Spain blames ‘criminal mafias’ for Ceuta mass border crossing as EU offers ‘solidarity’
Spain blamed “criminal mafias” for last week’s storming of the border at Ceuta, the city which borders Morocco, but insisted that almost all of the 72,000 migrants who breached the border had been returned to Morocco. Speaking after an emergency meeting of EU home affairs ministers on Tuesday (4 Au»»»
LONG READ: Zelenskiy sounding increasingly desperate as the hunt for air defence ammo fails
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is starting to sound desperate. A terrifying winter bombardment by Russian missiles is clearly on the way as soon as the mercury begins to fall, but the Uralian president said at the weekend, Kyiv is down to its last PAC-3 Patriot interceptor missile left. He»»»
Spain confronts EU migration hawks in tense Ceuta talks
BRUSSELS: Spain’s interior minister headed into a tense face-off with EU counterparts on Tuesday, as the bloc sought to draw lessons from an influx of migrants into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in hastily arranged video talks. The unprecedented sight of an estimated 50,000 people streamin»»»
eAWB expands operations by launching parcel delivery services between Romania and the EU
eAWB, the courier services marketplace, expands its operations to the European Union by launching parcel delivery services between Romania and EU member states. The new service covers the transit bothways – from Romania to EU countries and backwards, providing a modern, digital alternative to the i»»»
The three main pillars of UPRUC-CTR’s business strategy in the second half of 2026
In the second half of 2026, the strategy of UPRUC-CTR (a Romanian manufacturer of steel butt weld fittings and pressure vessels based in Făgăraș) will focus on three core pillars: consolidating profitability through rigorous cost optimization, actively combating dumping to reconnect the fittings in»»»
Heat record broken again, Hungary one of the hottest country
Hungary was one of the hottest countries in Europe on Monday, with maximum temperatures mostly ranging between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius. Yesterday the temperature in southern Budapest dropped to just 26.8 degrees Celsius at dawn, which is another heat record. Heat records broken on Monday On 3 Aug»»»
Paks nuclear plant winds down amid historic Danube low, as far right urges Hungarians to defy calls for energy saving
A historic drought and record-low water levels in the Danube have pushed Hungary into an energy crisis that is rapidly escalating into a political confrontation, with the far right urging supporters to consume more electricity in defiance of government appeals for energy-saving. After weeks of head»»»
Media Review: August 4
The ongoing energy crisis in Europe, the upcoming presidential election in Bulgaria and the judicial reform in this country dominate Tuesday's news media. POLITICS In a review of the first session of the 52nd National Assembly, the 24 Chasa daily analyzes the intensity of parliamentary oversight, s»»»
Higher jet fuel costs hit Lufthansa profit
Frankfurt, Germany: Profit at German aviation group Lufthansa plunged in the second quarter, the firm said Tuesday, as higher jet fuel costs hit earnings. Excluding one-off effects, core profit fell almost 56 percent to 383 million euros ($440 million), Lufthansa said, even as sales rose 10 percent»»»
Bayer profit up on strong business and smaller legal bill
Frankfurt, Germany: German agrichemical giant Bayer on Tuesday returned to profit in the second quarter, helped by a strong performance at its agricultural business as well as a smaller legal bill. Net income for the three months to the end of June was 219 million euros ($252 million), Bayer said, »»»
Saudi Arabia’s SAL expands into Europe with Belgium cargo hub acquisition
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s SAL Logistics Services has completed the acquisition of Belgium-based Aviapartner Liege for approximately SR120 million ($32 million), marking its first operational expansion outside the Kingdom. The deal gives the company its first international operating base at one of Euro»»»
El-Obeid: fears of a new wave of brutality in Sudan
Sadly, grimly, but unsurprisingly, the fears of atrocities envisaged in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher, in the western region of Darfur, were realised once the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group finally overran the besieged hold-out in 2025. There are now similar fears of atrocities envi»»»
On This Day, Aug. 4: Beirut blasts kill hundreds - UPI.com
