Author: staff

Being de-listed from the lobbying database could mean no longer being eligible to sit on expert groups convened by the European Commission to discuss key files or in committee hearings held by the European Parliament, the message adds. The suspension from the Transparency Register comes after the Corporate Europe Observatory lodged a complaint alleging that MCC Brussels failed to disclose its funding sources. It also accused the think tank of “spreading Orbán regime propaganda. Launched in 2022, MCC Brussels received more than €6 million in 2024 according to a funding disclosure “to acquaint and influence European policy makers with its…

The European Council and the European Parliament have agreed to maintain free cabin luggage and financial compensation for delayed flights under the bloc’s air passenger rights rules after more than a decade of negotiations. Under the rules, air passengers will continue to benefit from free cabin luggage and will be entitled to financial compensation if flights are delayed by at least three hours – a key demand from the European Parliament that was resisted by several EU countries. “The fees that need to be paid are the same as those known for airlines for almost 20 years now. It’s a…

A large fire broke out at the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex as major drone and missile attacks hit the Ukrainian capital on Monday. Video showed flames and thick black smoke rising above the UNESCO-listed religious site as firefighters battled the blaze. Ukrainian officials said the attack also damaged residential buildings, a market, and other civilian locations across the city. Religious leaders condemned the damage to the centuries-old monastery complex, one of Ukraine’s most important Christian landmarks.

Investment projects worth about €75bn will be presented to international investors at the Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF) 2026, as Uzbekistan seeks financing across sectors including energy, transport, logistics, digital infrastructure and industrial development. “We have prepared investment proposals with Uzbek businesses and regional authorities worth about €75 billion,” Laziz Kudratov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade, said. “Eight pitch sessions will allow entrepreneurs to present directly to investors.” More than 3,400 foreign delegates from 102 countries are expected to attend the forum from June 16 to 18, alongside government officials, development banks, sovereign wealth funds and multinational corporations…

Published on 15/06/2026 – 11:16 GMT+2 It’s been a busy weekend for Donald Trump, with the announcement of a framework deal to end the war with Iran, the World Cup in full swing in the US, the New York Knicks securing their first NBA victory in 53 years, and his 80th birthday celebrations yesterday with the controversial UFC cage fight on the White House lawn. “ON NATIONAL CUCUMBER DAY??”, joked one X user. However, there’s one embarrassing element that is literally being covered up: the removal of Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts –…

Le Pen has said that if her appeal succeeds, she will run for the presidency, while the 30-year-old Bardella remains the far-right party’s plan B. However, Le Pen has appeared to lose some of her fighting spirit in recent months. In an interview with POLITICO published Monday, the current leader and MEP signaled a softer approach to foreign affairs compared to Le Pen’s, while maintaining the National Rally party’s criticism of Brussels’ institutions. “We do not wish to leave the European Union,” Bardella said. “We wish to change everything without destroying anything.” Asked whether he still wanted to withdraw from…

Hello, this is Mared Gwyn writing in the early morning from Luxembourg, where there’s plenty of action on EU foreign policy and enlargement lined up for the day. More on that later. As you were sleeping, Russia launched yet another round of ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, striking the city’s historic Assumption Cathedral within the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, one of Ukraine’s most significant religious and cultural sites which holds some of the country’s most revered shrines and relics. It comes just as President Zelenskyy is expected to join leaders at the G7 summit for talks on Ukraine’s future. More on…

The initial agreement between the US and Iran reached on Sunday has already faced hurdles, amid Tehran’s claims that it aims to control maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as the war’s victor, and Israel insisting that it would hold onto land seized in Lebanon as it battles Hezbollah. After Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed in televised remarks that the framework deal put an “immediate end” to the war pending a “final agreement” after another 60 days of talks, Fars news agency stated that a legal framework governing navigation in the waters of the Persian Gulf would…

Published on 15/06/2026 – 12:06 GMT+2 OpenAI is facing a fresh regulatory challenge after a group of state attorneys general demanded a wide range of documents about how ChatGPT protects the people who use it, a move that arrives at a delicate moment for the company as it lays the groundwork for a potential public listing. The investigation, which arrived just days after OpenAI filed confidential paperwork for an IPO, threatens to complicate a listing that some analysts expect will value the ChatGPT maker at roughly $1 trillion (€861bn). According to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the matter,…

It sounded like the perfect sequel to the summer fairy tale: on 13 July 2014, Germany were crowned world champions in Rio de Janeiro, Mario Götze scored in the 113th minute to make it 1–0 against Argentina, millions celebrated in the streets, on balconies and at fan zones. More than 30 million viewers in Germany watched the final on television. Soon the question arose: shouldn’t such an exceptional state of euphoria also have consequences for the birth statistics? Even before the final, Saxon family policy expert Alexander Krauß (CDU) had predicted a baby boom in the Bild newspaper, as WirtschaftsWoche…