Compared to other parts of the world, the EU on the whole has been fairly reluctant to embrace digital economic innovation. The bloc has been suspicious of cryptocurrencies, and treated them as a potential threat to a financial system where stability is paramount.

But the first half of 2026 has been full of clear risks to that stability. Wars, tariffs and shaky military alliances have changed everything.

Nato has been undermined, spending priorities have changed, and trading relationships are not as solid as they used to be. As the former Italian prime minister (and former president of the European Central Bank) Mario Draghi, recently remarked: “For the first time in living memory, [the EU is] truly alone together.”

So perhaps now is the time for the EU to grab hold of some important economic innovations – and stop being so dependent on the US.

One step towards digital economic sovereignty could involve the European Central Bank (ECB) issuing the digital euro sooner than planned (it’s currently due to land in 2029). Like the digital pound being considered in the UK, a digital euro would function as public money in digital form, complementing – not replacing – physical cash. It would be backed by the ECB and usable for everyday payments across the euro zone.

A digital euro would be used by consumers and small firms every day, and is a project which has been studied by the ECB since 2020. In China, the digital yuan is already in wide circulation.

A second step could be to modernise banking infrastructure so that European (rather than US) stablecoins could be more widely used for making payments in euros.

At the moment, almost all of the world’s stablecoins (a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value) are pegged to US government bonds. Europe should focus on creating the financial and regulatory conditions for stablecoins backed by euro bonds to run into a European digital infrastructure.

The point of a European stablecoin would be to help European firms trade more efficiently – stablecoins can be faster and cheaper than traditional fiat currencies (which are government issued). Similarly, the digital euro would aim to make retail and household payments more secure and more efficient.

Both moves would help to challenge the US dollar’s dominance when it comes to global financial transactions. And there are some very good reasons why Europe should strongly consider doing just that.

First, the EU urgently needs to prepare for the possibility that at some point, somebody in the US may consider withholding European access to the the likes of Visa, Mastercard and American Express – the systems which Europeans use to make millions of payments every day.

As a sanction, this would be extreme – but by no means impossible. It has already been imposed on some judges at the International Criminal Court who made decisions which were not liked in Washington.

Pay your own way

Another good reason to build an EU-centred payment system is that it brings autonomy for the future. For instance, Europe may become less happy about accepting a dollar-dominated trade system where Europe ends up financing the US deficit by using dollars for international transactions. Instead, it may seek to promote the euro as part of a new multi-currrency financial order.

The two innovations – European stablecoins and a digital euro – could also create an area of the global economy where Europe manages to gain a competitive advantage by looking for a third way between the US and China.

For in the US, a digital dollar issued by the FED is about to be banned by Donald Trump, partly due to concerns over privacy. And in China, national stablecoins are to be prohibited so as not to jeopardise the monopoly of the central bank.

It’s possible then, that a successful euro-pegged stablecoin market could increase international use of the euro, while also reducing the EU’s reliance on US payment systems.

Overall then, the need for stability in an increasingly unstable global economy, may be the trigger for Europe to finally embrace change. The bloc may come to view digital currencies as a vital part of its strategic infrastructure, similar to energy networks, telecommunications systems or defence capabilities.

At the very least, it should stop seeing them as a risk – and start treating them as a tool that could help to bring economic and geopolitical resilience.

Nasa has named the crew of its next Artemis mission, which it promised would be an “extraordinary demonstration of what is possible”. Artemis is the ambitious American-led effort to the return humans to the lunar surface by 2028.

However, the Artemis III mission will not travel to the Moon. Instead, the Orion spacecraft will stay in low Earth orbit and aim to dock with lunar landing vehicles launched separately by one or two space companies.

Nasa astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas and Italian European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano will carry out the mission in late 2027.

There are two potential landers that could fly on their separate mission to then rendezvous with the Orion spacecraft; one made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the other by Jeff Bezos’ firm Blue Origin. They will carry astronauts down to the Moon’s surface on subsequent missions.

