EURACTIV.com with Reuters
Athens suburbs brace for night inferno as blaze burns homes
A wildfire raged uncontrolled north of Athens on Tuesday (3 August), burning homes and forcing authorities to order more evacuations as they grappled with 81 forest fires during Greece's worst heatwave in over 30 years.
Belarus sprinter heads for Austria in fresh twist to Tokyo diplomatic drama
Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya left Tokyo for Austria on Wednesday (4 August), adding another dramatic twist to a diplomatic saga in which she had sought refuge at the Polish embassy.
Macron hosts new Lebanon fundraiser a year after port blast
French President Emmanuel Macron will seek to raise more than $350 million in aid for Lebanon at a donors' conference marking the anniversary of the Beirut port blast, and send yet another warning to its squabbling political class.
Analysis: Why the EU is paying more for new COVID shots
The EU has agreed to pay a premium on new orders of COVID-19 vaccines because it is requiring tougher terms to be met, officials said, as the bloc tries to protect supplies after a rocky start to its vaccination campaign.
Russian and Uzbek militaries begin joint Afghan border drills
Troops from Russia and Uzbekistan began joint military drills on Monday (2 August) near the Afghan border, amid fears in both countries that a worsening security situation in Afghanistan could spill over into Central Asia.
US to begin new Afghan refugee program
US President Joe Biden's administration will launch a new program to resettle certain Afghans as refugees in the United States, an administration official and two knowledgeable sources said on Sunday (1 August).
Belarusian sprinter refuses to leave Tokyo
A Belarusian sprinter refused to get on a flight from Tokyo on Sunday (1 August) after being taken to the airport against her wishes by her team following her complaints about national coaching staff at the Olympic Games.
Pfizer and Moderna raise prices for COVID-19 vaccines in EU
Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc have raised the prices of their COVID-19 vaccines in their latest European Union supply contracts, the Financial Times reported on Sunday (1 August).
EU creates checklist for ‘climate proof’ infrastructure projects
The European Commission on Thursday (29 July) published a guide to assess whether planned infrastructure projects are equipped to cope with climate change impacts like floods and heatwaves, a condition that must be met to receive certain EU funds.
EU urges Cuba to free ‘arbitrarily detained’ protesters
The European Union is "very concerned about the repression" of protests in Cuba and urges the government to release all arbitrarily detained protesters, the EU said on Thursday (29 July) in its strongest statement to date on the matter.
Polish minister says European rights law breaches constitution
Poland's justice minister on Thursday (29 July) asked its Constitutional Tribunal to examine whether an article of the European Convention on Human Rights breaches the constitution, deepening an international row over the country's judicial reforms.
Italy government reaches accord on contested justice reform
The Italian government has reached an accord over a contested reform of the judicial system, a government spokesperson said on Thursday (29 July), apparently putting an end to weeks of friction in Mario Draghi multi-party coalition.
Kremlin says Biden is wrong to say that Russia only has nukes and oil
The Kremlin said on Wednesday (28 July) that US President Joe Biden's assessment of Russia as only having nuclear weapons and oil was wide of the mark and betrayed a lack of knowledge about the country.
EU signs deal with GSK for supply of potential COVID drug
The European Union has signed a contract with GlaxoSmithKline for the supply of up to 220,000 treatments of its investigational monoclonal antibody therapy sotrovimab against COVID-19, it said on Wednesday (28 July).
Cuban Embassy in Paris attacked with petrol bombs, France beefs up security
Cuba's embassy in Paris said it had been attacked overnight with petrol bombs that caused some damage but no injuries to its staff, in an incident that prompted French authorities to beef up security around the building.
North, South Korea in talks over summit, reopening liaison office
North and South Korea are in talks to reopen a joint liaison office that Pyongyang demolished last year and hold a summit as part of efforts to restore relations, three South Korean government sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Biden to tap ex-ambassador Gitenstein as EU envoy
President Joe Biden has nominated former US ambassador Mark Gitenstein to serve as ambassador to the European Union, the White House said on Tuesday (27 July).
South, North Korea have restored hotlines as leaders seek to rebuild ties
South and North Korea have restored hotlines that Pyongyang severed a year ago when ties deteriorated sharply, with renewed efforts by the two countries' leaders to rebuild relations, the South's presidential Blue House said on Tuesday (27 July).
EU gives Google 2 months to improve hotel, flight search results
Alphabet unit Google has two months to improve the way it presents internet search results for flights and hotels and explain how it ranks these or face possible sanctions, the European Commission and EU consumer authorities said.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s website blocked by regulator before election
Russian authorities blocked access to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's website on Monday (26 July) in the run-up to a parliamentary election, their latest attempt to sideline his allies cast by the Kremlin as US-backed trouble-makers.
Southern Europe battles wildfires as north cleans up after floods
Wildfires burned in regions across southern Europe on Monday (26 July), fuelled by hot weather and strong winds, as some northern countries cleaned up after a weekend of torrential rain and flooding.
EU’s planned carbon border levy violates trade principles, says China
The European Union's plan to impose the world's first carbon border tax will expand climate issues into trade, both violating international principles and hurting prospects for economic growth, China said on Monday (26 July).
Tunisian democracy in crisis after president ousts government
Tunisia faced its biggest crisis in a decade of democracy after President Kais Saied ousted the government and froze the activities of parliament, a move his foes labelled a coup that should be opposed on the street.