About this Episode
Airlines and airports urged the European Commission to allow temporary suspension of the new EU biometric border‑check system during the peak summer period, saying queues of up to five hours had left some flights half‑empty and passengers stranded. Industry groups wrote to EC President Ursula von der Leyen asking that checks be suspended when passenger volumes exceeded border‑control capacity, citing recent roll‑out problems and warning that continued delays would damage tourism, connectivity and the EU’s reputation, while also seeking flexibility to extend suspensions beyond September until staffing and kiosk reliability improved.
Financial disclosures showed US President Donald Trump’s family crypto ventures earned over $1bn in his first year back in the White House, prompting Democrats to denounce “brazen crypto corruption”. Senator Elizabeth Warren and others demanded tighter rules to bar political figures and relatives from profiting in crypto, whilst critics accused the president of using office to enrich allies. Trump dismissed the scrutiny and his team said his businesses were walled off, whilst lawmakers pressed for hearings even as an amendment to ban officials and their families from owning or promoting crypto failed on party lines in the Senate banking committee.
A Los Angeles jury found Chris Brown liable for a 2020 dog attack that left his housekeeper Maria Avila mauled and disfigured, ordering Brown to pay $12.9m for negligence. The jury also awarded $885,000 to Avila’s sister Patricia and $50,000 to her husband Oscar Olivo, after testimony described severe facial scarring, vision loss and nerve damage, claims that Brown fled the scene and disputes over warnings about the dogs,. Brown’s representatives had not immediately commented.
Canada joined the European Broadcasting Union and was confirmed as a participant in the Eurovision Song Contest from 2027, making it the first new entrant since Australia in 2015. CBC said it would announce its selection process later in the year, Eurovision director Martin Green described the accession as a sign the contest “continues to welcome the world,” and the 2027 contest is set to take place in Bulgaria after Bulgaria’s Dara won the 2026 edition.
