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Women from Soccer-England receive a hero's welcome at home after Euro 2025 victory
After their Euro 2025 victory, the England women's football team returned home to a hero's welcome. Government ministers hosted a reception in honor of a triumph that was hailed by young people all over the country as a source of inspiration. Chloe Kelly, England's striker, scored the winning penalty kick in Sunday's 3-1 victory over Spain in Basel in a shootout. The team successfully defended the European Championship title that they won three years ago on their home turf. The team arrived at London's Southend Airport Monday afternoon on a plane with the England badge on the side and a red Nike Logo. This was a reference to the famous soccer anthem "Three Lions" which includes the line 'it's going home'. Angela Rayner will host the reception in Downing Street. She said, "Our Lionesses have proven themselves to be champions again last night." "Not only do they bring it home to England again, they inspire the next generation of Champions too." The Prime Minister Keir starmer, who is not attending the reception because he will be in Scotland meeting U.S. president Donald Trump, said that the team's win was an inspiration to the youth of the country. The Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock will attend the reception at Downing Street. She said that England's victory "builds brilliantly upon the momentum" we are creating in women's sports. Starmer, along with ministers and representatives of the Football Association (FA), will welcome the team to his official residence this evening. The FA had asked fans to avoid the airport because of limited space. However, hundreds, particularly young supporters, turned out anyway to line the streets, waving England flags. As the players emerged from airport terminal, some fans were holding signs that read 'Heroes!' and Well done girls. They cheered loudly. On Tuesday, a homecoming event with live music and large screens showing highlights of the tournament will be held in central London. In a social media video posted on Monday, players are seen celebrating their post-match celebration with a glass wine, as cheers erupt around them. "I'm so proud of my team." I am so grateful to be able to wear this badge. "I'm so proud to be English", Kelly replied. Leah Williamson, the England captain, said that she was totally in disbelief. But she knew deep down she would win. Williamson stated that "playing for the England team is incredible." "You cannot put us down." (Reporting and Editing by Ed Osmond, Christian Radnedge and Catarina demony)
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Taiwan's Lai to delay U.S. visit as U.S. China trade talks continue
Three people with knowledge of the situation say that Taiwan's president Lai Ching Te is likely to postpone until later this year the diplomatically sensitive trip to Washington his team had planned for August, which would have included stops in transit in the United States. This trip would have infuriated Beijing, especially at a moment when U.S. president Donald Trump is negotiating a trade deal with China. The trip to Latin America, including stops next week, has never been formally confirmed, but it was discussed with the respective governments. Lai will delay his trip due to a number of factors, including the need for him to plan the government's response in Taiwan to the extreme weather, according to one source, as well as the ongoing U.S. Tariff talks with Taipei or Beijing. The top U.S. economic officials and Chinese counterparts met in Stockholm, Sweden on Monday for a new round of talks. The White House didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. Taiwan's Presidential Office did not respond to a request for comment by late Monday night. The Chinese embassy in Washington has not responded to a comment request immediately.