However, the timetable for Artemis III and the first mission to return astronauts to the lunar surface (Artemis IV) has been thrown into doubt by the recent explosion of a New Glenn rocket. This rocket is intended to launch Blue Origin’s lander, called Blue Moon.

The blast could add significant delay to the Artemis schedule and there is speculation that it could even put the US out of contention to reach the Moon before China, which is planning its own Moon landing mission for 2030.

On May 28, 2026, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which is able to carry heavy payloads, was undergoing a standard engine fire test. For reasons which are still unclear, a huge explosion destroyed the rocket and damaged Blue Origin’s only launchpad, located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

To reduce costs, Nasa’s Artemis programme relies on companies like Blue Origin to deliver key elements for lunar missions, like the landers.

Rockets capable of lifting heavy payloads into orbit will be needed for launching the building blocks of Nasa’s Moon base, which will be assembled over the next few years.

Under previous plans, SpaceX’s Starship vehicle would have been used as the lander for the first two Artemis missions to touch down on the Moon. However, Starship ran into problems during flight tests, so Nasa hatched a plan B.

This backup plan brought Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander into the mix for Artemis IV, the first mission back to the lunar surface. Now, with the explosion, even their Plan B seems to have moved out of reach.

How bad is the situation though? Blue Origin only has one launch pad that, at the moment, cannot be used. But recent updates by the company’s CEO, Dave Limp, indicated that the situation may not be as dire as it might have been. He indicated that New Glenn might even return to launch before the end of the year.

The propellant farm (which stores the rocket fuel and oxidiser that are pumped into the rocket just before launch), as well as the water tower were undamaged. So were the booster and upper stages of another New Glenn rocket held in the pad’s integration facility. The launch tower will only need to be repaired and not rebuilt.

To gain some insight into the potential impact on the timescale for a next launch, we might be able to look at a similar situation faced by SpaceX in September 2016 where a Falcon 9 rocket exploded on one of their launchpads.

They were able to continue only four months after, but from one of their alternative launch sites, none of which were fully operational at that time. But Blue Origin has no alternative site at all. SpaceX needed more than a year to start up operations again on their damaged launch site.

Kiko Dontcev, vice president of launch at SpaceX, commented on the task ahead for Blue Origin. He described the rebuild as a high precision dissection of the damaged site to help better understand the incident. “In the initial days and weeks after you’re using a scalpel not a bulldozer,” he commented on X.

This might cast doubt on hopes that New Glenn could launch again this year. Indeed, Nasa’s chief Jared Isaacman told CNBC that the launch pad might not be restored until 2028. Currently, we just do not have the full picture of the damage and work needed. So, we can only hope that New Glenn launches can resume as soon as possible.

Nasa is already trying to limit the impact of the New Glenn explosion by urging Blue Origin to look at other rockets for launching its Blue Moon lunar landers. This would allow Nasa to still meet its deadline of landing astronauts on the Moon in 2028.

But New Glenn is still needed to land hardware such as the lunar terrain vehicles for Artemis missions and a robot rover called Viper, which will scout for water ice at the Moon’s south pole.

Exploring with pride

However, with 2030 approaching fast, the knock-on effects of the explosion could lead to China beating the US to the Moon. But the Artemis programme had already been hit by delays as a result of Nasa’s dependence on government whims and variable funding. Overall, the Artemis programme has had a relatively tight budget to work with.

Space agencies like Nasa must try (as much as possible) to decouple their efforts in space from ongoing turmoil in domestic politics. It could also do well to rely less on ventures led by billionaires, who often have their own private objectives.

One could view the Chinese lunar programme as being more stable, because of their one-party state as well as their strong sense of national pride. However, there is also a lack of transparency in their space programme and a focus on propaganda.

As an outside observer, it appears that Nasa’s current timeline for landing on the Moon and establishing a permanent lunar base is slipping away. But this may not be the disaster some in the space industry think it is. Perhaps we should embrace a pride in exploring space as a community of nations working together.

As a new growing season unfolds each spring, garden communicators receive an influx of dozens of not-yet-available sample plants from breeders and growers, tasked with evaluating their potential.

