Author: staff

Food inflation has been slowing in the eurozone, despite expectations that higher energy and fertiliser costs following the Iran war would push prices higher. However, economists at Oxford Economics and Deutsche Bank expect food price inflation to pick up again next year as higher commodity prices feed through the food supply chain and this summer’s extreme weather damages crops across Europe. Economists say food prices typically respond with a delay because higher energy and fertiliser costs are first absorbed by farmers before being passed on to processors, wholesalers and eventually supermarkets. Oxford Economics expects eurozone food inflation to rise to…

Die CDU-Wirtschaftsministerin verärgert das eigene Haus mit millionenschweren Ausschreibungen für externe Berater. Tom Schmidtgen berichtet, warum sie damit nicht nur bei der Reform des Emissionshandels ungehemmt im Revier von Umweltminister Carsten Schneider (SPD) wildert. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview kritisiert der Grünen-Politiker Michael Kellner den Berater-Luxus der Ministerin scharf. Der Ex-Staatssekretär im Energie- und Wirtschaftsministerium unter Robert Habeck und jetzige energiepolitische Sprecher seiner Fraktion wirft Reiche vor, fähige Beamte im Haus zwangsversetzt und das Ministerium regelrecht heruntergewirtschaftet zu haben. Kanzler Friedrich Merz verabschiedet sich derweil mit demonstrativer Zuversicht in die politische Sommerpause. Bei seiner Pressekonferenz gab er sich staatsmännisch und wich Szenarien zu…

Published on 16/07/2026 – 5:45 GMT+2 The US military claims to have ended its latest wave of strikes on Iran early Thursday, striking targets further north and around Tehran for the first time in this latest round of violence. American forces also say they have hit a ship they accuses of trying to break their naval blockade on Iran. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic retaliated by launching missiles and drones at Bahrain and Kuwait. Iranian state media reported that American strikes struck around Tehran, Qeshm Island and the southern port city of Chabahar, as well as, the northern Semnan province which…

Published on 16/07/2026 – 6:30 GMT+2 Simonetta Vespucci, the face of the Italian Renaissance as Sandro Botticelli’s muse, may actually have died at just 23 from complications of a tumour rather than tuberculosis. This is the conclusion of a recent study (source in Italian), which challenges the widespread view that the young woman, who died in 1476, succumbed to tuberculosis, a common and deadly disease at the time. An international team of scholars from Queen Mary University of London, the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome and the University of California had already put forward a different explanation back in 2019.…

The European Parliament’s 719 lawmakers are about to head off on their six-week summer break. But that doesn’t mean an end to the political headaches.   That’s because as soon as they return on Aug. 31, lawmakers will dive straight back into backroom negotiations ahead of Parliament’s big midterm reshuffle. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart discuss the scheming already happening behind the scenes. Next: Europe wants to restrict children’s use of social media — much like Australia. But does the implementation of Canberra’s ban serve as a warning or a trailblazer? Zoya speaks with the Aussie eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, to learn more. And finally,…

Published on 16/07/2026 – 6:28 GMT+2 Argentina reaches the World Cup final after beating England 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday. Once again Argentina made its comeback near the end of the game as going into the 85th minute England was still leading 1-0. Argentina’s goals was scored by Enzo Fernandez at the 85th minute of the game, while Lautaro Martinez’s goal followed in overtime at 90+2th minute. “I dreamed it, I swear. I told Alexis (Mac Allister) that I was going to score. I told him that I was going to come on and I was going to win it,”…

The most pressing contest is in the Greens, who must replace co-chair Bas Eickhout following his resignation in May. Names circulating include Danish MEP Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, Belgium’s Sara Matthieu and Parliament Vice-President Nicolae Ștefănuță, according to people familiar with the discussions. The Greens’ decision to hold an early election in October has prompted the Socialists and Renew to consider doing the same, the three people said. Early votes would allow their leaders to enter the top-jobs negotiations with fresh mandates. The Left is the other group where a contest could emerge. Under an agreement struck at the start of…

LONDON — For months, Ed Miliband has been Andy Burnham’s most powerful and most useful friend in Westminster. Now, as Burnham readies himself to enter Downing Street on Monday, what to do with Miliband might be his biggest dilemma. More than a decade after Miliband, then Labour leader, suffered a bruising defeat at the U.K.’s 2015 general election, he has emerged as a kingmaker in Burnham’s rush to power — and is now looking to trade up from his current role as energy secretary to something bigger under Burnham. Miliband has been speaking to Burnham behind the scenes since early 2026, according to two people familiar with the relationship between the men, and publicly called for Burnham’s return to Westminster as early…

But her relative popularity around the City contrasted with her image among voters, as the most unpopular politician in the country according to YouGov. And she made plenty of enemies in the business community too, with hikes to national insurance contributions for employers and an increase in capital gains tax. The inability of the government to push policies past her left-wing backbenchers, including cuts to welfare, also led to a souring perception of her ability to exert fiscal discipline. However, even in areas that irritated the financial sector, such as the debate over the tax break for hedge fund and…

Published on 15/07/2026 – 7:22 GMT+2•Updated 13:05 More civilians were killed in Ukraine in June than in any single month since April 2022, the United Nations said on Tuesday, as Russia escalated long-range missile strikes. Exploiting Ukraine’s shortage of air-defence missiles, Russia has intensified its bombardments of densely populated urban areas in recent months, especially the capital Kyiv. “At least 293 civilians were killed and 1,990 injured in Ukraine in June 2026,” said the UN’s human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine. That was the highest figure since April 2022, the second full month of Russia’s invasion, which has now dragged…