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Venture Global reaches final investment decision for CP2 LNG project
Venture Global announced on Monday that it had made a final decision to invest and closed the project financing of $15.1 billion for the first phase CP2 LNG Export Facility. The CP2 Project, which is the largest export facility for super-cooled gas in the U.S. is expected to reach a maximum capacity of 28 millions tonnes of liquefied gas per year and will deliver its first LNG by 2027. After President Donald Trump lifted the moratorium on new LNG permits shortly after taking office, commercial activity in the U.S. has increased. Venture Global reported that the group of lenders for construction financing included Bank of America and Barclays, as well as other U.S.-based, European and Asian banks. After the announcement, shares of the company increased by 4.3% to $15.19. Stocks were also helped by the European Union Pledge $750 billion in strategic purchases as part a comprehensive trade agreement. Venture Global has announced that it now has a contracted total capacity of 43.5 MTPA for all three of its Louisiana projects. (Reporting and editing by Shreya Biwas in Bengaluru, Vallari Srivastava from Bengaluru)
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Official: Serbia has secured the fifth postponement in US sanctions against NIS
A Belgrade government official said that Serbia had secured the fifth postponement against planned U.S. sanction plans against Russian owned oil company NIS which operates the only oil refinery in the country. The official who requested anonymity did not elaborate further. The U.S. Treasury Department didn't immediately respond to comments. The U.S. Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The plant has a capacity of 4.8 millions tons per year and can cover the majority of the Balkan countries' needs. Sanctions may jeopardize its crude supplies. In 2008, Serbia sold its 51% stake in NIS for 400 million Euros ($464 Million). On January 10, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury placed sanctions against Russia's oil industry and gave Gazprom a 45-day deadline to sell its NIS shares. Gazprom Neft, in an effort to avoid sanctions, transferred to Gazprom a stake in NIS of approximately 5.15% on February 26. NIS imports 80% of the oil it needs via Janaf, Croatia's pipeline operator. The rest is covered by crude oil produced in Serbia. Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic and Robert Harvey; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Jan Harvey
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Two people are killed in floods in Romania, and hundreds of people have been evacuated
Officials said that severe overnight flooding in eastern Romania has killed two people, damaged thousands of houses, and evacuated hundreds of people. Helicopters are searching for stranded villages. The emergency response agency reported that 25 villages in nine counties were affected, with heavy rains and high winds tearing off roofs and uprooting trees and blocking some national roads. In eastern Romania, the counties of Neamt & Suceava were worst affected. Two rivers burst through their banks and killed a man aged 66, forcing hundreds to flee. All roads leading to the village Brosteni, in Suceava County, were closed. Later, the emergency response agency said that a second flood victim, a woman aged 85, had been found. Firefighters used an excavator in order to recover her body. Water management agency of the Environment Ministry said that some rivers had reached record-high water levels. It said that repairs were being carried out on bridges which had collapsed. Reporting by Luiza Ili; Editing by Giles Elgood, Hugh Lawson and Hugh Lawson
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Portugal invests $466 Million to improve grid management and battery storage following outage
After a major blackout in Spain and Portugal, the Portuguese government is planning to invest 400 million euros (466 million dollars) to improve grid control and increase battery storage. The Energy Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho stated on Monday that 137 million euro of the investment will go towards improving operational and control capabilities of the electricity grid in order to assist it with dealing with complex intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. In a report published last month, the Spanish government stated that the grid operator Redeia miscalculated on April 28 the correct energy mix in the system. It also accused some thermal power stations using coal, nuclear and gas of failing to maintain an appropriate voltage. A surge in voltage caused a cascade to occur of power plant shutdowns, resulting in the outage which spread to Portugal at the time, who was importing electrical energy. According to the plan, the Portuguese grid operator REN plans to install a shunt device that will accurately measure electrical current, prevent overloads, and equipment to regulate voltage. It also intends to improve system stability, and ensure consistent delivery of energy. Carvalho stated that, unlike the past when thermal power plants were a stable source of energy, renewable sources are more decentralised and intermittent, making it harder to manage. She told a news conference that "we have to make our grid digital, secure and modern...to support this new, complex energy production model", adding that the government will prepare a decree in order to accelerate the implementation of these investments. She said that the increase in storage was also intended to prevent a country-wide shutdown, as well as provide greater energy autonomy for critical infrastructure, such hospitals, fire departments and security forces. Although no date has been set, the goal is to achieve 750 megawatts. According to the most recent daily data provided by REN, Portugal's electricity consumption was 115 GWh as of June 20.
