- 8h ago
UK regulator grants Virgin Trains access to Channel Tunnel line from 2030
The UK rail regulator ORR has approved Virgin Trains' use of the HS1 high-speed line from October 2030, allowing up to 20 daily round trips between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam, challenging Eurostar's monopoly held since 1994.
- yesterday
Israeli minister Ben-Gvir calls for nightly killings of 30-40 Palestinians in Gaza
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for killing 30 to 40 Palestinians in Gaza every night, drawing condemnation from Germany and Iran as ceasefire mediation efforts continue.
- yesterday
Sikorski proposes permanent European Legion with Ukrainian veterans, Błaszczak warns of NATO rivalry
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski proposed a permanent 'European Legion' including Ukrainian veterans in an interview with Kathimerini, drawing immediate criticism from PiS's Mariusz Błaszczak who called it a threat to NATO.
- yesterday
Ireland fall 3-1 to Australia in Hockey World Cup opener despite second-half fightback
Ireland's men's hockey team opened their first World Cup campaign in eight years with a 3-1 defeat to world No.4 Australia in Wavre, Belgium, but a spirited second-half display offered encouragement for the pool matches ahead.
- 2d ago
Rain brings relief to Belgium's largest wildfire on record, 3,000 hectares burned near German border
Rain fell on Monday morning over Belgium's High Fens, where the country's largest wildfire on record has burned about 3,000 hectares since Friday, prompting evacuations in Belgium and Germany and drawing aerial support from across Europe.
- 3d ago
Taliban celebrate five years in power as Afghan women face 'gender apartheid'
The Taliban staged military parades in Kabul on 15 August 2026 to mark five years since their lightning takeover, as the UN warns of suffocating restrictions on women and 40% of the population needs urgent aid.
- 3d ago
Five years after Taliban takeover, Afghan women stripped of rights under 100+ decrees
On the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power on 15 August 2021, the UN describes Afghanistan as the site of the world's most serious women's rights crisis, with at least 100 decrees stripping women of education, employment, and freedom of movement.
- 3d ago
Taliban mark five years in power in Kabul as UN warns of gender persecution crime against humanity
Taliban officials celebrated five years in power in Kabul on 15 August 2026, as UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett warned that the system amounts to the crime against humanity of gender persecution, with 2.4 million girls denied secondary education.
- 3d ago
Firefighter killed and three seriously injured in gas explosions near Brussels Central Station
A firefighter died and three people were seriously injured when two gas explosions hit a building housing the EU's Single Resolution Board in central Brussels on Friday afternoon.
- 3d ago
French Constitutional Council strikes down under-15 social media ban, greenlights end-of-life law
France's Constitutional Council ruled on August 14 that a law banning social media for under-15s violated freedom of expression, while separately approving an end-of-life bill, drawing criticism from across the political spectrum.
- 4d ago
Spain extends Almaraz nuclear plant to 2030, citing Iran war fossil fuel risks and splitting governing coalition
Spain extended the Almaraz nuclear plant's two reactors to June 2030, overriding planned 2027-2028 shutdowns, citing the Iran war's impact on fossil fuel prices and splitting the governing coalition.
- 4d ago
Workers find 9 million euro gold treasure hidden in wall of former Belgian brewery
Construction workers renovating a former brewery in Dendermonde, East Flanders, discovered 49 gold bars and thousands of coins worth an estimated 9 million euros, triggering a police investigation and a five-year wait for potential claimants.
- 4d ago
Brussels Grand-Place transforms into 750,000-dahlia Japanese flower carpet for 160th anniversary of Belgium-Japan ties
Brussels' Grand-Place is covered with 750,000 dahlias arranged as Hokusai's Great Wave, marking 160 years of Belgium-Japan diplomatic ties through 16 August.
- 5d ago
Spain's inflation hits 3.6% in July as diesel surge triggers automatic tax safeguard
Spain's INE confirmed CPI at 3.6% year-over-year in July, up four tenths from June and one tenth above its preliminary estimate, as fuel and electricity costs pushed inflation to its highest level since May 2024 and triggered an automatic diesel tax safeguard.
- 6d ago
Putin threatens to seize European ships in retaliation for EU shadow fleet crackdown
President Vladimir Putin warned from aboard a Pacific Fleet warship on 12 August that Russia will seize European merchant vessels if EU nations continue intercepting and selling cargo from Russia's shadow fleet, calling the practice piracy and promising retaliation anywhere Russia chooses.
- 6d ago
Anthropic adds invisible watermarks to Claude text output worldwide under EU AI Act Article 50
Anthropic has begun embedding invisible statistical watermarks in text generated by its Claude models and attaching C2PA metadata to image files, applying the marks worldwide to comply with Article 50 of the EU AI Act that took effect on 2 August 2026.
- 6d ago
EU packaging regulation takes effect: PFAS banned in food packaging, small shops halt cross-border sales
The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation officially applies from 12 August 2026, banning PFAS in food packaging and imposing registration duties that push small retailers out of cross-border shipping.
- 6d ago
Five years of Taliban rule: women confined, humanitarian crisis deepens in Afghanistan
On the fifth anniversary of Kabul's fall, the Taliban celebrate in the capital while UN Women reports 52% of Afghan women leave home only twice a month or less and 47% of children are undernourished.
- Aug 11
European Commission approves 7.9 billion euro KPO payment to Poland, funds expected in October
The European Commission has positively assessed Poland's payment request for 7.9 billion euro from the National Recovery Plan, with the funds expected to reach Poland in October after conditions including laptop vouchers for over 500,000 teachers were met.
- Aug 10
Meloni and Frederiksen demand EU action against uncontrolled immigration after Ceuta crisis
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen issued a joint statement on 10 August demanding increased deportations and third-country repatriation centres, following a migration crisis that saw 72,000 people enter Ceuta in 24 hours.
