Europe

Southern Europe is preparing for a strong African heat wave, the temperature of which may exceed the record mark of 48. 8 degrees Celsius.

On June 25, the EU-Ukraine Intergovernmental Conference officially launched negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, followed by detailed technical negotiations on various chapters of the future agreement.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the approval by the EU countries of the negotiation framework on Ukraine's accession, noting that an intergovernmental conference is expected on June 25, which will actually begin the negotiation process.

Beijing has not yet commented on the new defense pact between Russia and North Korea. Perhaps the PRC is concerned about the potential loss of influence on North Korea and the growing instability on the Korean Peninsula.

A Chinese high-tech company and Slovak partner InoBat are investing 1. 2 billion euros to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Slovakia with an initial annual capacity of 20 gigawatt-hours.

Two belugas named plombir and Miranda, aged 14 and 15, were evacuated from Kharkiv's Nemo Dolphinarium to an oceanographic Park in Valencia, Spain, after intense Russian shelling threatened their safety.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths and numerous wildfires have occurred in Europe, Asia and the United States due to record high temperatures in recent days.

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have agreed with China to build a 450-500 km long railway to Europe bypassing Russia as part of the China One Belt, One Road Initiative.

Romania has decided to transfer the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, strengthening Ukraine's defense capability and increasing the security of neighboring countries such as Moldova, the Baltic states and Romania itself from Russian aggression.

Greek authorities have declared a "red" danger level in Athens and the surrounding region due to the danger of forest fires, while new fires are breaking out near the capital against the background of strong winds and temperatures up to 41°C.

France leads Europe in terms of generative AI funding, raising 2. 29 billion euros, while Europe and Israel typically account for only half of the global venture capital funding in this particular area of AI.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to Romania for providing Ukraine with an additional Patriot air defense system, pointing to strengthening Ukraine's air shield against Russian air terror and strengthening regional security.

Ukraine and the EU have extended the "transport visa-free regime" for a year with the possibility of extending it until the end of 2025, allowing road cargo transportation between Ukraine and the EU without special permits.

According to official UN statistics, about 6. 5 million Ukrainians have received temporary protection status abroad since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Last year, China's per capita energy consumption exceeded that of Europe for the first time, driven by the expansion of data centers, 5G infrastructure and electric vehicle charging, as well as factories operating at full capacity to meet demand abroad.

The White House has officially confirmed permission for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use American weapons to strike Russian positions across the border in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

Jordan Bardella, president of the French National Rally party, is in favor of providing Ukraine with ammunition and equipment for self-defense, but opposes sending equipment that could provoke a wider war or deploying French troops in Ukraine.

Tomorrow, a significant weather deterioration with thunderstorms, hail and squalls of 15-20 m/s is expected across the country.

Ukraine ranks second in Central and Eastern Europe by the number of AI companies. In total, we have more than 240 AI companies.

Antigua and Barbuda joined the communiqué of the Global Peace Summit, although it was not represented at the Summit.

U. S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken condemned China, Iran and North Korea for supporting Russia's military economy and defense industrial base, which made Russia's invasion of Ukraine possible.

Germany has created a working group to counter disinformation campaigns, especially those sponsored by Russia, aimed at undermining democracy and sowing discord, with a focus on monitoring and exposing fake accounts and operations on social media.

The EU plans to agree on new sanctions against Russia by the June 27 summit, including restrictions on the transportation of Russian LNG and oil, trade bans and blacklists.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has promised to give Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban the right to withdraw from NATO activities aimed at supporting Ukraine if he becomes secretary general of the military alliance, in an attempt to win Budapest's support after it vetoed his appointment for months.

EU leaders failed to agree on candidates for key EU positions, including Ursula von der Leyen's second term as president of the European Commission.

Ukrainian weightlifter Angelina Selivanova won gold medals in the clean and jerk (80 kg) and the shot put (97 kg), becoming the absolute champion of Europe among girls under 15 in the 64 kg weight category.

UEFA will try to remove Russian flags from the stadium in Munich when Ukraine plays Romania in the group stage of Euro 2024.

Despite efforts to cut off supplies of Russian fossil fuels, gas imports to Europe from Russia in May exceeded those from the United States.

The German Foreign Minister warns that if Ukraine is not supported, russian troops could reach the border with Poland and bring the war to the EU and NATO.

Many regions of China are experiencing extreme weather conditions: high temperature warnings have been issued in the northern regions, and heavy flooding due to heavy rains in the southern provinces.