Author: staff
No asset manager had ever crossed the $15 trillion (€13tn) threshold before BlackRock confirmed the milestone in results published on Wednesday. The rise was driven by market gains and new client money. Clients handed the New York-based giant a net $192 billion (€167bn) in the second quarter of 2026, capping a record first half in which inflows reached $321 billion (€280bn), more than double the same period a year earlier. To illustrate the sheer scale of BlackRock’s assets under management, the firm manages more money than the projected nominal annual economic output of every country except the US and China,…
Updated: 17/07/2026 – 9:11 GMT+2 Glenn Micallef, EU sport commissioner, says the expanded World Cup format “worked” ahead of Sunday’s final. Micallef says the tournament reflects the improvement of football worldwide, but insists the “best talent and best football is still being played in Europe”, making him “proud”. … More
By Greta Ruffino with AFP Published on 17/07/2026 – 21:02 GMT+2•Updated 21:07 Apple reclaimed the title of the world’s most valuable company on Friday, overtaking Nvidia as investors grew more confident in its AI strategy. Shares of Nvidia were down as much as four percent as worries about the valuation of artificial intelligence equities dogged the market, giving the company a valuation of about $4.8 trillion (€4.2 trillion), slightly below Apple’s $4.9 trillion (€4.3 trillion). The company later clawed back the losses, with Apple and Nvidia trading neck and neck for the top spot. Nvidia’s stock has soared more than 1,200% since January…
The European Commission on Friday proposed extending its carbon market to international flights arriving in Europe from destinations within 5,000 km from 2029, as part of its long-awaited overhaul of the bloc’s Emissions Trading System (ETS). Routes such as Frankfurt–Dubai and Frankfurt–Istanbul will be brought into the carbon market while longer sectors such as Frankfurt–Tokyo will be excluded, according to the Commission proposal. Landing flights from the United States and China will be exempt. Exemptions for domestic services to the EU’s outermost regions, including routes linking mainland Spain with the Canary Islands, will remain in place until the end of…
It named France’s Arcadia as an example, as well as “comparable German solutions.” The French armed forces has been keen to pitch its AI-powered military command-and-control platform Arcadia as an alternative to Palantir’s Maven software, which is also used by NATO. A top alliance commander recently told POLITICO there was no real European alternative. Friday’s declaration does not mention FCAS, the troubled Franco-German-Spanish project to develop a next-generation fighter jet. Instead, France and Germany said they would create a “European collaborative combat standard” so fighter jets, combat drones and other aircraft developed by different countries can communicate and fight together.…
Published on 17/07/2026 – 13:45 GMT+2 The leaders of France and Germany met on Friday for critical talks on the future of their defence cooperation after the collapse of a flagship joint fighter jet project last month. For French President Emmanuel Macron there is an urgent need to make progress in this area before next spring’s presidential election in which far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen is a frontrunner to be his successor. The prospect of a Le Pen presidency adds yet more uncertainty for European countries already scrambling to boost defence capabilities in the face of the Russian…
Sánchez’s government has also refused to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, a target other NATO allies adopted last year at Trump’s urging. During July’s NATO summit in Ankara, the U.S. president briefly threatened to cut off all trade with Spain, calling the country “a wasted cause.” He appeared to walk back the warning a day later. Emphasizing the brevity of the World Cup visit, the spokesperson additionally told POLITICO that it was highly unlikely that Sánchez would hold bilateral meetings with U.S. officials on the sidelines of the match. Sánchez’s attendance at the final had been in…
By Greta Ruffino with AP Published on 17/07/2026 – 21:51 GMT+2•Updated 22:11 Protesters greeted the American ambassador’s luxury yacht in Venice on Friday with inflatable water toys, beach balls and a sign reading “Venezia non si USA,” a play on words meaning “Venice is not to be used.” Several hundred protesters marched against Tilman Fertitta’s arrival, briefly clashing with riot police as they neared the vessel. Activists described his visit as an unwelcome display of American wealth and influence at a time when many Italians see the Trump administration as upending the post-World War II international order. During the protest, people raised their…
“The implementation plan has to move as quickly as possible and as vigorously as possible,” Macron said. “This is crucial for us — it is vital — just as it is for Europe.” Merz underscored that urgency. “Work between Germany and France is essential at a time when Russia threatens our security, when the People’s Republic of China poses a challenge to our economy and when the transatlantic partnership is no longer taken for granted,” the German leader said. The prospect of France’s next president coming from the far-right National Rally has cast a shadow over Franco-German relations for months.…
The European Union’s push to approve a new round of sanctions against Russia has bumped into a formidable roadblock: Greece. The country, which hosts the world’s largest merchant fleet, has put its foot down and demanded an adjustment to the EU-wide ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), scheduled to take full effect on the first day of 2027. The ban, as agreed last year, will prohibit the “purchase, import or transfer, directly or indirectly,” of LNG that “originates in Russia or is exported from Russia”. Greece now seeks to reopen the measure and insert an exemption to allow the…