Denmark records 'historic' low in asylum approvals in 2024
Denmark's stringent immigration policies resulted in the approval of just 860 asylum requests in 2024—the lowest figure in recent years, excluding 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns severelyRead More... -
Majority of Swedes expect housing prices to rise
A majority of Swedes—51 percent—anticipate rising housing prices over the next year, according to Länsförsäkringar’s February Housing Price Barometer.Read More... -
Polish Airline LOT expands operations with new Lisbon route
LOT Polish Airlines, Poland's national carrier, has officially launched a new direct route connecting Warsaw and Lisbon, reinforcing its presence in the Portuguese market. The inaugural flightRead More... -
Hasidic Jews gather in Southern Poland for annual pilgrimage
Hundreds of Orthodox Jews from Israel, the United States, Canada, and various European countries have gathered in Lelów, a town near Częstochowa in southern Poland, to honor the legacyRead More... -
Sharp decline in new asylum applications in the Netherlands, driven by fewer Syrian requests
The number of new asylum applications in the Netherlands dropped significantly in 2024, with a total of 43,900 requests, according to figures released by national statistics agencyRead More... -
Swiss property prices continue to rise in 2024
Switzerland’s housing market remains expensive, with property prices increasing by an average of 1.7% in 2024, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).Read More... -
Poland to assess Polish language skills of Ukrainian students
The Polish government plans to evaluate the Polish language proficiency of Ukrainian students to better identify those in need of additional language support, Deputy Education Minister JoannaRead More... -
Swiss cheese exports mark second-best year in 2024
Swiss cheese exports rebounded strongly in 2024 after two weaker years, achieving the second-highest export volume on record. A total of 79,268 tons of Swiss cheese, valued at CHF 748.5Read More...
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Entertainment
A one-fingered Japanese climber who was attempting the first summit of Mount Everest since this year's deadly quake said Thursday he had turned back before reaching the summit.
This is the fifth season Nobukazu Kuriki, who lost nine fingers on the mountain in 2012, has tried to scale the world's highest peak and he is the only climber making the dangerous attempt this year.
Climbers have abandoned Everest after an earthquake-triggered avalanche killed 18 people at the mountain's base camp, and regular aftershocks since have increased the chance of avalanches.
"Did my best, but figured will not be able to return alive if I go further due to strong wind and heavy snow," the 33-year-old wrote on his Twitter account.
Kuriki said continuing his attempt to scale the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) colossus in those conditions would leave him dangerously exposed, with not enough time to return safely to camp.
His overnight ascent had taken him well into the "death zone" -- the height above 8,000 metres notorious for its difficult terrain and thin air.
"Decided to climb down at around 8,150 metres... I truly appreciate everyone's support," he added.
Scaling Everest has been all but abandoned this season following April's earthquake, which killed nearly 8,900 people and devastated large parts of Nepal, including the capital Kathmandu.
Norwegian designer Peter Dundas spearheaded a youthful revolution in Milan on Saturday, laying out his new vision for Roberto Cavalli as other top brands also embraced rejuvenation.
The Cavalli collection was one of the most eagerly awaited of the week, being the first to take place without the company's eponymous founder who has ceded control to a private equity group.
They brought Dundas in from Emilio Pucci and the Norwegian did not waste any time in signalling a dramatic break with the past.
The rock and roll edge to the brand and its sensual, sexy core remained intact but there was some carping in the Italian media that something of its essence had disappeared.
"The new start signals the end of glamour," reported La Repubblica, although its review was broadly favourable and noted that it was too early to say if Dundas was going to give Cavalli the kind of fillip enjoyed by Gucci since Alessandro Michele took the reins there at the start of the year.
The biggest change came with the virtual axing of red carpet-style night gowns from the collection in favour of lighter and more easy-to-wear nightwear such as one ultra-short dress featuring a long train.
Alongside that there was a range of accessible denim items featuring frills, tie dye and chain fringes.
- Maintaining Cavalli's soul -
"My first task since arriving here has been to think of something different that still maintains the soul of Roberto Cavalli," Dundas said.
"Today's women are freer and looking for easier, perhaps more sporty clothes."
Relaxed, comfortable clothes were also in vogue at Bottega Veneta, which put together a very sporty collection featuring high-tech jogging pants, hooded sweatshirts and fitted gilets.
Creative director Tomas Maier took inspiration from sailing for evening dresses made from a single piece of fabric modelled on a length of sail and held together by what looked like nautical rope.
A popular campground at Yosemite National Park in California will be temporarily closed after several dead squirrels were found to be carrying the plague, officials said.
The move comes about a week after a girl who visited the park tested positive for the plague. She was treated and has recovered.
"As an extremely precautionary public health measure, flea treatment will be applied to rodent burrows in Tuolumne Meadows Campground because several dead animals were tested and found to be carrying plague," park officials said in a statement.
The campground will be closed from August 17-21. The park itself will remain open, including all the other campgrounds.
Plague is carried by squirrels, chipmunks and other wild rodents and their fleas.
"By eliminating the fleas, we reduce the risk of human exposure and break the cycle of plague in rodents at the sites," said Karen Smith, the director and state health officer for the California Department of Public Health.
People who eat lots of fried food and sugary drinks have a 56 percent higher risk of heart disease compared to those who eat healthier, according to US researchers.
The findings in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, were based on a six-year study of more than 17,000 people in the United States.
Researchers found that people who regularly ate what was described as a Southern style diet -- fried foods, eggs, processed meats like bacon and ham, and sugary drinks -- faced the highest risk of a heart attack or heart-related death during the next six years.
"Regardless of your gender, race, or where you live, if you frequently eat a Southern-style diet you should be aware of your risk of heart disease and try to make some gradual changes to your diet," said lead researcher James Shikany, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Division of Preventive Medicine.
"Try cutting down the number of times you eat fried foods or processed meats from every day to three days a week as a start, and try substituting baked or grilled chicken or vegetable-based foods."