Ukraine Recovery Finance: The EU has released the first $3.4bn tranche of a $101bn loan package for Ukraine’s post-war recovery, signaling long-term backing as leaders meet in Poland. EU Competition & Big Tech: Regulators say Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure likely qualify as “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act, setting up stricter obligations for cloud dominance. EU Climate Policy Fight: “Spectacular” EV sales are weakening political pressure to roll back the EU’s combustion-engine ban, with the climate chief pointing to momentum in major markets. Lebanon Security: France and Italy back an EU mission in Lebanon aimed at strengthening state control over weapons and sovereignty, in coordination with UNIFIL. Heatwave Emergency Response: Paris has restricted public alcohol consumption and takeaway sales as hospitals near saturation during Europe’s record heat, while health systems across the continent face mounting strain. EU–Turkey Diplomacy: The EU rebukes Turkey for excluding Cyprus from COP31 preparations, calling it “unacceptable” ahead of the UN climate summit. UK Brexit Fallout: Britain’s talks with Brussels risk reopening loopholes on puppy smuggling if EU-aligned veterinary rules override current protections. Governance & Justice: Germany’s Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig visits Kyiv to discuss rule-of-law cooperation and Ukraine’s EU accession track. EU–Moldova Accession: Moldova begins the first EU negotiation cluster in Luxembourg, focusing on “fundamentals” like rule of law and democratic institutions. EU–Cloud & DMA Compliance: The Commission’s preliminary DMA findings for AWS and Azure could force compliance changes within months. Extreme Heat Attribution: Scientists say the heatwave would have been “virtually impossible” decades ago without human-caused climate change.