Author: Press Room
But first: Brace yourselves because temperatures are set to creep up again in the coming days across many parts of Europe. As my colleague Marta Pacheco reports, it’s forcing officials in Brussels to rethink the bloc’s climate policies, with a pivot from mitigation to adaptation. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Meet me in Cork: Today, the College of European Commissioners, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, will meet their Irish government counterparts in Cork, my colleague Jorge Liboreiro reports from the ground. It’s the traditional visit that marks the start of a new rotating presidency. Cork, it must be noted, is the…
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) administrator Alexander De Croo said on Thursday that the European Union’s long-term budget can balance defence and aid spending to ensure that Europe’s neighbourhoods are safe, as they are “two sides of the same coin.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We see more military spending, and we totally understand that in the current circumstances,” he said. “But if you want that military spending to be as effective as possible, you will also have to invest in preventing that conflict from arising.” A stable neighbourhood means economic growth, democracy and peace, De Croo, also a former prime minister of…
Pro-Russian social media users have shared fake images they claim show evidence that photographers were preparing in advance to capture a strike on one of Ukraine’s most important religious sites. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The posts allege that the presence of the camera crews on nearby rooftops shows that the attack on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was staged by Ukraine. The monastic complex was hit between 14 and 15 June, when Russia fired a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Authorities said that five people were killed and residential areas were hit when missiles struck and damaged both the UNESCO-listed…
Hundreds of shoppers queued outside Lidl supermarkets across France on Thursday after the retailer announced the sale of 200,000 fans and portable air conditioners, triggering long lines, scuffles and police intervention at several stores. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Outside a Lidl store in Paris’s 19th arrondissement, around 200 people waited for up to two hours before opening, with police monitoring the crowds as demand grew. Social media videos showed chaotic scenes as customers rushed into stores in a bid to secure the discounted cooling appliances. In Nanterre, west of Paris, the entrance door of a Lidl supermarket was damaged as crowds pushed…
Published on 03/07/2026 – 14:52 GMT+2 European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is weighing the possibility of playing a role in the upcoming French elections, which could lead her to leave her post early, she told French newspaper Les Échos on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Lagarde did not specify the role she has in mind, but said she is not currently planning to run as a candidate, and would instead prefer to contribute to and shape the electoral debate. “I believe that a European voice needs to be heard in the French presidential debate,” Lagarde said, adding that it would be…
Published on 03/07/2026 – 20:43 GMT+2 Two Romanians previously convicted of a knife attack on an Iranian journalist outside his London home “on behalf of” Iran were jailed on Friday for 12 and eight years respectively. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT George Stana, 25, and Nandito Badea, 21, were found guilty last month of wounding with intent over the 2024 stabbing of Pouria Zeraati, a news presenter for Persian-language outlet Iran International. The duo had denied the charge but were convicted by a jury after a trial. Sentencing them at London’s Old Bailey court, judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said the evidence “overwhelmingly points” to…
Published on 03/07/2026 – 15:00 GMT+2 Some 40 years, Finland´s capital started to design new solutions to reduce deadly road accidents – and then eventually eliminate them. Those efforts have now paid off. 12 consecutive months without a single road death were recorded between 2024 and 2025. By comparison, during a similar period 31 people -including drivers, pedestrians, bikers or cyclists- died on the streets of Paris. By the time of the filming of this report, another nine consecutive months had passed without a single road death in Helsinki. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Comprehensive city planning has been a key aspect, but…
Dozens of diamonds spell out two giant letter “T” next to the Stars and Stripes and “1776” and “2026.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Dozens more frame the numbers 45 and 47 in the shape of Superman’s logo. A diamond-winged eagle carries a ruby shield and clutches an olive branch of emeralds, below a radiant “250” and atop the phrase “250 YEARS USA” etched in 18-karat gold. All told, 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds and six rubies encrust the watch-sized gold ring presented this week to Bill White, the US ambassador to Belgium, to give to President Donald Trump. “A very special…
Published on 03/07/2026 – 15:02 GMT+2•Updated 15:03 The Ukraine war front line remained largely frozen in June, extending a longer-term trend of stalled Russian momentum, an analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) carried out by the AFP news agency showed on Friday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The June data showed a Russian net gain of 30 square kilometres, focused in the northeastern Kharkiv region. But those gains were largely down to previous Russian incursions being upgraded to advances, as more evidence came to light, said the ISW. Ukrainian forces gained 11 square kilometres in the southern…
The European Union will retaliate against China if the country fails to make tangible changes to its unfair trade practices by October, Ursula von der Leyen has said amid rising tensions between Brussels and Beijing. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Dialogue is essential, but the dialogue has to deliver,” the president of the European Commission said on Friday during an official visit to Cork, Ireland. “Depending on how the response of the Chinese is, in the fall will then be our potential activity. We are basically prepared for everything, and we have all the instruments on the table, and we are thinking about…