One such expert meticulously trials these new varieties. Some are integrated into existing garden beds and borders, others are placed in containers, while a dedicated “Maternity Ward” – a three-foot-deep strip of soil – houses the remainder. This rigorous observation continues throughout the entire season.

The purpose of this extensive evaluation is to provide consumers with informed recommendations. By the time these plants reach garden centers the following year, the expert can confidently highlight those that demonstrated superior performance.

While personal preferences for certain colors, shapes, and textures naturally exist, the assessment prioritizes objective merit. Key criteria include the plant’s ability to thrive, its reliability in blooming, and its resistance to disease or infestation. Such insights are crucial for gardeners before investing their hard-earned money in new introductions, regardless of their initial appeal.

This spring marks the retail debut of the plants trialed last year, with the most impressive performers now available to the public.

Digitalis Arctic Fox ‘Lemon Cream’ and ‘Rose’ foxgloves

Suitable for horticultural zones 5-9, the the old-time cottage garden biennials with bell-shaped flowers that rise on 18-24-inch spikes are known for attracting hummingbirds and pollinators. They survived an especially harsh winter in my zone 7 garden and are blooming profusely as I write. Note: Digitalis is highly poisonous, so it should be grown out of the reach of small children and pets.

Agastache mexicana Summerlong Series

Also known as hummingbird mint, the plant is available in coral, lilac, peach, magenta and lemon. Suited for zones 7-10, it grew without issues, bloomed well for a first-year plant and returned nicely in the sunny, street-facing border outside my fence. When mature, it’s expected to reach 16-22 inches tall and 16-22 inches wide.

Calibrachoa Superbells ‘Magic Double Grapefruit’

These stunning “million bells” plants produce lovely lemon-yellow buds that open to reveal double flowers, which take on a soft pink hue, creating a beautiful, mottled pink-and-yellow effect. Suitable for sun and part sun, the drought-tolerant plant reblooms through frost, trailing nicely over the edges of hanging baskets in full sun.

Anemone Harlequin ‘Cameo’

This perennial, hardy in zones 4-9, produces joy-inducing, daisy-like pink flowers with uneven petals and bright yellow centers on mounded plants from early summer through frost. Suited for full sun to part shade, the plant should reach 14” tall (26” including flower stems) and 18 inches wide.

Echinacea French Tips

Full disclosure: I’m partial to Echinacea (coneflowers) of every color and size. But I found this variety to be especially cool for its white-tipped pink petals that are reminiscent of a French manicure. The flowers land at different heights on mounded plants that attract pollinators and bloom nearly nonstop from summer through fall. Hardy in zones 4-9, they’re expected to reach 20-24 inches tall and 24 inches wide at maturity. And like most coneflowers, they’re considered deer-resistant.

Lobelia Laguna Royal Blue Pearl

These airy plants remain covered in deep blue flowers with white centers all summer long, filling sunny containers densely. They would also work well as edging plants or in rock and crevice gardens. Treated as annuals, the plants are 8-12 inches tall with a 10-12-inch spread, and are more heat-tolerant than earlier Lobelias.

Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud

These petunias bloom continuously through frost as a container or bedding plant. Their ruffled petals set them apart from standard petunias, and each flower’s fading white center provides eye-catching detail against its cotton-candy pink petals. Expect them to grow 6-12 inches tall and trail up to 24 inches in a pot.

Begonia Hula White

This one demands another disclaimer: I’ve never really cared for begonias (something about their thick stems). But that all changed when I received this unique variety with a spreading habit and dense branching that allowed cheery, yellow-centered white flowers to completely obscure those stems. The plants grow 6-10 inches tall and 20-27 inches wide in either sun or shade.

Light Pink Beacon and Blue Pearl Impatiens

Beacon Impatiens are always a great choice for their resistance to downy mildew, a fatal disease that often plagues the straight species Impatiens walleriana. These new varieties produce vibrant yet elegant and understated flowers that perform like champs in full to part shade. They spread abundantly and bloomed from spring through fall. They would work equally well in beds or trailing over the sides of containers, growing 14-18 inches tall and 12-14 inches wide.

