In brief | 16 June '25

FT: Germany puts rail first in €500bn investment spree

State-owned Deutsche Bahn expected to receive 10.5 billion euros this year from newly established infrastructure fund.

The Times: How Germany’s steel titans are powering ahead in push to go green

Ministers have handed out huge subsidies to give companies a headstart in the race to electrify the industry. Will the same work for Britain?

France24: Searching for radioactive waste in the depths of the Atlantic

On 15 June, a French-led team of scientists set sail from Brittany in a bid to map more than 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste and assess their impacts on surrounding marine ecosystems.

Bloomberg: Europe set to move a step closer to halting Russian gas imports

The European Commission is set to propose on 17 June a measure to end the bloc’s reliance on pipeline and liquefied natural gas supplies from Moscow, according to people familiar with the matter.

FT: EU plans ban on new Russian gas contracts using trade law

Proposal aims to circumvent veto from Hungary and Slovakia, who will have 2 years to phase out Russia imports.