European Union

While member states remain divided on how to reform the bloc's tobacco laws, EU-wide illicit cigarette consumption reached record levels in 2024.

While member states remain divided on how to reform the bloc's tobacco laws, EU-wide illicit cigarette consumption reached record levels in 2024.

A 21-year-old former student shot and killed nine teenagers and a teacher at a secondary school in the Austrian city of Graz on Tuesday, before taking his own life. On the same day, a 14-year-old stabbed a teaching assistant to death during a bag check at the entrance to a school in Nogent-sur-Marne in France. Europe's press discusses whether and how schools can be made safer.

Following Elon Musk's exit as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, the dispute between the tech entrepreneur and US President Donald Trump has escalated. Musk threatened with incriminating revelations and Trump countered by threatening to deprive the former's companies of billions in government contracts and subsidies. Then on Wednesday Musk posted a message on X expressing regret about some of his statements about the US president.

The British government under Keir Starmer has committed to investing 14.2 billion pounds (around 16.8 billion euros) in the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear plant on England's east coast. According to estimates the project will take around ten years to complete. There have been major delays in the construction of a similar reactor, Hinkley Point C in Somerset, and the plant is not expected to start operating until 2030, more than a decade later and costing billions more than originally planned.

The European Commission says the age of consent for kids' data processing is up to EU countries to decide.