London / AFP European stock markets rallied on Monday and the dollar surged to multi-month highs, with traders shrugging off concerns over the Trump presidency and weak Chinese economic data. In foreign exchange, the euro struck a ten-month low at $1.0728, while the dollar reached also a five-month peak versus the yen. “European shares are trading higher… despite disappointing …

  Soultz-sous-Forêts / DPA France and Germany could hardly be more different in their attitudes to tapping the free heat from deep under the earth. The French have enthusiastically sunk bores and exploited the heat, which is invitingly close to the surface at a hot spot which straddles the two countries’ border, whereas residents on the German side are squabbling …

  Goiania / AFP Brazil may be the land of samba and bossa nova, but lately its hips are swaying to a different rhythm. In cowboy hats and plaid shirts, with touches of bling, new-wave country singers are conquering the airwaves and the dance floors. A world away from the soft jazz and Latin rhythms that Brazil crafted from the …