- Aug 1
Russian ballistic missile barrage kills nine in Kyiv, damages Lithuanian embassy; Ukraine intercepted only one of 27 Iskanders
Overnight strikes on 1 August hit five districts of the Ukrainian capital with 35 missiles and 185 drones, killing nine people and wounding more than 30, including four children. President Zelensky said a single ballistic missile was intercepted, citing a lack of Patriot systems.
- Jul 30
Record wildfires in Spain and France fuelled by climate change, studies show, as July heat shatters records
Spain endured its hottest July on record, tied with 2022, as wildfires burned 150,000 hectares in the month alone. A rapid attribution study finds global warming made the extreme fire conditions at least 20 times more likely in central Spain.
- Jul 19
At least 50 Malian soldiers killed in ambush by jihadists and Tuareg separatists near Anéfis
A military convoy leaving Anéfis for Gao was attacked Saturday by a coalition of al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and Tuareg separatists. At least 24 soldiers were taken prisoner, and Russian paramilitaries already in Gao escaped unharmed.
- Jul 15
Man kills wife with machete in broad daylight in Kelkheim, Germany; witnesses overpower attacker
A 60-year-old Croatian man allegedly attacked his estranged wife with a machete on a busy street in Kelkheim, Hesse, on Tuesday evening. The 58-year-old woman died at the scene, and passers-by subdued the attacker before police arrived.
- Jul 8
Netherlands to shift €66m in MBO funding from Randstad to shrinking regions to keep vocational schools open
Education minister Rianne Letschert has unveiled a plan to overhaul how vocational colleges are financed, moving money from urban centres to areas where student numbers are falling fast.
- Jul 6
Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner resigns as CDU lead candidate after contradictory claims about call with Chancellor Merz
Kai Wegner withdrew his candidacy for the September 20 Abgeordnetenhaus election, the latest twist in a months-long scandal over his crisis management during January's Berlin power outage.
- Jun 29
Extreme heat melts track filler, stopping trams in Nuremberg and Leipzig
Bitumen and joint sealant softened by temperatures near 40°C have forced tram networks in Nuremberg and Leipzig to suspend services, with highways and rail lines also buckling under the strain.
- Jun 29
Father kills six youth welfare workers in Stade after custody hearing; police form murder commission
A 45-year-old man opened fire during a child-protection meeting at a mother-and-child home in Stade, killing four women and two men. The victims were employees of the youth welfare office and the facility. The attack followed a custody dispute over the man's three-month-old daughter.
- Jun 28
Bezzecchi crashes at 200 km/h in Dutch GP, loses MotoGP championship lead to Martin
The Aprilia rider was conscious and moving all limbs after a violent crash at Turn 15, but severe neck pain prompted specialist scans in Groningen. Jorge Martin inherited the World Championship lead with a third-place finish while Ai Ogura won.
- Jun 24
Dutch public transport shut down entirely as workers strike over social security cuts
Union-led work stoppage from 04:00 to 08:00 brought trains, trams, buses, and metros to a standstill across the Netherlands, leaving stations deserted as staff protested government plans to raise the retirement age and cut unemployment and disability benefits.
- Jun 24
Halle demands swimming lake lift ban on non-German speakers after outcry
A swimming lake in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, bars entry to people who don't speak German, citing safety. The city now demands the rule be revoked, calling it a possible lease violation and warning of reputational damage.
