Council highlights progress on EU statistics
The Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) discussed the progress on European official statistics on 13 November 2025 and adopted the Council conclusions on EU statistics. The Council welcomed: The…
64.7% of social benefits in the EU paid in cash
In 2023, the total expenditure on social protection benefits in the EU amounted to €4 607 billion. Nearly half of this amount (46.9%) was allocated to old age and survivors’…
AI operations boot Baidu revenue through 2025
Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc reported on Tuesday that its total revenue reached 31.2 billion yuan ($4.38 billion) in the third quarter of this year, with artificial intelligence-powered businesses delivering…
Rail bridge upgrade to boost coal transport efficiency
Construction workers from China Railway No 4 Engineering Group complete renovation on the grand bridge traversing the South Canal in Hebei province on Nov 11, ensuring the smooth flow of…
Maker space company takes center stage at Shenzhen faire
Mushroom Cloud Maker Space showcased a range of AI applications in hardware, education and ecosystem development at last weekend’s popular 2025 Maker Faire Shenzhen. The company brought a variety of…
European Statistical Monitor: November edition
Today, Eurostat released the European Statistical Monitor, a dashboard with short-term indicators covering different areas, such as economy, environment, business, health and work. This monthly updated dashboard is designed to…
10% of the EU’s GDP went to healthcare in 2023
In 2023, the EU spent €1 720 billion in healthcare expenditure, equivalent to 10.0% of the EU’s gross domestic product (GDP). Germany recorded the highest level of current healthcare expenditure…
Asylum applications in August 2025
In August 2025, 51 465 first-time asylum applicants (non-EU citizens) applied for international protection in EU countries, marking a 27% decrease compared with August 2024 (70 290) and a 7%…
Dutch govt urged to resolve chip row
China has urged the Dutch government to demonstrate a genuine willingness to cooperate with the nation and promptly put forward substantive proposals to resolve the issues regarding Nexperia, a Chinese-owned…
Gay social network app closes new user registration for a week
The gay social networking app Blued is displayed on a smartphone. Blued, China’s largest gay social networking app, announced Sunday that it would close new user registration for one week…