Europe's | Common News Update

May52023 by adminNo Comments

Can Morocco solve Europe’s energy crisis?

Science

Getty ImagesBy Jonathan JosephsBusiness reporter, BBC News, RabatMorocco has big ambitions to export electricity produced by solar and wind farms to Europe, but should it be prioritising such renewable energy for its home market?"The resources we have here could be one of the big, big answers to European demand," says Moroccan energy entrepreneur Moundir Zniber.Mr Zniber is a passionate man who senses opportunity out of crisis."I think Morocco represents the best opportunity to get the European continent away from the dependency it has today on Russian gas," he says.Mr Zniber has spent the past 15 years building his company, Gaia Energy, into one of the leaders of a renewable energy revolution in his home country."Morocco has truly one of the best solar and wind resources in the world comb...

Mar192021 by adminNo Comments

Covid: UK death rate ‘no longer Europe’s worst’ by winter

Health

Getty ImagesThe UK death rate during the second wave of the pandemic was not the worst in Europe - but it remained one of the 10 worst-affected countries.By the end of June 2020, the UK had the highest excess mortality in Europe, according to figures from the ONS. But by December it had been overtaken by Poland, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia.Nevertheless, the UK had one of the highest excess death rates among people under the age of 65 in 2020 at 7.7%. Excess mortality is the number of deaths by any cause that happen over and above the average for that time of year.Meanwhile, the government's separate daily UK coronavirus figures show the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test are continuing to fall. On Friday, the UK reported a further 1...

Jan172021 by adminNo Comments

Europe’s biggest crypto fund sees no end to Bitcoin’s white-knuckle rally

Finance

MUMBAI: Meltem Demirors, Chief Strategy Officer at Europe’s largest crypto asset management firm CoinShares, expects Bitcoin price to rise further in 2021, simply because “there is just not enough Bitcoin to meet the massive wave of demand.” “I think there will be volatility and cyclicality, but the trend over the next year will continue to be upward, because this is really a supply-demand story,” Demirors told ETMarkets.com in an email interview. Demirors pointed to the massive influx of institutional investors into Bitcoin over the past 12 months, which has driven demand for the cryptocurrency to stratospheric levels. “The demand is coming from institutional investors, who want to allocate not $ 10 million or $ 20 million or $ 30 million, but $ 100 million or $ 500 million or even a bill...

Dec302020 by adminNo Comments

Europe’s digital banks got a ‘wake-up call’ in 2020. And consolidation could be coming

Finance

The icons for the Monzo and Starling Bank banking apps on a smartphone.Adrian Dennis | AFP via Getty ImagesLONDON — In a year when online banking has taken off, you'd think it would be a golden opportunity for Europe's digital challenger banks to shine.Research from Mastercard last month found that 42% of Europeans handle their finances digitally more frequently than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, while 62% are thinking of switching from physical banking to digital platforms altogether.But many of the so-called "neobanks" have stumbled in 2020, with the likes of Monzo and Revolut revealing deepening losses and getting hit with a multitude of complaints from customers about service.Monzo, whose founder Tom Blomfield stepped down as CEO earlier this year, caused concern after flag...

Dec152020 by adminNo Comments

What are Europe’s Christmas coronavirus rules?

World

Some European countries are tightening restrictions over the coming weeks - while others are relaxing them for Christmas.In many nations, coronavirus cases are rising again after dipping at the end of November. These are the COVID-19 restrictions and Christmas rules around the continent: The NetherlandsA second lockdown starts on Tuesday for at least five weeks. Advertisement Dutch households wi...