Ceuta Border Crisis: Spain says about 49,000 people crossed into Ceuta in 24 hours, triggering a political storm and prompting France to tighten controls and activate rapid border checks. Schengen Tensions: Italy’s Giorgia Meloni warns it could suspend Schengen with Spain, while EU leaders face mounting pressure over the bloc’s southern frontier and the EU Migration Pact. AI Sovereignty Push: The European Commission is launching a bidding process for seven AI “gigafactories” with €10bn public funding, aiming to draw €20bn more from private investors and cut reliance on US and China cloud and chips. Digital Rules on Big Tech: Brussels moves to tighten EU rules for ChatGPT and Roblox under the Digital Services framework, while also facing criticism from China over cybersecurity and industrial bills. Markets & Finance: European stocks hit record highs as tech shares rallied; Lloyds completed live tokenised deposit transactions for cross-border payments. Energy Security: As Russia’s gas role shrinks, experts point to Croatia’s LNG terminal as a route for deeper US gas supply into the Balkans and central Europe. Sports Governance Clash: European football associations back a boycott of FIFA World Cups if Infantino’s plan to sell stakes to private investors proceeds. Climate Stress: Drought and extreme heat are disrupting the Danube, threatening nuclear cooling and raising pressure across transport and agriculture.