The Romanian government has reached an agreement with major industrial consumers to voluntarily reduce energy consumption during evening hours amid an energy crisis caused by a severe drought and a sharp drop in water levels in the Danube.
The Romanian Navy carried out a controlled blast of a rock formation on the Danube to increase the water flow to the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant. Due to a severe drought, the river’s water level had dropped significantly, posing a threat to the operation of one of the reactors.
Aneta Gonca has been elected the new chair of the Television and Radio Council (TRC). Six members of the regulatory body supported her candidacy; one ballot was deemed invalid. The decision was made at today’s Council meeting, when former chair Liliana Vitsu announced her resignation.
Romanian authorities are beginning consultations with major industrial enterprises to reduce the strain on the power grid amid the declared energy alert. On August 3, the Ministry of Energy will hold an online meeting with the largest electricity consumers, during which it will ask them to voluntarily shift some of their energy-intensive production to hours of lower demand.
Demand for short-term rentals in Albania is growing faster than supply, which has driven up prices. According to the analytics platform AirDNA, the market posted some of its strongest results in recent years this summer.
A scoop of ice cream in Europe can cost anywhere from €1.15 to more than €4—a nearly fourfold difference. At the same time, the price paid by consumers is influenced by income levels, tourist demand, and rising production costs.
The retirement age in Europe continues to rise, but this trend is uneven. While people in some countries retire at age 62, in others they will have to work until age 70. Under current rules, the highest retirement age is in Denmark, where workers will not be able to retire until age 74.
Starting August 3, the United States will implement a permanent visa bond requirement for certain foreign nationals applying for tourist and business visas. According to a notice from the State Department, consular officers will be able, at their discretion, to require applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition for issuing a visa.
Italy has suspended the Schengen Agreement with Spain, stepping up controls at its sea and air borders. The government of Giorgia Meloni made this decision following a sharp escalation of the migration crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where thousands of migrants have arrived.
FIFA has scrapped one of its most controversial projects. Following a wave of criticism and threats of a boycott from major soccer federations, the organization decided against involving private investors in the commercial rights to the World Cup.
Russia has begun importing gasoline by sea from Morocco due to a domestic fuel shortage. An oil tanker delivered about 30,000 metric tons of AI-92 gasoline, industry sources told Reuters.
In July, Italy became Europe’s largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). While many EU countries are cutting back on purchases due to high prices, Rome is banking on building up large reserves ahead of winter.
The European Union will allocate €10 billion to build seven major centers for the development of artificial intelligence. Brussels hopes this will help it close the gap with the United States and China in the field of AI and establish its own technological base.
For the first time in a long while, Turkey’s tourism industry has faced a decline in revenue. In the second quarter of 2026, tourism revenue fell by 2.6% year-over-year to $15.9 billion. At the same time, the number of foreign visitors declined, while Turkish residents themselves began traveling abroad for vacations significantly more often.
Spain is facing new political pressure within the European Union over the migration crisis in Ceuta. Following statements by Italian Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni calling for a review of Madrid’s participation in the Schengen Area, Finland has taken a similar stance.
UEFA and all 55 of its member national soccer associations have stated that they will not participate in tournaments organized by FIFA, including the World Cup, until the international federation abandons its plans to involve private investors in the commercial rights to its competitions.
Starting August 1, Russia will impose a ban on the export of gasoline, diesel fuel, and a number of other petroleum products, stepping up measures to ensure the domestic market is adequately supplied following supply disruptions in Russian regions. The restrictions will remain in effect until January 31, 2027.
Paris has unexpectedly topped the global ranking of cities with the best street food. It surpassed traditional culinary destinations and took first place thanks to its wide variety of dishes and the high ratings of its establishments. These are the findings of a study by Radical Storage, which surveyed 6,897 street food vendors in the world’s 100 most popular cities.
Microsoft reported record profits driven by demand for cloud services and artificial intelligence products. Meanwhile, Meta, despite a rise in revenue, reported a decline in earnings due to litigation costs and layoffs.
The Australian internet safety regulator, eSafety, has filed a lawsuit in Federal Court against Telegram FZ-LLC and Telegram Messenger Inc., accusing the messaging app of failing to comply with laws designed to combat the dissemination of prohibited content.
