Author: staff
India has inaugurated its first indigenously built hydrogen-powered passenger train, marking a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to modernise its vast railway network and reduce transport-related emissions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched the “NaMo Green Rail” service at Jind Junction in the northern state of Haryana on 17 July, presenting the project as part of a broader push towards clean energy and technological self-reliance. The train set consists of two hydrogen-powered driving cars and eight passenger coaches, with a top speed of around 75 km/h and a total capacity of approximately 2,600 passengers. Designed for short- to medium-distance…
Stepping into a key position handling relations with the EU institutions in the midst of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, Kachka brings experience managing the details of Kyiv’s bid to join the EU. Kachka was in Brussels on July 14 for the opening of a new negotiating “cluster,” or formal legal step on the path to membership. Despite being in talks with the EU for months, Kyiv only opened its first negotiating cluster in June after Hungary lifted a long-standing veto. Ukraine had hoped to open all six of its negotiating clusters with the EU by mid-July, but due to…
Published on 17/07/2026 – 12:57 GMT+2 Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar is seeking a refund of the European Union’s €1 million daily migration fine imposed on his country. Brussels fined Hungary a lump sum of €200 million, plus a daily penalty, in 2024, after Viktor Orbán’s government failed to implement a 2020 European Court of Justice ruling on migration. The court had found that Hungary had breached EU law by failing to guarantee asylum seekers the right to fair treatment. At the time, Hungary had built a border fence with Serbia to prevent migrants from entering the country. Asylum applications…
Updated: 17/07/2026 – 12:00 GMT+2 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this July 17th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
Published on 17/07/2026 – 12:03 GMT+2 China’s President Xi Jinping used a major AI summit on Friday to push back against US technology restrictions, calling for artificial intelligence to be developed and governed as a global effort rather than dominated by any single country. Speaking in Shanghai, Xi warned against what he called the “overstretching” of national security concerns — a pointed reference to American-led curbs that have cut China off from some of the world’s most advanced chips and AI technology. “The development of artificial intelligence should not be a solo performance by any single country but rather a…
Ukraine struck 12 vessels belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black Sea on Thursday night, the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi, announced on Telegram. The attacks aim to prevent Russia from supplying fuel to the occupied regions of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea and curb its effort to circumvent sanctions, Brovdi explained. “The goal is incurable paralysis of oil, fuel, cargo logistics in circumvention of sanctions,” the commander wrote. Overall, 159 ships from the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation were hit in the last 10 days, Brovdi writes: “117 ships in the Azov Sea, and 42…
The severe thunderstorms that hit France on Thursday evening left at least two people dead, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). In Saint-Victurnien, in the Haute-Vienne département, a woman died after a tree fell. In Dolomieu, in the Isère département, a man was found charred in a workshop that burned down after a lightning strike. Thirty départements in central and eastern France were placed on orange alert for thunderstorms, with a risk of large hailstones, on Thursday evening. Power grid operator Enedis said on Friday morning that nearly 53 000 households had been affected by power cuts following the severe storms.
Rarely has a week gone by in recent years that NATO has not been making headlines. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now well into its fifth year, continues to be a priority for the military alliance as it reiterates its steadfast support for Kyiv, and European allies rally to boost their own defences. US President Donald Trump has used his second term to shake NATO to its very core; from threats to seize Greenland from Denmark and to annex Canada (both fellow members), to criticism of what he calls a lack of defence spending by other countries, and warnings that…
A powerful storm surge flooded the Chilean coastal town of Penco on Thursday 16 July 2026, leaving streets and homes under water as emergency crews evacuated residents and authorities warned people to stay away from the shoreline. Footage shows flooded roads across the town centre, a police officer helping a woman leave her waterlogged home, residents bailing water from their houses with buckets, and damaged boats scattered along the coast as large waves continue to batter the shoreline. The storm surge struck Chile’s central coast, killing at least three people, according to authorities. In the Biobío region, seawater inundated homes…
Published on 17/07/2026 – 9:28 GMT+2•Updated 9:40 US President Donald Trump’s media company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), said on Thursday that it plans to launch a paid service giving financial institutions real-time access to posts from multiple high-ranking Truth Social accounts. Trump is Truth Social’s best-known user and the largest shareholder in its publicly traded parent company. It is now his go-to platform for making major announcements — but selling high-speed access raises fresh questions about Trump monetising the presidency. TMTG did not identify which accounts would be included or confirm that Trump’s posts would form part of…