Author: staff

The 2026 World Cup is about to end, with two more matches left to play. Tomorrow sees France face England to secure the third-spot, while the final on Sunday will see Argentina battle it out against Spain. It’s been memorable tournament co-hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico, with plenty of moments going viral online. Some for the right reasons, others much less so. While Japanese fans cleaning up stadiums, Scottish food requests, and Erling Haaland being a gem of a man have provided much joy, some celebrations were overshadowed by scandals even before kick off. There’s been exorbitant ticket…

Burnham plans to tour places where Labour’s vote has tanked this summer, including the steel town of Port Talbot in south Wales and the oil and gas city of Aberdeen, speaking to ordinary people in high streets and work canteens. He will also increase the role for political press officers in No. 10 — giving journalists more political narrative to supplement lines from the civil service — and focus more on broadcast and alternative media. But beyond the vibes in the media, Burnham will have a mammoth task in trying to convert his message of hope into government policy. The…

Our journey starts at the farm of Georg Bockmaier. Usually he grows potatoes and cereals, just as his father and grandfather did. Grasbrunn, Bockmaier’s village in the outskirts of Munich, witnesses unusual activities: heavy machinery is brought in, a construction crew from Slovakia is building an agricultural photovoltaic (agri-PV) installation including a sophisticated solar tracking system on the field behind the Bockmaier farm. We’re in Bavaria, a region in southern Germany that’s regarded as a real hot-spot for start-ups, in particular when it comes to innovative smart farming solutions. Feld.energy is one of them. The ambitious start-up was founded two…

“The Odyssey”, Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, has hit the big screen. Matt Damon stars as the legendary Greek hero Odysseus, alongside the likes of Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron in a cast that’s almost as epic as the tale itself. Shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film cameras, Nolan “undertakes what is arguably his most ambitious project to date”, says David Mouriquand in his review on Euronews Culture. The Oscar-winning filmmaker has “certainly given it his best and biggest shot”. Over its opening weekend and in the weeks ahead, cinemas around…

Published on 17/07/2026 – 14:06 GMT+2 The first ever World Cup final halftime show will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday. The Super Bowl-style performance, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, will feature the likes of Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber, as well as appearances by Tom Cruise, Jennifer Hudson and Robbie Williams. Jarring Americanization of football for some; bonus gig for others. One artist who doesn’t seem too pleased about it is The Cure’s Robert Smith, who shared his thoughts on The Cure’s official Instagram page – taking aim at FIFA president Gianni Infantino with…

But exactly how the EU will ensure it meets that target was less clear. In an earlier draft obtained by POLITICO, the Commission had proposed making the target legally binding. The final plan instead sets an “indicative target” of 46 percent, with the Commission saying it will assess making it binding as part of the post-2030 Energy Union package. “We are still seeing that over half of the EU’s energy consumption is made by imported fossil fuels,” an EU official told journalists during a technical briefing on Thursday, pointing to the bloc’s vulnerability to global energy shocks. Since the escalation…

The European Union’s economy should reach a 46 percent electrification target in transport, industry and buildings by 2040 in order to cut €260 billion per year in imported fossil fuel costs, the EU Commission said on Friday as it unveiled a set of proposals to ease the process. The proposed measures include reforms to fees charged by energy network operators, energy taxation, and building efficiency. Brussels is stepping up its electrification efforts as part of a scramble to find quick solutions to offset the loss of oil and gas from the Strait of Hormuz, which exposed the EU’s severe dependence…

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…