Author: staff

There’s something wonderfully easy about arriving in Porto Santo. Just a short flight or a two-and-a-half-hour ferry from Funchal, Madeira’s busy capital, the tiny Portuguese island feels a world away from the crowds and bustle of its larger neighbour, despite the two being just 81 kilometres apart. Madeira has long been a favourite alternative to Spain’s Canary Islands, drawing visitors with its dramatic landscapes, hiking trails and subtropical climate. Porto Santo, by comparison, has remained something of a secret. That may well be set to change, though, after Expedia recently ranked it second in its annual Hot List of European…

Wer regiert die Welt – und was treibt sie an? In unserem regelmäßigen Machthaber-Spezial geht es um die mächtigsten und umstrittensten Politikerinnen und Politiker unserer Zeit. Wir zeigen, wie sie denken, entscheiden – und was das für uns bedeutet. Eine Politikerin oder Politiker, ein Blick hinter die Kulissen der Macht. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. ⁠Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren.⁠ Mehr von Host und POLITICO Executive Editor Gordon…

The low reserves have already added to the increased pressure on gas prices linked to renewed tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, with the European natural gas benchmark now consistently higher than it was for the first four months of the Iran war. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has said the bloc faces no winter supply risks. But a report by energy analytics firm Rapidan projects that reserves will rise to only 65 percent of total storage capacity by November, arguing that hitting the EU’s target by winter won’t be possible without “materially higher prices.”  That risk has…

Published on 07/08/2026 – 15:38 GMT+2 Volkswagen’s biggest shareholder, Porsche SE, has called for the German car company to take immediate steps to fight off rising competition from Chinese auto brands. This could be the biggest overhaul in the company’s 89-year history. The Porsche and Piëch families together control Volkswagen through their holding company, Porsche SE, which owns around 31.9% of Volkswagen’s equity. “The Volkswagen Group is at a historic crossroads. The decisions that Volkswagen makes now will determine its future. For the sake of the company and its sustainable competitiveness, everyone must now step up and take responsibility,” Hans…

Published on 07/08/2026 – 20:55 GMT+2 A federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to halt all construction of its $400 million White House ballroom until it receives congressional approval. The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit had initially allowed construction to continue while it considered the case, but then agreed with a lower court that such a massive White House overhaul required the explicit consent of Congress. In a 2-1 decision on the ballroom, the appeals court sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction of the massive structure, which has begun to rise aboveground…

For almost two years this saga, full of twists and turns, has pitted and involved several players: the National Assembly and its president Yaël Braun-Pivet, Paris City Hall and the association Sites & Monuments. The project to build a new reception pavilion for the National Assembly has proved highly divisive. Championed by the president of the institution, Yaël Braun-Pivet, it involves replacing the historic stone pavilion, dating from 1888, with a contemporary glass structure. The future building is to house a shop, a cafeteria and educational spaces, functions which the Sites & Monuments association considers secondary for a parliament. “The…

Published on 07/08/2026 – 20:20 GMT+2 The US Senate has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia’s energy revenues, including Russian officials, oligarchs, financial institutions and the so-called shadow fleet. The bipartisan legislation, which passed the Senate 86-11, would allow US President Donald Trump to set tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports, including gas and oil. It would also penalise countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports, allowing Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from major purchasers of Russian oil and gas, including countries such as China and India.…

US employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs last month, and Bureau of Labor Statistics revisions shaved 103,000 jobs off payrolls in May and June. This was in sharp contrast with analyst expectations of an almost 100,000 spike in jobs in July. However, the unemployment rate eased slightly to 4.1% in July, down from 4.2% in June, mainly due to more people leaving the labour market. The July jobs numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday marked a sharp reversal for the domestic labour market and a political setback for President Donald Trump less than three months before his Republican…

As the 2026 World Cup drew to a close last month, many would have expected tournament organiser FIFA to slip back behind the scenes as fans around the world turned their attentions to their respective club teams once again. FIFA, it seems, had other ideas. The football world governing body sparked huge backlash in late July when it announced a plan to invite private investors to take stakes in a new subsidiary known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have run its commercial operations and events, including the World Cup. The proposal, which FIFA said could raise up…

Published on 06/08/2026 – 6:00 GMT+2 People aged 50 and over in the US will be able to receive Moderna’s mRNA vaccine against flu starting the 2026-2027 respiratory virus season, following approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is the first mRNA-based influenza vaccine to be authorised in the United States, extending the technology first deployed during the Covid-19 pandemic. “mFLUSIVA provides an important new option for America’s seniors,” Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, said. He added that the approval “reflects the ongoing potential of our mRNA platform to help address important public health challenges…