On Aug. 4, 2020, two explosions rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, shattering windows for miles across the city. The blasts killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. 1 of 3 | Workers inspect the damage one day after two explosions in Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 5, 2020. File Pho»»»
El-Obeid: fears of a new wave of brutality in Sudan
Sadly, grimly, but unsurprisingly, the fears of atrocities envisaged in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher, in the western region of Darfur, were realised once the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group finally overran the besieged hold-out in 2025. There are now similar fears of atrocities envi»»»
Crisis forces rivals to the same table
Rather than engaging in partisan political battles, Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Ágnes Forsthoffer, the Speaker of the House exercising the powers of the President of the Republic, emphasised the importance of national unity and the need for cooperation among political actors on Monday at the Sá»»»
Trump flip-flops on Patriot license for Ukraine promise
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked Washington for an emergency package of 300 Patriot missiles before winter, warning that Ukraine’s reserves are running dangerously low and that the country cannot reliably defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles without them. During a heavy»»»
Loan Guarantee Corporation reports 'strong' H1 performance
AMMAN — The Jordan Loan Guarantee Corporation (JLGC) recorded "strong" financial and operational performance during the first half of 2026, issuing guarantees worth JD300 million, compared with JD204 million during the same period last year.Chairman of Board of Directors at JLGC, Adel Sharkas, said»»»
TotalEnergies to buy Shell's wind, solar business in Europe
Paris, France: French energy giant TotalEnergies said Monday that it had signed a deal with Shell to buy its European onshore renewable energy businesses for an undisclosed amount. Total will acquire around four gigawatts of electricity production, mainly solar and wind power in operation or being »»»
Ukrainian firefighters join battle against France fire in first
Le Temple, France: After a 52-hour drive, Ukrainian firefighters on Monday joined operations to fully extinguish the wildfire that devastated the Gironde region in southwestern France -- an unprecedented mobilisation in the country. Seventy firefighters arrived on Sunday in a convoy of 15 vehicles,»»»
EU Migration Pact under fire after Spain’s Ceuta border crisis
On the last days of July, over 50,000 illegal immigrants breached the defensive perimeters of Ceuta and Melilla and swarmed into the Spanish enclaves in North Africa. This occurred against the backdrop of the grandly adopted New Pact for Migration in Brussels, which officially entered into force on»»»
Omar Sultanov appointed Kyrgyz Ambassador to the United Kingdom - | 24.KG
Omar Sultanov has been relieved of his posts as Kyrgyzstan’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative of Kyrgyzstan to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva. The relevant decree was signed by President Sadyr Japarov. By another decree, the head of s»»»
Macut says enrgy situation stable, appeals for rational consumption of electricity, water
BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut said on Monday the energy situation in Serbia was completely stable, and appealed for rational electricity and water consumption, adding that work was also underway to ensure navigability on the Danube River. Macut said an Emergency Response Team, which met earlier»»»
UEFA beat FIFA’s World Cup sell-off – but its own crisis is next
As I sat in the Olympic Stadium in Athens on Thursday night, I would like to say I felt the hand of history on my shoulder, but instead I felt a sick feeling in my stomach at how European football has been irreversibly damaged by the holier than thou brigade at UEFA. UEFA, the governing body for fo»»»
Nauru, the world’s third-smallest country, changes its name to Naoero
WELLINGTON: The Pacific Island country of Nauru has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, its president said, matching the spelling and pronunciation in the national language. The country’s international code will change from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Na»»»
On This Day, Aug. 3: Astronauts carry out first emergency repair spacewalk - UPI.com
On Aug. 3, 2005, in the first emergency repair conducted in space, astronauts fixed a potentially dangerous problem by removing two strips of protruding cloth from the underside of the space shuttle Discovery. 1 of 7 | Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi traverses along the Destiny laboratory of the »»»
