EU-China Trade: EU leaders back stronger trade defences after a surge in Chinese exports, while still pushing “constructive dialogue” to rebalance a goods deficit of about €360bn. US-Germany Pharma Clash: The US launches a Section 301 probe into Germany’s “underpayment” for innovative drugs, with hearings planned for September. EU E-commerce Safety Pressure: EU warns that the flood of small parcels—often from third-country platforms—overwhelms checks, with many products failing compliance and raising consumer-safety and unfair-competition concerns. Air Passenger Rules: New EU rules from 2027 require carry-on baggage to be included in ticket prices, drawing sharp pushback from low-cost carriers. UK Rail Customer Focus: Britain’s biggest rail survey finds 87% passenger satisfaction overall, but CrossCountry is flagged as the lowest performer. UK Student Loans Error: About 71,000 graduates get corrected Plan 2 loan balances after HMRC and system errors. Germany Oil Reserves: Germany reviews whether to extend its partial strategic oil release beyond August 31. Spain Heat & Wildfires: Spain reports wildfires tripling vs 2025, with nearly 39,300 hectares burned so far in 2026. O2 Cloud Boost: O2 expands free cloud storage to 10TB for mobile and fibre customers. Retail Expansion in Italy: Vukile plans a €115m entry via three shopping-centre acquisitions in Turin, Padua and Naples.