The European Commission set out a years-long plan to regain competitiveness in global industries, as European businesses face fierce competition from China and new challenges under U.S. President Donald Trump.

Britain’s government has backed a tortured effort to build a third runway at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, throwing its weight behind a decades-old proposal that has been beset by political, legal and environmental challenges.

The German government slashed its gross domestic product expectations Wednesday, saying it was now forecasting just 0.3% growth in 2025.

Petrochemicals manufacturer LyondellBasell said on Wednesday it has signed power purchase agreements in Europe for wind energy to support its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

EU nations must work together quickly to help the bloc compete against global economic powerhouses like China and the U.S., European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

"Huijsen seems to be the name on everybody's lips if you're a top football club in Europe at the minute." The words of former Cherries defender Joe Partington on Dean Huijsen - the 20-year-old central defender who was signed for just an initial £12.8m from Juventus last summer and has been one of the Premier League's breakout stars this season.

Extreme heat could kill as many as 2.3 million people in Europe unless countries get better at cutting emissions.

Shetland has once again celebrated its annual fire festival - the largest of its kind in Europe. Up Helly Aa has been held for over 140 years in Lerwick to celebrate Shetland's Norse heritage. Women and girls made history last year when they joined the main "squad" at the head of the procession for the first time.

Up Helly Aa - Europe's biggest fire festival - is traditionally held on the last Tuesday of January and celebrates Shetland's Norse heritage. Thousands of visitors travel to the UK's most northerly islands to watch the evening torchlit procession through Lerwick, which reaches its climax when the replica of a Viking long ship is set on fire.

HSBC will shut key parts of its investment banking business in the UK, Europe and the Americas as part of chief executive Georges Elhedery’s plan to overhaul its operations.

HSBC Holdings Plc will wind down some of its investment banking operations in Europe, the UK and the Americas in the latest sign that Chief Executive Officer Georges Elhedery is willing to be ruthless in his ongoing restructuring of the bank.