Spreading Petunia Shock Wave Rose Vein

These bi-colored beauties spread while retaining a somewhat mounded shape, so they didn’t sprawl out of control, as some petunias might. And their two-toned, boldly colored blossoms with a star-shaped center pattern commands attention without clashing with nearby plants. Grow them in full sun and expect them to reach 7-10 inches tall and 20-30 inches wide.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been accused of sexual assault of a child actor in a new lawsuit, days after a new probe into potential fresh criminal charges.

The 56-year-old rapper is already serving time in federal prison, after being charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

He denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty, but was eventually sentenced to two charges of transportation for prostitution.

Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in jail at the low-security prison Fort Dix in New Jersey. He also received a $500,000 (£371k) fine.

Now, a former child actor is suing him for an alleged sexual assault, which reportedly took place at a Hollywood Hills party in 2007.

According to court documents seen by TMZ, the John Doe claims he was invited to have a private talk about career opportunities by the music mogul.

The lawsuit alleges that Combs began rubbing parts of the child actor’s body once they were alone, before performing oral sex while pleasuring himself.

The man claims he said the situation made him uncomfortable before the oral sex began.

Once Combs was finished, he reportedly promised to keep the actor in mind for future opportunities and left the room. After this, the former child actor left the party.

Alongside Combs, he is also suing some agents for damages, claiming they had a duty of care to protect him from situations like this alleged assault.

In response to the claims, the former rapper’s rep, Juda Engelmayer, told TMZ: ‘The allegations from this so-called nameless child actor are false and ridiculous. 

‘He’s just another hater in a long list of people trying to get in on the money gravy train encouraged by personal injury lawyers. Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone — and that includes any child! These allegations will be disproved like all the rest.’

This new lawsuit comes as the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that both the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have submitted investigative presentations relating to claims made by a single alleged victim.

The case is still under review but relates to alleged victim Jonathan Hay, a publicist who filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in July 2025.

He is accusing the music mogul of sexual battery, according to the Daily Mail, with Combs denying all allegations against him.

According to Hay’s lawsuit, the alleged incidents took place in Los Angeles in 2020 and 2021 while he was working on a remix tribute project connected to the late Notorious B.I.G. alongside the rapper’s son, CJ Wallace.

During one studio session in September 2020, Combs is accused of criticising the music being produced and encouraging Hay to take ketamine.

Hay alleges in the civil filing that he was then left alone with Combs, who allegedly masturbated onto one of the late rapper’s shirts and ordered him to ‘finish him off’. The lawsuit further claims Combs threw the shirt at him afterwards.

A second incident outlined in the lawsuit claims Combs forcibly made Hay perform oral sex in March 2021.

Additionally, Wallace was accused of conspiring with others to facilitate assault, which he denied.

Combs is currently serving a prison sentence for transportation for the purposes of prostitution, but was found not guilty on more serious racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

He is currently set to be released in 2028, although he will serve more time behind bars as TMZ reported his date was bumped back an extra month.

While it is unclear why his sentence has been extended, multiple outlets have reported on the star’s alleged poor behaviour behind bars.

He was originally set to leave prison on May 8, 2028, but his release has now been pushed to June 4, 2028.

Metro has reached out to Combs’ rep for comment.

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Bodycam footage captures the moment Victor M. Rivas, 40, allegedly fled a traffic stop, jumped into a swamp and was attacked by an alligator while trying to escape police in Louisiana

A man was attacked by an alligator after allegedly jumping into a swamp while trying to escape a police traffic stop.

Victor M. Rivas, 40, was detained following a major search effort that required the use of drone technology to locate him in the marshland.

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The Social Security program is on track to become insolvent by the end of 2032, a shift that would trigger an automatic 22 percent reduction in monthly checks for beneficiaries, according to the latest trustees report.

The baseline projection represents a slight acceleration from last year’s report, which estimated that the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance fund would be depleted in 2033. The Social Security Administration attributed the revised timeline to the fiscal impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on the taxation of benefits.

