Book sales in Spain could exceed €1.3 billion this year after rising 3.9% in the first half, according to GfK data presented at the Forum Edita conference and reported by La Vanguardia. Backlist titles account for 77% of copies sold, bookshops hold 43% of the market, and Portugal's parallel growth has slowed to 1% from 8%.
South Korea's Fair Trade Commission imposed corrective orders and 3.009 billion won in fines on six printing-paper producers that rigged six tenders held by newspaper publisher Nongmin Shinmun between June 2021 and November 2024. The average award rate during the cartel reached 96.2%. Hansol Paper and Hankuk Paper were referred to prosecutors.
First estimates from the French Ministry of Agriculture put 2026 wine production at 33.9 million hectolitres, 6% below last year and 17% under the 2021-2025 average. Drought, extreme heat and a shrinking vineyard area are behind the drop, with fires in the south adding a smoke taint risk. The shortfall lands on a market already dealing with falling consumption and a state-funded vine-grubbing plan.
Spain's Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has opened a public consultation on a new aid scheme for domestic manufacturing of renewable energy technologies. Batteries, hydrogen equipment and heat pumps are the three named segments. Comments can be filed until 25 September.
Municipalities across Italy have warned of disruption to separate plastic collection after COREPLA suspended pickups and treatment plants reached maximum storage capacity, the news agency Dire reported. Regional officials blame falling demand for recycled material amid cheaper virgin plastic and non-European imports. Sardinia has secured about 2,400 tonnes of extra storage and expects a new sorting centre by October.
Pharmacies across Spain are out of Lenzetto, an estradiol spray used in menopause therapy and by trans and intersex patients. Substitution is now straining estradiol gels and patches, some of which are already in verified shortage with the Spanish Medicines Agency. The manufacturer cites demand above production capacity, while some experts point to the price negotiated with the Ministry of Health.
South Korea's Rural Development Administration has signed a royalty agreement covering 1 million plants of its summer strawberry variety Miha over seven years. The licensee is Farm to Table, a Korean company running a joint project in Kyrgyzstan. Royalties are collected on a prepayment basis, the agency said.
Russia and Türkiye have signed a memorandum of understanding on mineral fertilizer supplies intended to underpin growth in Russian exports. The document exempts Türkiye from Russian export restrictions on nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers and ammonia, as Gulf shipments of urea, ammonia and sulphur remain disrupted. Türkiye consumes about 7 million tonnes of fertilizer a year but produces barely 5 million.
Egypt is preparing about 20 food companies for World Food Moscow on 15-18 September 2026 as it seeks to expand sales of frozen produce, canned goods, herbs and spices. Logistics, product standards and access to Russian distribution channels remain the main practical barriers.
Spanish investors account for about 55.6% of melon output in Rio Grande do Norte, according to the state secretary of agriculture and fisheries, Guilherme Saldanha. The Spanish company Dom Melon has started a 60-hectare pilot in Mossoro, while the 2026/2027 season is projected to move R$1.42 billion and ship roughly 250,000 tonnes through the Port of Natal.
The European Commission has updated its 2021 guidance on the Single-Use Plastics Directive through Communication C/2026/4813, confirming that metal ring-pull caps with a plastic seal and tab, and sealed aluminium lids, are outside the scope of the rules. All plastic caps used with single-use plastic beverage bottles, pouches and containers remain covered. The change rewrites the caps and lids table in section 4.4.2 of the guidance.
Indonesian imports of metallurgical coal rose sharply in the first half of 2026 while the country's coal export volumes fell significantly, according to Republika.co.id. Kompas.com reported that global coal trade grew only marginally over the period, with Indonesia among the countries lifting volumes as a buyer rather than a seller.
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