Researchers in Finland have built the world’s first operational sand battery – a system that stores heat at 500°C for months at a time, releasing it when needed to warm water used in central heating systems.

Torrential rains battering Australia’s east coast have forced thousands of people from their homes as rivers rose rapidly past danger levels. The federal government has declared a national emergency.

Italy has declared a state of emergency for areas surrounding the river Po, which is suffering the worst drought for 70 years. Rome has earmarked €36.5 million to help tackle the water shortage.

Europe plans to replace Russian energy by increasing purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S., Qatar and Australia. However, LNG terminals have limited capacity to store extra supply.

Declaring a major victory for Russia in its war with Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to rest and recover following the capture of the city of Lysychansk in Luhansk Oblast.

Sanctions on Russia’s arms companies and tycoons have been applied inconsistently by the U.S., UK and EU, as the Western allies fail to coordinate actions against makers of banned weapons.

A new poll sees Scotland split over the issue of independence, with those in favour holding a narrow lead of 48% over “No” voters’ 47%. The same poll finds 76% believe Boris Johnson will not agree to a referendum.

The UK is the fifth-largest global economy, but the increase in disposable income since before the financial crisis remains among the lowest in Europe, the Resolution Foundation finds.

Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. Next week features China’s Ming Dynasty admiral Zheng He, the opening of the Panama Canal, the Carabinieri of Italy and St Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

Add Today in History to your website and engage your online visitors day after day. This responsive daily feature auto-updates each day to reveal a range of international anniversaries and events from the past.

Construction has begun on the “Mammoth” plant in Iceland – a facility capable of removing 36,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year from the atmosphere by harvesting the harmful gas and burying it deep underground.

Germany has agreed to return around 1,100 priceless artefacts to Nigeria, more than a century after they were looted by British soldiers from a once-powerful kingdom in west Africa.

As Israel heads for its fifth election in less than four years, polls show Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud bloc could win 58 of the Knesset’s 120 seats but remain short of a governing majority.

The U.S. will make its biggest military expansion in Europe since the Cold War, including its first permanent troop presence in Poland, as part of NATO’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea’s state-sponsored Lazarus Group of hackers is believed to be behind an attack that stole $100 million in cryptocurrency from U.S. company Horizon Bridge, a service that transfers assets to other blockchains.

After months of searching, scientists have found the crash site of a suspected rocket stage that struck the far side of the moon in March. However, the discovery of a double impact crater has only deepened the mystery.

Twenty-five years ago Hong Kong returned to China after 156 years of British colonial rule, with Beijing pledging wide-ranging freedoms denied to those in mainland China. It has not lived up to those promises.

Judges handed out a whole-life sentence to Salah Abdeslam, the sole surviving member of an Islamic State terror cell that killed 130 people in a coordinated gun-and-bomb rampage across Paris in 2015.

NATO members have agreed to invite Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance, reinforcing its eastern front with Russia after Turkey dropped its opposition to the Nordic countries’ bids.

U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to announce the delivery of NASAMS to Ukraine, an advanced surface-to-air missile system that could help defend big cities like Kyiv from Russian missile strikes.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has sent millions of its citizens fleeing to countries across Europe – more than 5.2 million Ukrainian refugees now reside in over 40 countries across the continent.

Iran and Argentina have applied to join the BRICS group of emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. BRICS-IA will have a GDP of over $26 trillion, more than the U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v Wade -- the constitutional right to abortion -- has raised fears among civil liberties groups that the ruling could lead to challenges to other rights.

The cryptocurrency market is known for its ups and downs, but the plunge in its value from $2.8 trillion to $0.95 trillion in just seven months – a fall of 67 percent – is unprecedented.

Russia has defaulted on its foreign-currency sovereign debt for the first time in a century, the culmination of ever-tougher sanctions imposed after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. Next week features movie star Tom Cruise, the West Point military academy, former tennis star Martina Hingis and the seven wonders of the world.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has set tech tongues wagging by telling an interviewer to “stay tuned” for their augmented reality offerings. Apple is believed to have been secretly working on AR-VR devices for decades.

Airlines had already been struggling with staff shortages and now face further disruption in the coming weeks after aviation workers at Heathrow and across Europe voted to strike.

Following the decision to grant Ukraine “candidate status” to join the European Union, their application begins a years-long process that must ultimately receive the unanimous approval of member states.

Russia has threatened to retaliate after Lithuania banned the rail transfer of around 50% of items that the Russian territory of Kaliningrad imports, in compliance with EU sanctions.

After six months of travel, testing and calibration of instruments, the first images taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – the largest space telescope ever built – are to be revealed.

German Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers – one of the most potent artillery weapons in the Bundeswehr’s arsenal – have arrived in Ukraine in the first delivery of heavy weapons from Berlin.

With a healthy lead in the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull head for their home circuit, the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria where World Champion Max Verstappen has won three of the last four races.

The UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, taking place in England, will see 16 teams competing to be crowned continental Champions, including defending champions Netherlands and favourites Spain.

Host nation England will open the tournament against Austria at Old Trafford, Manchester on July 6, aiming to become European champions for the first time. Wembley hosts the final on July 31

Only four different teams have won the trophy since the first championship in 1984 -- Netherlands are defending champions, while Germany are aiming take the title for a record-extending ninth time

The 150th Open Championship will be played on the Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland. It will be the 30th time that the home of golf has hosted The Open, first doing so in 1873 and most recently in 2015.

The 1860 Open Championship was contested by eight professional golfers at Prestwick. The victor, Scotland’s Willie Park Sr, received the Challenge Belt, bought from an Edinburgh silversmiths for £25 ($30).

The eight-day Tour de France Femmes begins on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on the final day of the men’s Tour and finishes in the Vosges Mountains at La Super Planche des Belles-Filles.

The 2022 Tour de France will begin in Copenhagen, Denmark, on July 1, and will include six mountain stage and two time-trials before finishing in the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 24.

This year, the Wimbledon Championships mark the centenary of Centre Court, the iconic Grand Slam venue that has hosted some of the most memorable tennis matches ever played, with a special ceremony on July 3.

FIFA has announced the 16 venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament, the first 48-team FIFA World Cup, will be held in 16 venues across 11 U.S. cities, along with three venues in Mexico and two in Canada.

The Premier League season kicks off with reigning champions Manchester City starting their title defence with a trip to West Ham United, while Liverpool travel to Fulham, fresh from their Championship-winning exploits

The third UEFA Nations League tournament gets underway, with six matchdays taking place between June and September. UEFA Euro 2020 champions Italy face tough opposition against Germany and England.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has vowed the new-look 36-team UEFA Champions League will be “truly open” after a radical overhaul of the tournament was approved for the 2024/25 season

The draw for the FIFA World Cup 2022 sees host nation Qatar open the tournament against Ecuador at Al Khor’s Al Bayt Stadium. The final will take place at the Lusail Stadium on December 18.