If Congress fails to intervene before the trust funds are depleted, the agency stated it would only have sufficient revenue to cover 78 percent of scheduled benefits.

The shortfall stems from long-term demographic shifts in the United States. An aging population has resulted in a rising number of beneficiaries drawing from the system, paired with a declining ratio of active workers contributing through payroll taxes.

Policy experts stress that insolvency does not equate to total bankruptcy or the end of payments. Because the program continuously collects payroll taxes from current workers and employers, monthly checks would continue to go out, though at a reduced rate.

This is a developing story.

Punters have been pouring into the stadium and lapping up the booze ahead of what could be a wet and rainy gig.

Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen are bringing their circus-style tour back to Sunderland, complete with trapeze artists, balloons, and giant elephant in tow on the revival of their hit 2009 tour, which has already been branded the “greatest show in town”.

They are expected to treat fans to a set packed with their biggest hits, from Back for Good and Patience to more recent favourites, with a few new surprises also promised.

Drinks prices for the Take That concert have now been revealed.

A pint will set concertgoers back £7.50 for beer and cider, while wine and cocktail drinkers can be expected to pay about £7.95.

Sprits and Cocktails at Take That (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Beer and cider

• Madri / Carling cider – £7.50 a pint
• 2 pints – £15
• 3 pints – £22.50
• 4 pints – £30

Cans and wine

• Carling, 500ml, four percent ABV – £7.95
• Fruit / apple cider, 500ml, four percent, ABV – £7.95
• White / red wine, up to 12 per cent, ABV, 250ml – £7.95
• Rosé wine, 187ml – £7.95

Prosecco

• Prosecco, 125ml – £7.95
• Prosecco, 125ml – 2 for £15

Cocktails and mixed drinks

• Cocktail cans, 250ml, five percent, ABV – £7.95
• Cocktail cans – 2 for £15
• Blue spiced margarita, regular 285ml – £9
• Blue spiced margarita, large 455ml – £15
• Aperitivo spritz, regular 285ml – £9
• Aperitivo spritz, large 455ml – £15
• Vodka lemonade can, 250ml – £7.95
• Gin and tonic, large 250ml – £7.95

Soft drinks

• Water, 500ml – £2.95
• Coke- £3
• Fanta – £3
• Sprite – £3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Teddy Roosevelt boxed. Richard Nixon bowled.

Dwight D. Eisenhower put in a putting green. George H.W. Bush added a horseshoe pit. Herbert Hoover played a game named for himself to get more exercise, while George W. Bush threw open the space for youth T-ball.

The White House and its storied South Lawn are no strangers to sporting events. But they’ve never seen anything like the UFC show President Donald Trump is hosting to celebrate his 80th birthday on Sunday or the eight-sided, wire-mesh cage complete with an open overhead dome featuring large screens that are surrounded by thousands of arena seats.

Sometimes called America’s backyard, the South Lawn was until now known for low-contact sports and joyful events geared toward children or bipartisanship, like the annual Easter Egg Roll or the congressional picnic.

The same space being used for blood sport, feting a president who relishes it and playing out in a hulking structure featuring a complicated overhead lighting scheme known as The Claw, illustrates yet another of the White House norms that Trump is gleefully laying to rest — or, in UFC parlance, forcing to tap out.

That the president has begun suggesting that he could make the cage-fighting venue a permanent South Lawn fixture further underscores just how far from T-ball the White House has come.

“Sports has been central to presidents. I don’t know that it’s been quite the spectacle that it is with the Trump administration,” said Michael Patrick Cullinane, senior historian at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

Teddy Roosevelt pioneered sports at the White House

Many early presidents were talented athletes before taking office. Abraham Lincoln and William Howard Taft were celebrated young wrestlers. John Quincy Adams was fit enough to take daily naked swims in the Potomac River while in office.

But Teddy Roosevelt was the first to make sports a large part of White House life, installing a tennis court on the lawn. His wife, Edith, was concerned about his workload, and the grass court outside his office was meant to force more relaxation.