Europe's worst wildfire season in years flags a global El Nino already moving commodity markets
Several European countries are having their worst wildfire year in more than a decade and worst than last year’s record wildfires that burnt over one million hectares, according to data from the EU's Global Wildfire Information System published this week. France's cumulative burnt area through July»»»
Wind and solar overtake fossil fuels in Germany for the first time ever
More of Germany's electricity came from wind and solar power than from fossil fuels for the first time ever in 2025, according to Carbon Brief's analysis of Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy data. Wind and solar together generated 225 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity, 44% of th»»»
Ukraine less births than Kyrgyzstan this year as Central Europe's demographic crisis deepens
Ukraine is on track to record fewer births this year than Kyrgyzstan for the first time - a reversal from the end of the Soviet Union, when Ukraine's newborns outnumbered Kyrgyzstan's five to one, French demographic commentator Clement Molin in a post on social media on August 1. Ukraine’s demograp»»»
Aleppo Airport flights ‘reflect growing confidence in Syrian civil aviation’
DAMASCUS: The first flights into Aleppo International Airport by three international airlines were an important reflection of the Syrian civil aviation sector’s accelerating recovery and the restoration of the airport’s role as a regional travel hub, said President of the General Authority of Civil»»»
Moroccans gather at Ceuta border, desperate for news of loved ones
FNIDEQ: Dozens of Moroccans gathered on Sunday in the town of Fnideq, desperately seeking news of their loved ones who were among the thousands who swam across the nearby border to the Spanish territory of Ceuta this week. Aldellatif, an agricultural worker in Moulay Bousselham, about 135 kilometer»»»
Moroccan families desperately search for loved ones after deadly Ceuta crossing
Fnideq, Morocco: Dozens of Moroccans gathered on Sunday in the town of Fnideq, desperately seeking news of their loved ones who were among the thousands who swam across the nearby border to the Spanish territory of Ceuta this week. Aldellatif, an agricultural worker in Moulay Bousselham, about 135 »»»
These were the most-watched FIFA World Cup matches in Hungary
Never before in the history of the FIFA World Cup have there been as many matches as there were in 2026. A total of 104 matches were played, most of which Hungarian viewers could watch on M4 Sport, while a few matches were broadcast on the Duna World channel due to overlapping events at the end of »»»
Ukraine less births than Kyrgyzstan this year as Central Europe's demographic crisis deepens
Ukraine is on track to record fewer births this year than Kyrgyzstan for the first time - a reversal from the end of the Soviet Union, when Ukraine's newborns outnumbered Kyrgyzstan's five to one, French demographic commentator Clement Molin in a post on social media on August 1. Ukraine’s demograp»»»
Ukraine less births than Kyrgyzstan this year as Central Europe's demographic crisis deepens
Ukraine is on track to record fewer births this year than Kyrgyzstan for the first time - a reversal from the end of the Soviet Union, when Ukraine's newborns outnumbered Kyrgyzstan's five to one, French demographic commentator Clement Molin in a post on social media on August 1. Ukraine’s demograp»»»
Greece: Blazes continue to spread across the country
The effects of human-made climate change are being felt across Europe during this sweltering summer, from record heat-related deaths in Austria, Britain, France and Germany, to tinderbox conditions fuelling historic wildfires in Spain, France and elsewhere. Charlotte Hughes takes a look at the situ»»»
Pentagon to hand NATO Ukraine aid mission to ally amid Europe drawdown – Politico
The Pentagon is planning to transfer leadership of the Germany-based NATO command coordinating military aid to Ukraine to another member of the military bloc as Washington continues to scale back its military presence in Europe, Politico reported on Friday, citing an unnamed NATO official. Ukraine »»»
Emiratis remain largest source of international visitors to Oman
Dubai: Visitors from the UAE remained the largest source of international arrivals to Oman during the first half of 2026, highlighting the continued strength of regional travel to the sultanate, official data showed. Statistics released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) s»»»
Germany has reached a new low in election rigging
