Author: staff
Published on 22/07/2026 – 21:44 GMT+2 The European Union on Wednesday conditionally approved Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion (€94 billion) takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. Citing concerns over the deal’s impact on film distribution in Europe, Brussels said Paramount must terminate its stake in United International Pictures, a joint venture with Universal, in the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the EU’s 27 member states. European regulators said Paramount must not, for 10 years, directly or indirectly enter into any agreement with Universal to jointly distribute films in the European Economic Area (EEA). “These commitments fully address the competition concerns identified…
The military alliance also agreed to raise its common funding budget to “up to EUR 6.5 billion” for next year, and signed off on its investment priorities for the next five years. For 2026, allies had agreed on a budget of €5.3 billion. Countries have held negotiations for months on the revamp of the alliance’s 10,000-kilometer Cold War-era pipeline network, which is designed to connect NATO’s existing system in Western Europe to newer alliance member countries in the east and north. The project, touted as NATO’s largest-ever and most expensive commonly funded scheme, could take up to 30 years to…
Published on 22/07/2026 – 18:42 GMT+2 The former chief executive of UK water company Southern Water has been charged with conspiring to “manipulate” water quality tests, British authorities said on Wednesday. Matthew Wright, who previously led the company supplying water and wastewater services to millions of people across southern England, is accused alongside three others of conspiring to defraud the Environment Agency and water regulator Ofwat between 2012 and 2017. Prosecutors allege the defendants deliberately manipulated wastewater flows before mandatory water quality tests to influence the results. The charges were made public on Wednesday after the High Court rejected the…
Ambassadors will hold an extra round of negotiations on Thursday morning in a bid to save the package, an EU diplomat confirmed. Ireland, which holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, on Wednesday proposed allowing European gas tankers to export Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to third countries until January 2029. The proposal, seen by POLITICO, capped Russian exports and also banned new contracts. But the Greek government has so far refused the compromise and instead wants an indefinite exception, said three EU diplomats involved in the discussions, granted anonymity to talk about the sensitive negotiations. Greece’s…
The EU is supposed to grow again, but there is still some disagreement about how. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is sticking to his proposal for an associate EU membership status for Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkan countries, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Critics complain that this would be a “waiting room” or a form of second-class membership. Gunther Krichbaum counters that they have apparently not yet understood the model. For the Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office, this is about a clear commitment. He explains: “Why should we not give…
Gianni Infantino would not have a clear path to become the next Secretary General of the United Nations, even with Donald Trump’s backing. According to a report from The New York Post, the US President sees FIFA’s boss as a “respected” potential candidate, with a “special ability to bring people together” demonstrated by the success of the 2026 World Cup. But in any event, his endorsement alone would not be enough to push to the world’s most powerful diplomatic job a person who is not even a career diplomat. Neither Trump nor Infantino have confirmed a candidacy, which, if submitted,…
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The defense secretary has previously said — in WhatsApp messages to former U.S. ambassador Peter Mandelson before Streeting took up his current job — that “Israel is committing war crimes before our eyes,” and is committing “rogue state behaviour” in the West Bank. Asked about these messages Wednesday, Streeting refused to repeat them. But he said: “I’m not going to pretend I didn’t make those comments.” His remarks highlight the continued ripple effects on the left of British politics over Israel’s protracted campaign in the Gaza Strip, which followed the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas. The new defense…
President Donald Trump on Wednesday pledged that the US would bomb Iranian civil infrastructure every time Tehran fires at ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. “From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by missile, rocket, drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network. Trump said this included Iranian facilities “located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran.” Trump’s threat came shortly before he…
Published on 22/07/2026 – 13:36 GMT+2•Updated 16:41 The global tourism map is shifting – and some countries are emerging as clear winners. New data has revealed that Saudi Arabia has seen the biggest surge in international arrivals since 2019, with Morocco, Egypt and Brazil also recording major gains as travellers look beyond traditional holiday hotspots. Europe is seeing its own tourism boom, with Norway, Portugal, Spain and France among the countries welcoming more visitors than before the pandemic. Visual Capitalist, a data visualisation platform, cited statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to reveal the largest changes…