Author: staff
Poland’s conservative President Karol Nawrocki on Friday vetoed a bill to legalise civil partnerships, he announced in a statement. The legislation had been proposed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist government ahead of last year’s parliamentary elections in Poland. “I have always emphasised that nothing that is a quasi-marriage can count on my support,” Nawrocki said on X. “As the guardian of the Constitution, I cannot accept a solution that would lead to the loss of the special status of marriage defined… as a union of a woman and a man.” The bill, first submitted to parliament last December, aimed…
According to state media, at least nine people had been rescued as emergency teams continued to search through rock, mud and debris. The landslide hit at around 9:08 a.m. local time after heavy rainfall triggered the collapse of a mountainside near the Wujiang River. Hundreds of residents were evacuated as authorities cordoned off the area, assessed nearby buildings for further risk and worked to prevent secondary collapses. Rescuers deployed more than 50 sets of search and detection equipment, while excavators cleared debris around damaged apartment blocks. Images from the scene showed large slabs of rock crashing into homes, with two…
Published on 17/07/2026 – 15:18 GMT+2•Updated 15:26 The European Commission urged changes in a report on Friday to improve the competitiveness of the bloc’s banking sector, laying the political groundwork for what could become a substantial overhaul of EU banking rules to unlock billions in capital. Despite a decade of progress under the Banking Union, Europe’s banking market remains fragmented along national borders. The Commission argues that this limits the banking sector’s ability to support businesses and households across the EU. The report proposes measures to encourage more cross-border banking, simplifying supervisory rules and deepen the integration of EU capital…
The 2026 World Cup is about to end, with two more matches left to play. Tomorrow sees France face England to secure the third-spot, while the final on Sunday will see Argentina battle it out against Spain. It’s been memorable tournament co-hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico, with plenty of moments going viral online. Some for the right reasons, others much less so. While Japanese fans cleaning up stadiums, Scottish food requests, and Erling Haaland being a gem of a man have provided much joy, some celebrations were overshadowed by scandals even before kick off. There’s been exorbitant ticket…
Burnham plans to tour places where Labour’s vote has tanked this summer, including the steel town of Port Talbot in south Wales and the oil and gas city of Aberdeen, speaking to ordinary people in high streets and work canteens. He will also increase the role for political press officers in No. 10 — giving journalists more political narrative to supplement lines from the civil service — and focus more on broadcast and alternative media. But beyond the vibes in the media, Burnham will have a mammoth task in trying to convert his message of hope into government policy. The…
Our journey starts at the farm of Georg Bockmaier. Usually he grows potatoes and cereals, just as his father and grandfather did. Grasbrunn, Bockmaier’s village in the outskirts of Munich, witnesses unusual activities: heavy machinery is brought in, a construction crew from Slovakia is building an agricultural photovoltaic (agri-PV) installation including a sophisticated solar tracking system on the field behind the Bockmaier farm. We’re in Bavaria, a region in southern Germany that’s regarded as a real hot-spot for start-ups, in particular when it comes to innovative smart farming solutions. Feld.energy is one of them. The ambitious start-up was founded two…
“The Odyssey”, Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, has hit the big screen. Matt Damon stars as the legendary Greek hero Odysseus, alongside the likes of Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron in a cast that’s almost as epic as the tale itself. Shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film cameras, Nolan “undertakes what is arguably his most ambitious project to date”, says David Mouriquand in his review on Euronews Culture. The Oscar-winning filmmaker has “certainly given it his best and biggest shot”. Over its opening weekend and in the weeks ahead, cinemas around…
Published on 17/07/2026 – 14:06 GMT+2 The first ever World Cup final halftime show will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday. The Super Bowl-style performance, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, will feature the likes of Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber, as well as appearances by Tom Cruise, Jennifer Hudson and Robbie Williams. Jarring Americanization of football for some; bonus gig for others. One artist who doesn’t seem too pleased about it is The Cure’s Robert Smith, who shared his thoughts on The Cure’s official Instagram page – taking aim at FIFA president Gianni Infantino with…
But exactly how the EU will ensure it meets that target was less clear. In an earlier draft obtained by POLITICO, the Commission had proposed making the target legally binding. The final plan instead sets an “indicative target” of 46 percent, with the Commission saying it will assess making it binding as part of the post-2030 Energy Union package. “We are still seeing that over half of the EU’s energy consumption is made by imported fossil fuels,” an EU official told journalists during a technical briefing on Thursday, pointing to the bloc’s vulnerability to global energy shocks. Since the escalation…
The European Union’s economy should reach a 46 percent electrification target in transport, industry and buildings by 2040 in order to cut €260 billion per year in imported fossil fuel costs, the EU Commission said on Friday as it unveiled a set of proposals to ease the process. The proposed measures include reforms to fees charged by energy network operators, energy taxation, and building efficiency. Brussels is stepping up its electrification efforts as part of a scramble to find quick solutions to offset the loss of oil and gas from the Strait of Hormuz, which exposed the EU’s severe dependence…