Author: Press Room
Amid record-breaking temperatures, the European Commission has declined to take a stance on the increasingly contentious debate over air conditioning, saying it is not the role of the EU executive to dictate consumers’ choices. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT About 20% of European households have AC units installed, compared to 90% or more in the United States, Japan and South Korea. The glaring lack of cooling systems has become a political lightning rod after a brutal heatwave killed at least 1,300 Europeans and prompted a desperate search for makeshift solutions to make daily life tolerable. “We know most residential buildings and apartments in…
Andy Burnham has used his first major policy speech as Labour leadership frontrunner to promise the biggest shake-up of political power in modern British history, pledging to hand sweeping new authority to local leaders and relocate part of the prime minister’s office to Manchester. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Speaking at the People’s History Museum in the city where he spent nine years as mayor, Burnham laid out a 10-year plan to revive a UK economy he described as stuck in a rut since the 2008 financial crash. “Growth cannot be ordered from the top down. Indeed, it can only be nurtured from…
Five people were killed in a shooting at a youth welfare facility in the northern German town of Stade, police said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Two people were arrested, including the suspected shooter. There were also injuries, police said, but they did not give a figure. Police said the shooting took place in the facility on Dankersstrasse, a street south of the town centre. Two suspects were arrested, one of whom is believed to have fired the shots. Police said they were working to establish the background to the shooting and what exactly happened. Germany’s gun laws are more restrictive…
Published on 29/06/2026 – 13:44 GMT+2 Ukraine was braced on Monday for an “intense” spike in temperatures over the coming days, with an eastward-moving heatwave set to heap pressure on the country’s struggling power grid. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Russian drone and missile attacks have decimated Ukraine’s energy network since Moscow invaded in February 2022, causing tens of billions of euros worth of damage and leading to frequent power outages in the coldest and hottest parts of the year. Grid operators in at least five regions, from Ivano-Frankivsk in the west to Zaporizhzhia on the front line in the south, announced temporary…
Osama Rizvi, founder of Rizvi Insights, said tanker traffic will continue through the Strait of Hormuz as “it serves two sides”. He argued that for the US, the cost of “inaction clearly outweighs” the cost of action if tensions with Iran continue to escalate.
With the resignation of Keir Starmer, the UK is set to have its seventh prime minister in 10 years. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT This is a far cry from a country that was once touted for its ability to produce stable and long-lasting governments compared to other European nations, due to its first-past-the-post voting system, the principle of parliamentary sovereignty and its evolutionary tradition of governance. Since 2016, the political turmoil and polarisation that followed the Brexit referendum, frequent scandals in the previous right-wing Conservative government, and an ailing economy have meant that not a single British prime minister has managed to…
Published on 29/06/2026 – 8:01 GMT+2 On today’s show: ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Osama Rizvi, founder of Rizvi Insights, assesses the latest developments in US-Iran relations after both sides agreed to resume talks in Qatar, examining the risks to regional stability, diplomacy and global energy markets. Euronews’ Stefan Grobe looks at Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat against Europe and reports from the US Independence Day celebrations in Brussels, where politics and transatlantic relations took centre stage. Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, explains why Europe’s deadly early summer heatwave is breaking records and what governments can do to better…
By Alessio Dell’Anna & video by Baptiste Goudier Published on 29/06/2026 – 9:40 GMT+2 With only 5.8% of its freshwater resources used — from glaciers, groundwater, rivers, and lakes — the water usage rate across the whole EU might seem under control. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Unfortunately, this is not a case where the average gives the full picture. The reality is that differences among countries are striking and concerning. Take Cyprus, which is essentially in constant emergency mode. The country has used up 72% of its freshwater resources, with a peak of 92% in the summer, according to data from Eurostat and the European…
Until now, goods valued under €150 could enter the bloc without paying customs duties under the so-called “de minimis” exemption. Chinese platforms exploited this by shipping billions of low-value parcels directly to European consumers from China, avoiding up to 12% in import duties and bypassing many regulatory checks. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The EU now receives more than two billion of these packages every year, with authorities estimating that up to 65% are undervalued or incorrectly declared. The system helped companies like SHEIN to grow fast while undercutting European retailers. For consumers, the loophole meant ultra-cheap prices and fast delivery, but also…
Hello, it’s Mared Gwyn writing from Brussels, where temperatures are slowly easing off as the heatwave which has gripped Europe in recent days moves eastwards. In store for you this morning: the still sizzling debate on whether Europe needs to bet big on air con to deal with climbing temperatures, the latest on the brewing trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels, and more. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Stars, Stripes, VIPs and Protests: But first, a flavour of the United States’ independence day bash hosted by the US embassy in Brussels’ Cinquantenaire Park last night. Spotted among the thousands of VIPs in attendance…