Image of the week delves into football frenzy. It may seem that the previous Uefa European Football Championship wasn’t that long ago but indeed, four years have passed. The 2020 championship, which actually happened in 2021, was characterised by exclusive “VIP bubbles” and stadiums with diminished capacities, all due to Covid. These regulations also extended to public transportation. The final match between Italy and England was unfortunately disrupted by unruly crowds at Wembley.
Security challenges are anticipated to take the lead in discussions ahead of Euro 2024. Speculations are rife about the Sunday night match between Serbia and England in Gelsenkirchen becoming especially tumultuous, with reports of 500 potentially violence-prone Serbian hooligans in the mix. A liquor limit is presumed in place with just low-alcohol beer being accessible in the stadium.
This is slightly in contrast to the substance-free Fifa World Cup in Qatar in 2022, where alcohol was strictly off-limits in all venues just two days before the kick-off. Everyone expects alcohol to flow more freely at Euro 2024. Statistically, during the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany, beer consumption shot up by roughly 5%. The brewing industry and hospitality sector hope for a similar spike in sales. However, lessening drunken antics, like someone filmed dangerously lighting a flare in London during the 2021 tournament, would be appreciated.
Switching gears to more serious matters, the official mascot for Euro 2024, Albärt the teddy bear is the talk of the town. Chosen by schoolchildren from all over Europe and users of the Uefa website, Albärt is set to bring joy from the sidelines. He walks in “the large and formidable footsteps” of predecessors like Berni, Goaliath, Rabbit and Kinas.
April in the UK was uncharacteristically wet, with rainfall reaching 111.4 millimetres: 55% more than the usual and the highest since 2012. National business subsidies are a current concern within the EU as these may cause potential imbalances in the single market favouring larger states. Labour legislation and collective bargaining are posing challenges for less resourceful employers.
The UK’s economic growth stalled in April, according to data released this week by the Office of National Statistics, seemingly bumping Rishi Sunak’s assertions of an economic resurgence off track. Damp weather reportedly contributed to reduced consumer spending. Meanwhile, it appears the Tories are lagging behind Labour by an estimated 20 percentage points in various surveys, a divide that the confirmation of economic stagnation is unlikely to bridge.
In tech news, Apple’s latest innovation might catch you off guard. For AirPods Pro users, a future software update will introduce head gestures as a means of accepting or declining voice calls. Shaking one’s head will decline a call, while nodding will accept it. So if you see someone spontaneously shaking or nodding their head, they are probably not critiquing you or attempting a new fitness routine but managing a phone call instead.
Meanwhile, in the world of media industry, Paramount Global’s fate hangs in the balance following the cancelled merger between the conglomerate and Skydance, a film studio, as decided by controlling shareholder Shari Redstone. The assets that Paramount Global controls are many and varied. Paramount Pictures boasts big-name franchises like Top Gun and Mission: Impossible, developed in cooperation with Skydance. CBS, a once radio business now TV network with roots tied to Paramount since the 1920s, plays host to heavyweights like Star Trek and NCIS. Channel 5, a UK broadcaster once known as Viacom, was bought by Paramount in 2014, marking a turning point in the channel’s quality according to many observers.
4. Nickelodeon: This youthful television platform was once a commonplace staple in homes with children of a particular age bracket, Paramount being the responsible party. However, in the era of digital consumption, its influence no longer holds the same gravity.
5. MTV: Once the driving force behind the coining of the phrase ‘MTV generation’, this channel is no longer a prevalent feature in any household. Its transition from a highly-referenced cultural novice to a puzzling obscurity has been so rapid it would make Top Gun’s Maverick envious.