Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken with UK prime minister Keir Starmer this afternoon to discuss “joint diplomatic efforts” and plans for a meeting of “the Coalition of the Willing” in the coming days (16:34), as Ukraine seeks to respond to Russia’s escalating air attacks on its cities (10:12, 10:25).
Their call comes just hours after Russia claimed it captured its first village in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region after grinding towards the border for months (13:42).
Earlier, it emerged that Zelenskyy discussed the idea of replacing the current Ukrainian ambassador to the US during his phone call with US president Donald Trump last week (11:31).
Meanwhile, Ukraine said it had struck a chemical plant in Russia that manufactures explosives, ammunition and thermobaric warheads for Shahed attack drones (15:56).
Meanwhile,
Poland has introduced border controls with Germany and Lithuania in a bid to address growing worries about irregular migration through the country, which Warsaw says is inspired by Russia and Belarus (12:05).
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk warned that Poland’s heavily militarised border with Belarus will not be enough to defend the bloc “if other external borders of the EU won’t be as tightly guarded” (12:41), explaining his reasoning as he stressed he “wanted Europe to understand why we, supporters of Schengen, of Europe without borders” take such measures.
The European Commission confirmed that it received the relevant paperwork from Poland, adding that “neighbouring countries with temporary border controls coordinate closely with each other to limit the impact of these border controls to a minimum”.
Germany’s government commissioner for Poland, Knut Abraham, described the border controls as a “heavy burden” for the border region. “This is not a good day for German-Polish relations,” he said.
And elsewhere,
The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has appeared before European parliament at a debate on a motion of censure brought against her commission (17:06). We will offer a summary of this debate in Tuesday’s blog.
The debate comes hours after Brussels confirmed that von der Leyen spoke with US president Donald Trump and had “a good exchange” on trade, as the bloc rushes to get a deal on tariffs before the US deadline on Wednesday (12:53).
Ireland’s Paschal Donohoe has just been confirmed for a third term as Eurogroup president (16:59), after his rivals from Spain and Lithuania dropped out of the race just hours before the key meeting (15:20).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
‘Shorts and flip-flops are not allowed’: La Scala enforces opera dress code ban
Operagoers have been warned they will be banned from entering Milan’s prestigious La Scala theatre if they turn up wearing shorts, tank tops or flip-flops. Kimonos, however, are acceptable.
The venue’s management team reminded people how not to dress for an opera after complaints that some spectators were donning attire more suitable for the beach.
A “rules of conduct” sign has been placed at La Scala’s entrance urging its audience to “choose clothing in keeping with the decorum of the theatre”, adding that “spectators wearing tank tops, shorts and flip-flops are not allowed”. Those who arrive inappropriately dressed will not be given a refund. The message has also been placed on tickets and the opera house’s website.
The anti-beachwear dress code was introduced in 2015, the year Milan hosted the World Expo and La Scala stayed open for the entire summer, as a way to stop people from turning up in swimming costumes.
But until now it has never been strictly enforced, partly because of calls for more tolerance over attire by La Scala’s former French director, Dominique Meyer, who in his youth was criticised by fellow spectators at Paris Opera productions for his “worker’s look”. Meyer later became the general director of the opera company.
“The rules now need to be reinforced, especially due to the heat we’ve been experiencing,” said a spokesperson for La Scala. “Some spectators were getting annoyed after seeing others not dress appropriately, for example in flip-flops, especially in a theatre where people are sitting shoulder to shoulder.”
