Wednesday
17th Aug 2022
Conditions have been met for the German government to allow a temporary lifetime extension of three remaining nuclear reactors, according to the Wall Street Journal, as the country is facing a likely shortage of gas this winter.
It is a strange, strange summer. The war in Ukraine continues, 60 percent of Europe is in danger of drought, and Covid is still around and could rebound in the autumn. At the same time, everyone is desperate for normalcy.
It's a year since the Western military presence in Afghanistan ended. A year since panic-stricken people flocked to Kabul airport, trying to flee the country, and girls and women waited fearfully for the disintegration of their hard-won rights.
Russian citizens were circumventing the European airspace ban by driving to Helsinki airport, which was being used as a hub to fly to other tourist destinations. Finland is now restricting those border crossings.
We won't stop illegal plundering of the seas by those who don't respect the rules if the EU doesn't tackle the problem of flagging and reflagging of convenience.
There are many things to love about France. But a stated policy of colour blindness is not one of them.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said a total ban on tourist visas will not be supported by Berlin — adding that many refugees do not agree with the Russian regime.
After 16 months of talks, Iran says "considerable progress" had been made on to revive the 2015 nuclear deal — but that three issues still needed to be resolved.
Germany must cut its gas use by a fifth if it wants to prevent an energy shortage this winter. If it fails to reach 20 percent gas savings, the country is at "serious risk" of an energy crunch.
Some 660,000 hectares of land has been burned from the start of the year until 13 August, according to figures from the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis).
The Swedish government has agreed to extradite a Turkish citizen with Kurdish roots wanted for credit card fraud to Turkey, amid the backdrop of Turkey's Nato threat.
The EU needs to be clear eyed about China's new diplomatic charm offensive, as it's more likely driven by short-term necessity than any fundamental policy re-assessment.
Thousands of firefighters in the forested area near Bordeaux, France, are battling a wildfire, which has already forced 10.000 to flee.
Beijing's club was meant to forge stronger European relations. Lithuania left it last year. Now Estonia and Latvia have also decided to walk over Chinese bullying.
An EU embargo on Russian coal imports came into effect at midnight on Thursday, as part of sanctions designed to starve Moscow of fossil-fuel revenue.
The Belgian parliament's recent decision to ratify its prisoner-exchange treaty with Iran is a grave mistake, and one which exemplifies the many downfalls of dealing with Iran's human-rights abuses on a case-by-case basis.
Kosovo prime minister Albin Kurti has warned of possible armed conflict with Serbia, following heightened border tensions with Belgrade over the past month.
The EU Commission says Poland still needs to enact judicial reforms in order to unlock €35bn in Covid-19 recovery money, despite threats by Warsaw.
Finnish and Estonian leaders want EU countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens in protest at the war against Ukraine.
There's unprecedented international anxiety about the safety of Ukraine's nuclear reactors, but many European countries are also turning to nuclear power to secure energy supplies.
Data released by the European Drought Observatory show 60 percent of Europe and the United Kingdom is currently in a state of drought, with farming, homes and industry being affected. Drought conditions have also led to an increase in wildfires.
Russian influence in Africa has gradually grown over the past decade and poses various problems — for local populations as well as for US and European interests
A possible deal to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear pact is within reach, says the European Union. Washington backs the final proposals, but Tehran remains cautious.
Italy lurched closer to electing a far-right government in September after a centre-left coalition broke down on Sunday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for international inspectors to be given access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the shelling of Europe's largest atomic plant over the weekend.
Greece has become embroiled in a wiretapping scandal that led to the resignation of its intelligence chief as well as the Greek prime minister's top aide.
The Kremlin attacked Ukraine because it believed it could afford to. It perceived nuclear deterrence between Russia and the West as reciprocal, and therefore almost a non-issue. It also saw, in military terms, Europe is disappearing from the world map.
Viktor Orbán delivered the opening address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, where he was met with a "heroic welcome".
Russian president Vladimir Putin would be more likely to wage war against Nato if he won in Ukraine, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has warned.
Dr Ming-Yen Tsai, head of the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, responds to EUobserver op-ed on Taiwan by the Chinese ambassador to Belgium. "Taiwan is an 'island of resilience'. That will continue to be the case."
With the prolonged lack of rain and high temperatures, fears have emerged over water shortages and droughts decreasing crop yields — prompting calls to use less water and reuse urban wastewater for agricultural irrigation.
Lawmakers in France, Italy, and the US have voted to let Finland and Sweden join Nato.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz also rejected Moscow's argument that gas flows were reduced due to a missing turbine, saying it was Russia that refused to take the delivery of the turbine.
