Grants

• The August 2026 Startup Grants in Europe report highlights top non-dilutive funding options designed to help startups extend their financial runway and scale without giving up equity. • Successful applications in 2026 are characterized by strong evidence, plain-language writing, alignment with policy goals, and clear budget logic, while buzzword-heavy decks are likely to fail. • This guidance is critical for founders seeking to reduce dilution and improve their chances of securing government or institutional grants across Europe, including specific regions like Spain and Belgium.

Ruling vacates convictions of founder Stewart Rhodes and other militia members who took part in 2021 Capitol attackA US judge on Tuesday granted the justice department’s bid to dismiss cases against ‌members of the rightwing Oath Keepers militia who took part in the January 6 2021 attack ​on the US Capitol, according to a ​court filing.The ruling from Washington-based US district judge Amit Mehta tosses out convictions ​of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and other ​members of the group who were convicted of seditious conspiracy for plotting to stop the transfer of ​power after Donald Trump lost the ​2020 election. Continue reading...

• Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska provided updated estimates on migrants who entered Ceuta last week as the Spanish government approves millions in funding to manage the crisis. • During emergency talks on Tuesday, EU ministers discussed the situation, with Denmark and Italy specifically pushing for more stringent migration measures. • Danish Immigration Minister Morten Bodskov called for increased EU funding for border security to prevent a recurrence of the 2015-16 migration crisis, which saw over a million refugees enter Europe.

• Spain utilizes a special legal regime in Ceuta and Melilla to expel thousands of migrants without allowing them to file formal asylum requests. • This "pushback" policy serves as a model for other EU member states, including Greece, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, and Bulgaria, to implement automatic returns. • The practice creates a legal disparity between Spain and countries like Britain, as it bypasses standard asylum procedures to prevent migrants from moving further north toward France and Belgium.

• Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez faced intense criticism from far-right politicians and European leaders after thousands of migrants surged into the Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa. • Centrist leaders from Denmark, Germany, and Poland signed a letter expressing "serious concern" and urging Spain to address policies that may act as "pull factors" for migration. • The incident has intensified the political debate over Sánchez's pro-immigration stance, with opponents claiming his policies encouraged the influx.

• Far-right politicians and activists have traveled to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta on the northern coast of Africa following a mass influx of thousands of migrants. • These leaders are leveraging the crisis to call for the immediate expulsion of migrants, portraying the event as a failure of current border policies. • The situation has intensified political tensions within Spain, turning a humanitarian border crisis into a focal point for nationalist rhetoric.

• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez denounced the European Union's reaction to a surge of immigrants entering the enclave of Ceuta. • The conflict follows a statement signed by 22 EU leaders, including Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Friedrich Merz of Germany, who warned against "uncontrolled mass crossings" and the "instrumentalization of migration." • Tensions have escalated as some EU officials threatened to impose border checks or suspend Spain's participation in the Schengen free-travel zone to prevent illegal entry.

• Spain reports that approximately 48,300 migrants have returned to Morocco as of Friday evening following recent unrest in Ceuta. • In response to the crisis, Italy has temporarily suspended its Schengen free-travel pact with Spain to tighten border security. • Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced plans to extend and reinforce internal border checks beyond September to curb unauthorized entries.

• Approximately 50,000 migrants attempted to enter the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco this week, resulting in at least 57 deaths. • Spanish authorities reported that the majority of those who attempted the crossing had returned to Morocco by Friday evening. • The surge has prompted EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to emphasize the necessity of following entry rules and led French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to order additional border checks.

• Approximately 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta within a 24-hour period, creating a severe border crisis. • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the breach, describing the massive surge as an "attack on Spain’s territorial integrity." • The crisis is linked to a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling stating that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be deported.

• Spain and the European Union are coordinating with Morocco to manage a sudden influx of approximately 60,000 migrants into the North African enclave of Ceuta. • The crisis may have been triggered by a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that declared the practice of pushing migrants back into Morocco without processing their applications illegal. • This legal shift is significant as it constrains the Spanish government's ability to deter arrivals, potentially increasing the pressure on border controls.

• Italy has announced a temporary suspension of the EU Schengen arrangement with Spain following the arrival of 60,000 migrants in Ceuta. • The suspension specifically impacts travelers moving between the two nations via plane or boat, effectively reinstating border checks. • In response to the crisis, French President Emmanuel Macron has deployed four mobile units and drones to strengthen controls on the French-Spanish border.

PM Pedro Sánchez expected to visit territory today as Italy demands Spain be suspended from the Schengen area amid concerns over fresh migration crisisAt least 19 people died as thousands of migrants breached the Spanish-Moroccan border in Cueta yesterday, prompting concerns about a fresh migration crisis and questions over the implications for the European Union.A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil force, which polices Spain’s borders, said ⁠the migrants were “massively entering from the sea” through the Tarajal breakwater, but could not provide an estimate of the numbers. Continue reading...

Court fillings show grants denied to states if they didn’t back Trump’s re-election, but administration claims it’s a ‘misrepresentation’US politics live – latest updatesThe Trump administration has admitted scrapping more than $7.5bn in federal grants for clean energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed Donald Trump in the 2024 election.US federal officials appeared to acknowledge in court documents last week that they had terminated the funding last October “based solely” on political criteria, targeting projects in states that were represented by Democrats and had voted for Kamala Harris. Continue reading...

• Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has challenged Donald Trump's assertions that the 2024 election was "rigged and stolen." • Greene questioned the validity of the results by referencing previous disputed claims regarding Russian interference in 2016 and Chinese interference in 2020. • This internal Republican friction occurs amidst a broader week of political volatility involving Iran strikes, U.S. political clashes, and debates over foreign aid.

Claudia Sheinbaum says Mexicans ‘outraged’ over killing last week of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by agents in HoustonMexican president Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that Mexico would be filing criminal complaints in the US for the deaths of more than a dozen Mexican migrants in immigration detention and those killed in anti-migrant operations.The deaths include last week’s killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, whom Sheinbaum said was “practically murdered”. Continue reading...

Pope Leo urged Americans to live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence in his first major address to the USPope Leo has used his first major address to his home country to praise the United States’ history of ⁠welcoming immigrants, urging Americans live up to the ideals put forward in the ⁠Declaration of Independence.In his latest implicit rebuke to Donald Trump, the first US leader of the Roman Catholic church said the word “America” had become ‌a “byword for freedom” across the world because of the way the country welcomed immigrants. Continue reading...

• New non-dilutive funding opportunities for European founders are available as of July 2026, focusing on smarter growth and the avoidance of costly financial mistakes. • Key funding streams include the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator, Horizon Europe research grants, Eurostars, and various EIT communities. • National-level schemes in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland are actively influencing how startups scale and manage their capital.

• Dr. Dale McKinley discussed the rise of global anti-immigrant sentiment during an interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on the program Sabahul Muslim on June 30, 2026. • McKinley argued that removing illegal migrants from the country would not resolve systemic national issues, such as infrastructural crises and the lack of service delivery. • The discussion highlights the danger of using immigrants as scapegoats for deeper socio-economic failures that persist regardless of migration status.

More than 2,000 anti-foreigner protesters march through Durban city centre as the arbitrary deadline passes for undocumented migrants to leave the countrySouth Africa was holding its breath on Tuesday as mass anti-immigration protests were held across the country. They come after a weeks-long campaign against foreigners that has seen at least four killed and tens of thousands fleeing for safety.In the coastal city of Durban, where violence had been expected, the streets were unusually quiet and shops were shuttered as tension hung thick in the air. Continue reading...

Programme defending benefits of immigration attracts double number of applicants expectedMore than 1 million undocumented migrants and asylum seekers have applied to regularise their status in Spain under a government programme to harness and defend the benefits of immigration at a time when most European countries are pulling up the drawbridge.Although the massive regularisation initiative, announced by the socialist-led government in January, was originally intended to benefit about 500,000 people, it had attracted more than twice that number of applicants by the time the registration period ended on Tuesday. Continue reading...

• The Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump cannot fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, protecting her position within the central bank. • Conversely, the Court granted the president broader authority to remove officials from other independent agencies, specifically green-lighting the firing of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. • This split decision balances the independence of the Federal Reserve against the president's desire for greater executive control over various federal regulatory bodies.

Markwayne Mullin’s remarks come after controversial supreme court ruling to strip TPS from over 350,000 peopleMigrants in the US on temporary protected status should seek permanent residence or leave, Markwayne Mullin, Homeland Security secretary, said in the wake of last week’s supreme court decision that stripped humanitarian protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants.The remarks to CNN’s State of the Union program comes after a decision ⁠that could allow Donald Trump’s administration to deport Haitian and Syrian immigrants to home countries plagued by conflict and ​destitution. Continue reading...

• Montgomery County leaders have condemned a series of Supreme Court rulings issued on Thursday that roll back Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for migrants. • James Percival, general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, praised the rulings as victories for the rule of law, asserting that TPS was always intended to be temporary. • The court's decisions also make it easier to remove lawful permanent residents who commit crimes and bar individuals from applying for asylum if they have not entered the U.S.

• The Supreme Court issued two major rulings that restrict asylum access and humanitarian protections for immigrants, specifically impacting those from Haiti and Syria. • These decisions effectively revive policies from Donald Trump’s first term that allowed officials to block asylum seekers from crossing the border and indefinitely delay the processing of their claims. • The rulings are seen as a significant victory for Trump’s deportation campaign, as they undermine the Immigration and Nationality Act's provisions for those fleeing violence and persecution.

• The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on ideological lines to allow the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of immigrants. • The decision affects approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians who were granted legal protections after fleeing war, natural disasters, or other catastrophes. • This ruling is significant because it removes the legal shield preventing these individuals from being deported from the United States.

People smugglers have been using lorries to bring people deported to France under the deal back to the UKThe UK and France have been forced to rewrite the “one in, one out” deal because of concerns over the numbers of people re-entering the UK after being removed to the continent.The original treaty said people arriving in small boats could be returned to France. But people smugglers have used lorries to bring people who had been deported to France under the deal back to the UK. Continue reading...

• Imperial College London has secured two major research grants to co-lead landmark AI innovation programmes in partnership with institutions in Singapore. • The initiatives will focus on leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate the pace of chemistry discovery and enhance the reliability of software systems. • This collaboration highlights the growing intersection of AI and scientific research, aiming to solve complex problems in materials science and computing.