CNN (August 14)
“Nuclear power plants idled. Crops harvested at 3 a.m. Iconic tourist attractions shuttered early. Soaring temperatures are forcing drastic measures in Europe, where successive heatwaves are straining an economy already under pressure from US tariffs, Chinese competition and higher energy prices because of the Iran war.”
Tags: Chinese competition, Crops, Economy, Energy, Europe, Heatwaves, Idled, Nuclear, Plants, Shuttered, Straining, Temperatures, Tourist attractions, U.S. tariffs
The Guardian (August 9)
“India is attempting to do something the world has never seen before…. No major economy has tried to expand GDP nearly eightfold within a generation while simultaneously redirecting its energy and industrial systems to reach net zero within two generations.” This is remarkable. “China industrialised at vast scale, but not on a sustainable net zero path. Korea, Japan and Europe became wealthy by industrialising before decarbonizing,” but “the world’s most populous country has to do this while also reducing emissions.” And India doesn’t have much choice. “In April, on a single day, all of the planet’s top 50 hottest cities were in India.”
Tags: China, Decarbonizing, Emissions, Energy, Europe, GDP, Hottest cities, India, Industrial systems, Industrialized, Japan, Korea, Major economy, Net zero, Scale, Sustainable, Wealthy
The New York Times (August 8)
“President Trump’s war against Iran has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles to troubling levels, siphoning supplies from Asia and Europe…. The rapidly shrinking supply of air-defense missiles and other critical weaponry in Europe and Asia not only leaves the U.S. military less equipped, but could also leave Russia and China feeling emboldened should they contemplate a potential conflict with the United States.”
Tags: Air-defense missiles, Asia, China, Conflict, Depleted, Emboldened, Europe, Iran, Military, Russia, Shrinking supply, Troubling, Trump, U.S., War, Weapons stockpiles
The Economist (July 18)
“It is too darn hot. On July 14th the surface temperature of Earth’s tropical and mid-latitude oceans was higher than on any other July 14th in modern records. The same was true for every other day in July, and for almost all of the days in June, too. Europe has gone through three heatwaves since May, and though the continent is better prepared for such things than it used to be, tens of thousands will have died as a result.”
Tags: Continent, Earth, Europe, Heatwaves, Higher, Hot, Oceans, Prepared, Records, Surface temperature, Tropical
Investment Week (July 2)
While Nasdaq IPOs have drawn the most attention, “European initial public offering (IPO) proceeds increased by 76% year-on-year during the first half of 2026, according to data from PwC, as improving market conditions helped revive activity despite geopolitical uncertainty.” During the first half of 2026, proceeds from European IPOs increased 76% over a year earlier. In contrast, Brexit has weighed on the UK where IPO volumes “remained relatively modest.”
Tags: 2026, Brexit, Europe, Geopolitical uncertainty, Improving, IPOs, Market conditions, Nasdaq, Proceeds, PwC, Revive, UK
BBC (June 28)
“Europe’s unprecedented early summer heatwave may be responsible for hundreds of excess deaths.” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 1,300 deaths recorded since June 21 were likely linked to the unrelenting heat. Though the majority of the excess deaths were in France, the heat has been widespread. “Temperature records were broken across the continent again on Sunday – including in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic – as the extreme heat continued to move east.”
Tags: Czech Republic, Europe, Excess deaths, France, Germany, Heatwave, Poland, Records, Summer, Temperature, Unprecedented, Unrelenting heat, WHO
Barron’s (June 23)
“The latest heatwave sweeping across Europe is a stark reminder that it is the world’s fastest-warming continent, stretching into an Arctic that is heating at an even greater pace. Britain, France, Italy and Spain have issued red alerts and health warnings for much of their territory this week as the region endures its second heat episode since May.”
Tags: Arctic, Britain, Continent, Endures, Europe, Fastest-warming, France, Health warnings, Heatwave, Italy, May, Reminder, Spain. Red alerts, Stark
The Times (June 11)
“Since the historic Nato summit in The Hague one year ago this month, European leaders have pledged massive increases in defence spending in the face of increasingly acute threats of Russian aggression. Yet the reality is that key west European governments – especially the UK, France and Italy – are not putting their money where their mouth is for fear of undermining lenders’ confidence in their national debt.”
Tags: Confidence, Defense spending, Europe, France, Governments, Historic, Italy, Leaders, Lenders, National debt, Nato summit, Pledged, Russian aggression, Threats, UK
The Guardian (June 11)
“Since the historic Nato summit in The Hague one year ago this month, European leaders have pledged massive increases in defence spending in the face of increasingly acute threats of Russian aggression. Yet the reality is that key west European governments – especially the UK, France and Italy – are not putting their money where their mouth is for fear of undermining lenders’ confidence in their national debt.”
Tags: Assistance, Bitter, Conflict, Europe, Grim, Incalculable, Invasion, Milestone, Perished, Prove, Putin, Russia, Success, Suffering, U.S., Ukraine, Waver, WWI
New York Times (May 31)
China’s biotechnology sector passed a milestone. This year’s prestigious meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) features “a presentation of a clinical trial conducted only in China.” Typically, the headliners have “featured drug trials that were run mainly at American and European hospitals.” This milestone “reflects the dizzying growth of China’s biotechnology sector. In just a few years, it has transformed from a sleepy industry into a juggernaut rapidly inventing and testing cutting-edge medicines.”
Tags: ASCO, Biotechnology, China, Clinical trial, Cutting-edge medicines, Drug trials, Europe, Growth, Headliners, Inventing, Juggernaut, Milestone, Oncology, Prestigious, Testing, U.S.