Author: staff
Cyprus, which is in line with the EU’s position, will attend as an observer. “Cyprus is not a co-organizer of the event, and it is not taking place at a political level. Cyprus was chosen by the executive committee,” explained one of the officials. Trump set up the Washington-led Board of Peace to oversee the reconstruction and governance of the Gaza Strip. The group held its first meeting in February but has made little progress due to funding issues, logistical hurdles and questions regarding its international and legal legitimacy. Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza remains dire: In a recent strike,…
Munich’s Brewers’ Day brought processions, ceremony and traditional music to the city centre on 20 June, with crowds forming as brewers and maltsters were honoured in a civic ritual rooted in the city’s brewing heritage. Around 3,000 litres of beer are shared across the day, with an official tapping marking one of the key moments of the programme. The schedule begins in the morning with apprentices assembling before a procession to St Peter’s Church, followed by the main ceremony at Marienplatz. A stage programme of folk music and dance runs into the afternoon as visitors fill the old town. Brewers’…
Published on 24/06/2026 – 12:44 GMT+2•Updated 13:06 One of Europe’s largest military equipment producers, KNDS, rolled out long-awaited details of its initial public offering (IPO), aiming for a dual listing in Paris and Frankfurt in the coming weeks. The IPO could value KNDS, the maker of Leopard and Leclerc tanks, at between €12bn and €15bn, according to the Financial Times, potentially making it one of Europe’s largest defence listings in recent years. The listing comes at a time when European military budgets are surging, driven by the war in Ukraine and doubts over the reliability of the US as a…
Gulf banks are keen to embrace artificial intelligence, but many are still trying to answer a basic question: how can they use the technology without putting sensitive customer information at risk? The issue is becoming increasingly important as banks across the region explore new AI tools that can speed up routine tasks, analyse documents and improve productivity. For Najla Ibrahim Al-Mutawa, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at QNB, the debate goes beyond efficiency. “For banks, the question is not simply whether generative AI can improve efficiency or customer experience, but whether it can be deployed in a…
The UAE’s first passenger rail network is set to launch later this month. Etihad Rail will begin operating trains between Abu Dhabi and the emirate of Fujairah on 30 June. Located on the country’s east coast, Fujairah is known for its hiking trails which take in scenic wadis and mountains as well as its historic forts. Journey times are around an hour and 45 minutes, and prices start at AED55 (€13.20) in standard class, and AED120 (€28.80) in premium class. The rail network will then be extended on 30 September, with the opening of stations in Dubai and Al Dhaid…
Published on 24/06/2026 – 10:45 GMT+2 Europeans are currently battling a persistent heatwave, with France, Spain and Italy being hit the hardest so far. France saw its hottest June day on record on Tuesday, and French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that forty people have drowned in heatwave-related deaths since last Thursday. Warnings have been issued, schools closed, events cancelled, and passengers warned against non-essential travel. In order to combat the days’ highest temperature peaks, one cultural initiative in Paris has everyone asking: “Why isn’t this nation-wide?” Several independent cinemas in the 10th arrondissement – L’Archipel, Le Brady and Le…
A doctor returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola in France, the country’s Ministry of Health announced Wednesday. It is the first case of Ebola reported in France since the start of the current outbreak. The patient is in isolation and in a stable condition, the ministry said. The doctor was returning from a humanitarian mission in one of the affected areas in Congo. The crisis is among the worst Ebola outbreaks in history, with more than 1,000 cases confirmed so far. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola for…
Published on 24/06/2026 – 12:17 GMT+2 A historic heatwave continues to grip France. On Wednesday 24 June, residents woke to record temperatures once again: 29°C in La Rochelle, 26°C in Dieppe and 27°C in Paris — all by 5am. Fifty-eight départements are on red alert and 31 on orange alert. Maximum temperatures remain exceptionally high across most of the western half of the country. Météo-France has warned that further records are likely to fall, “including all-time records for any month.” While daytime highs are changing little, overnight minimums continue to rise. Wildfire risk The combination of extreme heat and low…
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wrapped up his visit to Brussels with a high-profile forum where business leaders and ministers from the largest Central Asian country met European businesses and signed commercial deals worth around €10 billion. The visit came just over a year after the leaders of the EU and Central Asian countries agreed to begin a new era of cooperation in the historic summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. At that summit in April 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she believed the partnership would lead to new opportunities in sectors such as energy, tourism, trade and transport,…
The clock is running down on the most consequential deadline the crypto sector has faced in Europe. From the start of July, the transitional window under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) closes for good, and companies that have not secured authorisation must either stop serving European customers or wind down altogether. MiCA is the EU’s first comprehensive law for the crypto industry, bringing exchanges, brokers and digital wallet providers under the kind of formal oversight that has long applied to banks and other financial firms. It replaces a fragmented mix of national rules with a single rulebook spanning all…