2025-07-18

Culture news

Belgium's Tomorrowland festival opens after fire destroyed main stage

The first music sets opened the festival on Friday, as workers laboured around the clock to clear out the debris and build a new, scaled down main stage.

18/07/2025

USA

At least three killed in explosion at LA sheriffs' training facility

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that it "appears to be a horrific incident” and said federal agents are at the scene to learn more.

18/07/2025

Trinidad and Tobago

State of emergency in Trinidad after plot to kill officials uncovered

Under the state of emergency, police can conduct searches and make arrests without a warrant. A curfew has not been put into effect.

18/07/2025

Europe News

Libyan man accused of war crimes arrested in Germany, ICC says

The United Nations Security Council called on the ICC to open an investigation in Libya in 2011 amid violence that led to the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi and morphed into a crippling civil war.

18/07/2025

Top News Stories Today

Latest news bulletin | July 18th – Evening

Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.

18/07/2025

Europe News

Will the EU budget turn cohesion policy into regional 'Hunger Games'?

The EU’s proposed 2028–2034 budget risks turning the bloc's cohesion policy into a high-stakes competition for funding by merging it with other major spending areas, sparking concerns over reduced local control and lack of support for disadvantaged regions.

18/07/2025

Europe News

UK sanctions Russian spies over deadly Ukraine theatre strike

The British Foreign Office also linked Russia's intelligence agency to a cyber sabotage campaign across Europe and the US, targeting institutions, elections and public health programmes.

18/07/2025

Europe News

Czech president signs law criminalising communist propaganda

The changes come following calls from some Czech institutions, including the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, to correct what they said was an imbalance in the legal system.

18/07/2025

World News

Cyprus talks end without resolution, leaders to meet in September

The five-party Cyprus negotiations concluded on Friday without resolving key disputes, but talks will continue under the guidance of the UN.

18/07/2025

No Comment

'Good Trouble’ rallies across US push back on Trump agenda

Thousands joined protests across the United States on Thursday, held in memory of John Lewis and in opposition to President Donald Trump’s recent policies.

18/07/2025

Europe News

Merz criticises EU and vows to pull Germany out of recession

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz revealed his top priorities for the next three years and delivered sharp criticism to the EU.

18/07/2025

Culture news

Police drop Glastonbury criminal probe into Belfast rap group Kneecap

Avon and Somerset Police say they will be taking “no further action” after reviewing video and audio footage from Kneecap’s set at Glastonbury.

18/07/2025

Brazil

Brazil's former leader Bolsonaro ordered to wear ankle monitor

Bolsonaro is currently on trial at the Supreme Court accused of leading an alleged attempt to stage a coup to overturn the 2022 election in which he was defeated by left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

18/07/2025

Europe in Motion

Rock bottom birth rates: What are Europe's least fertile nations?

While parents should have at least two babies to keep Europe's population stable, current birth rates barely exceed one. Will the new wave of over-60-year-old boomer fathers save the continent?

18/07/2025

Europe News

EU countries begin political battle over €2 trillion budget

The political battle over the next EU budget has officially begun.

18/07/2025

Iraq

Iraqi officials try to identify 18 bodies from shopping centre fire

While the cause of Wednesday's blaze has not yet been determined, officials blamed lack of safety standards in the building for the scale of the tragedy.

18/07/2025

Mobility

Is this the world's fastest e-scooter ?

The e-scooter is already scheduled for delivery in Madrid, timed with the launch of the city’s inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2026.

18/07/2025

No Comment

Gaza Christians killed in Israeli strike laid to rest

Mourners gathered Thursday evening in Gaza City for the funeral of two Christians killed when an Israeli shell struck Gaza’s only Catholic church compound earlier that day.

18/07/2025

Markets

Win for the crypto industry: New major US regulation passed

Advocates said the passage of the bills marks a key moment in cryptocurrency's winding path toward mainstream adoption, as President Donald Trump has pushed to make the US the "crypto capital of the world".

18/07/2025

Travel News

Direct trains between London and Berlin could run within a decade

A planned London–Berlin rail route aims to offer a greener, faster alternative to air travel.

18/07/2025

Tech News

Meta rebuffs EU's AI Code of Practice

The company has previously been critical on the Commission’s work on GPAI, claiming it stifles innovation.

18/07/2025

Europe News

Lion's share of tripled EU migration budget aimed at border management

The newly proposed EU long-term budget prioritises border management, seeking to make entry by migrants harder, over support for asylum and reception processes. Rights groups accuse the EU of exposing migrants to human rights abuses.

18/07/2025

Cinema

Film of the Week: 'Eddington' - Get ready to be polarised

Imperfect and overlong, Ari Aster's fourth feature still ends up as a neat snapshot of the COVID years, as well as a sly missile aimed at a lie we’ve all been sold...

18/07/2025

Gaza

Israel refuses to renew visas for agency heads in Gaza, UN says

Visas for the local leaders of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the human rights agency OHCHR and the agency supporting Palestinians in Gaza, UNRWA, have not been renewed in recent months.

18/07/2025

Europe News

Germany deports 81 Afghans under tougher migration policy

Coordinated with Qatar, the flight departed on Friday as Berlin toughens migration policy. Officials said all deportees had criminal records and were required by law to leave.

18/07/2025

Green News

Brazil passes controversial bill that weakens environmental law

Critics have called it "by far the worst piece of legislation” ever from an environmental standpoint.

18/07/2025

Markets

Magnificent Seven widen gap over Europe's giants as AI race heats up

The US ‘Magnificent Seven’ have pulled far ahead of Europe’s corporate giants, driven by massive AI growth. While US tech surges, Europe’s top firms—mostly in traditional sectors—struggle to keep pace in the new innovation-driven economy.

18/07/2025

Tech News

Dutch competition watchdog's fitness for purpose questioned by reports

With more and more legislation being introduced in the past years, the mandate of the ACM has expanded significantly.

18/07/2025

Culture news

Cryptic posts and song lyrics: Is a Fleetwood Mac reunion happening?

Did anyone have this on their 2025 bingo card? A series of cryptic online posts have led to specualtion that Fleetwood Mac could be reuniting... How likely is this to happen?

18/07/2025

No Comment

Wildfire near Madrid sends smoke over capital and forces evacuations

A wildfire broke out near the town of Méntrida in central Spain on Thursday, spreading rapidly and sending a thick cloud of smoke over the capital, Madrid.

18/07/2025