French Budget Watch: France is weighing a “blank year” for 2027 pension indexation, with higher-income “comfortable” retirees facing a progressive freeze while minimum benefits stay protected—sparking debate over what counts as comfortable. Heat & Food Security: Europe’s heatwave is hitting harvests and public health at the same time, with analysts citing multi-billion-euro losses and thousands of excess deaths, while drought strains farming across countries. EU Energy Tax Push: Six EU states are again pushing an EU-wide excess profit levy on oil majors as profits soar amid the Iran war and households still feel the squeeze. EU Border Friction: New EU entry/exit checks are causing stress for UK travellers, with reports of long queues and exit records not updating properly. Agriculture Under Pressure: Wine and other crops are adjusting to earlier harvests and weaker demand, including a sharper drop in Chinese buyers for European wine. Banking Regulation: European banks are welcoming likely regulation cuts after EU moves aimed at easing capital and liquidity constraints. UK Cost of Living Politics: Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick warns Britain risks a 1970s-style fiscal crisis without welfare reform, targeting large benefit cuts. Tech & Privacy: OpenAI’s ChatGPT “Computer History” activity logging is now available in Europe, raising new data-control questions for users. Geopolitics & Trade: Trump escalates “economic D-Day” threats on Iran, while Ukraine strikes on Russian logistics hubs underline how sanctions and shipping routes are being reshaped.