Cullinane, who is the author of “Theodore Roosevelt and the Tennis Cabinet” and is a history professor at Dickinson State University, said Roosevelt loved tennis and, though he didn’t play well, he did so “long and vigorously.”

Roosevelt would take the court daily at 3 p.m., rain or shine, for seemingly endless six-game sets against top aides. He also boxed, holding bouts in the White House that were far more intimate affairs than Sunday’s UFC fight. While sparring with his military aide Col. Daniel T. Moore in 1905, Roosevelt detached the retina of his left eye.

During a recent New York Post interview, Trump was asked about Roosevelt and replied that he “had a lot of energy, loved the outdoors.” He indicated that he knew about Roosevelt’s having boxed at the White House but didn’t comment on how the UFC event might compare.

Other presidents brought more sports with them

Hoover used the lawn to play a combination of tennis and volleyball involving 6-pound (2.7-kilogram) medicine balls that White House physician Adm. Joel T. Boone was credited with inventing to improve his fitness. The game eventually became known as Hoover-ball.

His successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, had an indoor pool built for polio therapy. Harry S. Truman ordered an old horseshoe pit removed from the White House grounds, but the first President Bush reinstalled it in 1989.

His son hosted T-ball on the South Lawn beginning in 2001 and presided over 20 games, with his last featuring Little Leaguers who were the children of active-duty military personnel.

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Eisenhower used the putting green outside the Oval Office frequently enough to leave golf-spike marks on the floors inside. Barack Obama had White House tennis facilities repainted as a basketball court, though they were converted back as part of a pavilion improvement project overseen by first lady Melania Trump during her husband’s opening term.

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Nixon had a single-lane bowling alley built in the White House yet spoke much more frequently in public about his love of football, trying to appeal to sports fans in ways that his advisers initially feared might alienate some. Obama made an event of filling out NCAA brackets with his predicted tournament winner each year.

Trump has attended a series of major sporting events, including Monday’s trip to the NBA finals in New York. The UFC coming to him, however, is unlike anything the presidency has seen.

Troy noted that, as the bevy of musical acts pulling out of the Trump-led celebration to mark America’s 250th birthday illustrates, “The entertainment world is just hostile to Republicans and Trump. So he goes to find his celebrities where he can.”

Trump has been a UFC fan for decades. His 2024 presidential campaign showcased his friendship with the league’s chief, Dana White, and Trump also attended bouts around the country, hoping to energize voters not usually interested in politics.

UFC’s cage matches mirror Trump’s bare-knuckled approach to politics and sometimes can overlap with his policy initiatives. In making the case for his immigration crackdown, Trump once told White to consider setting up a league in which migrants could fight one another — with the winner then squaring off against the UFC champion. He suggested the “migrant guy might win.”

Cullinane noted that the “UFC is dominated by men and this idea of masculinity,” which means “whenever you aim for a certain demographic, you are almost naturally politicizing the sport.”

‘Maybe we’ll never take it down’

The South Lawn’s octagon was built in a matter of weeks and designed to be temporary, unlikely to survive prolonged exposure to the elements. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from musing about leaving it up permanently.

The president has likened his birthday party to an international celebration of yore and The Claw to an architectural marvel in France. He noted on TikTok that Paris’ Eiffel Tower was built to be a temporary structure for the 1889 World’s Fair but then, “They said, ‘You know we sort of like it,’” and eventually, “They never took it down.”

“You know, we’re building something in front of the White House that’s quite attractive to a lot of people,” Trump said before adding, “And I’m looking at it, and maybe we’ll never, ever take it down.”

Troy said that, 20 years from now, the spectacle that is the UFC on the White House lawn may feel normal as accepted traditions on celebrity and sports shift. If so, Trump’s tradition-busting will have played a role.

“Trump, I think, is more willing than other presidents to be asked that question: ‘Why aren’t you doing it the way the previous presidents did?’” Troy said. “Breaking the precedent doesn’t bother him.”

___

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.