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Italy is expected to complete the Sicily Bridge project by next week
Sources said that the Italian government will likely give its approval for the construction of a multi-billion euro bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland in the next week. This will allow the project to begin, which has been long delayed. Source who requested anonymity said that the CIPESS Economic Planning Committee meeting to approve the bridge was yet to be scheduled, but it is expected to happen by August 7. Since Roman times there has been talk of a stable connection across Strait of Messina. But the project seemed to be dead for good when, in 2013, the company set up to supervise its construction was shut down as part of a government-led austerity campaign. The project was revived by Prime Minister Giorgia Mello, who allocated 13.5 billion euro ($15.7 billion), to build a suspension span 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) between Messina in Sicily and the Calabria Region. The Messina Strait Company, which supervises the project says that approval from CIPESS would pave the path for preliminary work such as land expropriation, archaeological and geological studies, and other preparatory works. The construction of the bridge, due to be completed in 2032, is being carried out by a consortium led Italy's Webuild, 60 years after the country held an international competition for proposals. WeBuild CEO Pietro Salini stated last week that the Messina Bridge is receiving a lot attention from around the globe. People are asking about the bridge and the financial results of the group for the first six months of the year. Reporting by Angelo Amante; editing by Alvise Armellini and Giles Elgood
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Russian Urals prices hold firm in Indian ports against Brent benchmark
Three sources reported that the prices for Russia's flagship Urals oil, which is scheduled to be delivered to Indian ports by the end of August/early Septembre, have firmed up further. The discount to Brent has been the narrowest it has been since 2022, due to the strong demand for the grade in India and Turkey, and the low supply, according to the sources. The traders reported that spot discounts for Urals crude have narrowed from $1.70 to $2 per barrel on a dated Brent basis to an average of $1.50 to $1.60 on a delivery-ex-ship basis for cargoes arriving into India in late August/early September. This is down from $1.70 to $2 per barrel on a Brent basis a few months ago. This is the smallest discount on Urals oil cargoes compared to Brent dated in Indian ports, since the Ukraine War broke out in the year 2022. The daily Russian oil exports to the ports of Primorsk (Ust-Luga), Novorossiisk and Ust-Luga are expected to drop to 1.77 million barrels a day in August. This is down from the 1.93 million barrels a day in July's plans. Traders said that the Indian refineries may be forced to seek alternative oil supplies due to declining discounts, a lower supply of Russian spot barrels, and new Western sanctions. On July 18, the EU approved their 18th package against Russia. This includes sanctions against Moscow's energy industry and against Russia-backed Indian refiner Nayara Energy. Few days later, Britain imposed sanctions on Russia's "shadow fleet" that included 135 oil tanks and two Russian companies: shipping company Intershipping Services LLC as well as oil trader Litasco Middle East DMCC. India is the biggest buyer of Russian crude oil after Moscow diverted energy away from the European Union which imposed an import ban in late 2022. According to traders, large volumes of Russian Urals crude oil were shipped from Russia to India as part of a deal signed between India's biggest private refinery, Reliance Industries and Russian oil giant Rosneft, last year. This agreement limited the amount offered on the spot market. (Reporting from Nidhi in New Delhi, and reporters in Moscow. Editing by Sharon Singleton.)
US LNG producers soar after EU agrees to annual purchases of $250 billion
The shares of U.S. developers of liquefied gas surged on Monday in premarket trading after the European Union committed to buy $750 billion of the super-cooled fuel within the next three year as part of an sweeping trade agreement.
NextDecade Venture Global and Cheniere Energy all jumped between 7.8% and 8.8%. The deal is a boon for American LNG exporters who are expanding to meet the growing demand for cleaner burning fuels.
As part of the framework agreement announced on Sunday, the EU committed to purchasing $250 billion in U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas annually as it seeks to reduce its dependency on Russian gas.
As global prices rose, the demand for LNG exports increased, partly due to disruptions in supply and sanctions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The agreement imposes an import tariff of 15% on most EU products, which is a smaller blow than the markets expected.
Ashley Kelty is an analyst with Panmure Liberum. She said, "Terms of EU-U.S. Trade Deal were in the forefront. The 15% tariff level was better than expected (30% had been mooted earlier)."
This should reduce the drag on industrial activity in both countries.
Kelty did note that the deal may have an impact on gas prices.
Kelty, a Kelty Energy analyst, said that the EU's desire to purchase more U.S. oil will lead to more U.S. imports of LNG in the future. This could signal a glut.
Before the bell, shares of U.S. gas producers Expand Energy & EQT Corp rose 1.6% & 3% respectively. (Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
(source: Reuters)