Today’s Germany is a grim, unhappy place. Thirty-six years after West Germany’s take-over of the former East Germany (polite term: re-unification), which was supposed to herald a golden age of national fulfilment, citizens are in a very foul mood. According to Ipsos, one of Germany’s go-to pollster»»»
On This Day, Aug. 2: Founding Fathers sign Declaration of Independence - UPI.com
On Aug. 2, 1776, the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, was signed by members of the Continental Congress. 1 of 5 | A woman looks at a rare historic copy of the Declaration of Independence written in Thomas Jefferson's hand at the New York Public Library in New York City on July 3, 201»»»
'People don't own music anymore': Inside UAE's vinyl revival and the business behind it
Dubai: Every independent artist today faces the same problem: millions of songs, one algorithm, and almost no way to stand out. In the UAE, a small but determined community has found an answer in a familiar, but unlikely place — vinyl. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.J»»»
Hungary to shut sole nuclear plant for first time on Sunday
ClimateHungaryHungary to shut sole nuclear plant for first time on SundayLouis Oelofse with AFP, AP, ReutersRecord-low water levels on the Danube forced the Paks plant offline, leaving Hungary facing a potential power crunch. https://p.dw.com/p/5I8rkThe Paks nuclear plant normally generate 2,000 me»»»
Drought grips Central Europe, disrupting nuclear power, shipping and agriculture
Europe's worst drought in decades is rippling through the continent's transport, energy and agricultural sectors, bringing shipping on parts of the Danube to a standstill, threatening nuclear power generation and exposing growing vulnerabilities as climate change pushes temperatures to unprecedente»»»
Drought grips Central Europe, disrupting nuclear power, shipping and agriculture
Europe's worst drought in decades is rippling through the continent's transport, energy and agricultural sectors, bringing shipping on parts of the Danube to a standstill, threatening nuclear power generation and exposing growing vulnerabilities as climate change pushes temperatures to unprecedente»»»
Drought grips Central Europe, disrupting nuclear power, shipping and agriculture
Europe's worst drought in decades is rippling through the continent's transport, energy and agricultural sectors, bringing shipping on parts of the Danube to a standstill, threatening nuclear power generation and exposing growing vulnerabilities as climate change pushes temperatures to unprecedente»»»
Wildfires rage in Greece as firefighters continue battle in France and Spain
ATHENS: Wildfires fanned by heavy winds burned across multiple areas of Greece on Saturday, including near Athens, with large-scale firefighting operations and emergency evacuations underway, while conditions worsened again in parts of Spain and France. Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this sum»»»
Clarinettist Marinov Charts Eastern Quartet’s Journey from Pandemic to Festival Stage
The Eastern Quartet formed by chance during the COVID-19 pandemic, clarinettist Atanas Marinov said Saturday before its performance at the Dr Emil Iliev International Jazz Festival in Borovets. Marinov and violinist Sorin Spasinovich founded the Swiss quartet. “We started playing well-known classic»»»
Germany weighs the future of minijobs
SocietyGermanyGermany weighs the future of minijobsDasha ThyssenGermany's popular minijob system allows millions of workers, including students, to avoid paying income tax or social security contributions. But a reform is on the cards that may soon end this advantage. https://p.dw.com/p/5Htq0Anahit»»»
Wildfire burns out of control in Southern Germany
Berlin, Germany: A wildfire in southern Germany was burning out of control on Saturday as strong winds hampered firefighters' efforts to contain the blaze, local authorities said. The fire broke out in a forest near Freudenberg, in the Amberg-Sulzbach district of Upper Palatinate, Bavaria. About 33»»»
Europe heatwave threatens energy and transport
The disastrous heatwave and drought across Europe have pushed the Rhine and Danube rivers to historic water lows, forcing two EU countries into atomic energy power-downs while disrupting industrial output and major trade routes. The Rhine and Danube serve as vital commercial corridors, historic bor»»»
Trump blames Spain for migrant chaos despite return of tens of thousands to Morocco
US President Donald Trump and other far-right leaders on Friday seized on Spain's migration crisis to bolster their political messaging on immigration, while over half of the migrants who had crossed the border made their way back to Morocco voluntarily the same day. US President Donald Trump»»»