Author: staff
Washington is again ratcheting up the pressure on the European Union with new tariff threats. Brussels’ response is strikingly different from a year ago: Don’t retaliate, don’t put on a show for Donald Trump, and don’t let him dictate the timetable. Trump’s recent threat to “immediately initiate” a trade investigation over the European Commission’s $1 billion fine against Google came on top of new tariffs on the EU and dozens of other trading partners, and continuing pressure from Washington over drug pricing. But rather than sounding alarms and scrambling to respond to this new phase of Trump’s global trade war, the EU has shown public…
For the first time in more than a century, a total solar eclipse is coming to mainland Spain, with an even longer encore next summer. It is all the more extraordinary considering Spain’s last full solar eclipse, not counting the Canary Islands, occurred two days before the Titanic sank in 1912. Because that rare hybrid eclipse was a mix between a ring-of-fire and just a few seconds of totality for Spain, some consider 1905 the country’s last pull-out-all-the-stops solar eclipse. Add a crescendoing meteor shower and a six-planet parade on the same day, and the heavens will be overflowing with…
Published on 03/08/2026 – 8:28 GMT+2 American singer-songwriter and Oscar-nominated actress Ariana Grande will “take a step back from visibility” after her ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour, and has withdrawn from her planned West End debut. Grande, 33, is wrapping up the North American leg of her tour and will begin a 10-date residency at London’s O2 Arena later this month. Her representative has confirmed that she will take a break from public appearances after these shows, which end on 1 September. “Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour,” the rep told People.…
Andy Burnham has promised to transform Britain, but can he afford it? This autumn, Chancellor John Healey will deliver the new government’s first Budget, so what might it include? In the first episode of Sam and Anne’s summer box set, they sit down with Sky News’ economics editor Ed Conway to look at the spending choices facing the new prime minister. How will the government tackle the cost of living? What do the bond markets make of Mr Burnham? And how much control does any chancellor really have when conflict in the Middle East and global events are shaping so…
The length of school summer holidays can vary significantly across Europe, according to Eurydice, the European Commission-funded education information network. Italy, Malta, Latvia and Cyprus have the longest school summer holidays in the EU, with Italian students getting 14 weeks off and Maltese, Latvian and Cypriot children getting 13 weeks. On the other hand, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany have the shortest holidays in the bloc, with pupils getting just six weeks off for the summer. However, as heatwaves become more frequent, countries such as France, Spain and Italy are considering ways for schools to adapt to extreme weather events,…
A wildfire on the Greek island of Kefalonia forced evacuations on Sunday, with flames burning dangerously close to homes as aircraft carried out water drops over the Ionian island. In western Attica, near Athens, fire spread toward communities and an industrial district outside Megara, while violent gusts kept firefighting aircraft from collecting water at sea. Nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft were deployed, but gale-force winds drove flames through dry forest, crippling the response. Authorities ordered evacuations in Kandili, Agia Skepi and Toutouli as smoke rose over the mountains, with crews especially concerned about the coastal town of Porto Germeno.
Wer regiert die Welt – und was treibt sie an? In unserem regelmäßigen Machthaber-Spezial geht es um die mächtigsten und umstrittensten Politikerinnen und Politiker unserer Zeit. Wir zeigen, wie sie denken, entscheiden – und was das für uns bedeutet. Eine Politikerin oder Politiker, ein Blick hinter die Kulissen der Macht. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren. Mehr von Host und POLITICO Executive Editor Gordon…
Published on 03/08/2026 – 8:00 GMT+2 As fires tear through France, Spain, Greece and Italy this summer, the EU has triggered its largest-ever wildfire response. Paris activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and the bloc has sent seven planes and four helicopters to France, plus six planes, 134 personnel and 41 vehicles to Spain. The response runs through a layered system. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels matches requests with offers from member states around the clock. Behind it sits rescEU, the EU’s own reserve of firefighting aircraft, deployed when national resources run short. For 2026, the EU pre-positioned…
US President Donald Trump said that new negotiations with Iran will begin on Monday after he decided to hold off on striking the Islamic republic to pursue a deal to end the war entering its sixth month. Trump told reporters on Sunday that the talks would cover the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies that has become a sticking point in the conflict, and the denuclearisation of Iran. For its part, Iran said it was nearing a deal with Oman over a new route through the strait, where a tanker reported an explosion nearby on Sunday,…
With a range of new ships set to join fleets around the world, and themed itineraries attracting new and returning passengers, the cruise industry remains buoyant. Here we look at some of the biggest trends emerging in the cruise travel sector in 2026 and 2027. New cruise ships According to the 2026 Cruise Industry News Annual Report, the global fleet of cruise ships will increase from 459 at the start of this year to around 540 ships by 2037. This also means that passenger capacity will reach nearly 50 million in the next decade. In 2026, 13 new cruise ships…