Wildfires & Heatwave Crisis: Fires swept across Italy, France and Spain, killing three firefighters and forcing thousands to flee as temperatures topped 40C; in Sicily, about 6,000 responders battled dozens of blazes while Calabria saw over 160 fires, with officials alleging deliberate arson. EU Sanctions & Energy: EU ambassadors agreed a weakened 21st Russia sanctions package after Greece won an exemption to keep shipping Russian LNG to non-EU buyers under annual review, while also freezing the crude price cap for 12 months. Migrant Labour Scrutiny: Italy’s “caporalato” system is back under the spotlight after four migrant farm workers were killed in Calabria, renewing claims of exploitation and abuse in recruitment and working conditions. Venice Biennale Funding Fight: The EU has suspended €2m in funding for the Venice Biennale over Russia’s participation, triggering legal and political backlash. Tech & Industry: MFE-MediaForEurope launched a governance reshuffle and began merging Mediaset into RTI to form Mediaset Italia; separately, InterDigital won another EU-wide injunction against Disney at the Unified Patent Court. Environment & Health Regulation: The EU cut the “forever chemical” TFA acceptable daily intake in drinking water, lowering the lifetime safe level to 0.014 mg/kg/day. Sports & Culture: Venice Film Festival unveiled its 2026 lineup, while Italy’s heatwave also hit football headlines as coach De Zerbi said his EPL squad overhaul is underway.