Author: Press Room

Published on 26/06/2026 – 11:48 GMT+2 A deadly heatwave is straining hospitals, transport systems and public services across Europe, as authorities from France to Poland warn that the continent is struggling to cope with days of punishing temperatures. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT At least 101 million Europeans have endured temperatures above 35C, according to AFP, with several hundred people thought to have died, including a three-year-old found dead in a car in Paris and people who drowned while trying to cool off. The heat has hit health systems particularly hard. In France, emergency rooms have reported a fourfold increase in heat-related visits,…

Published on 26/06/2026 – 13:38 GMT+2•Updated 13:39 The deadly rampage at the Magdeburg Christmas market on 20 December 2024 shocked the whole of Germany. The perpetrator Taleb al Abdulmohsen was arrested at the scene and on Friday was sentenced to life imprisonment. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The 51-year-old was found guilty of six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder, as well as causing grievous bodily harm. He was ordered to be detained for the purpose of preventing reoffending. During the trial, Abdulmohsen admitted to driving the BMW X3 compact SUV through the crowd but denied deliberately running people over.…

The assessment by the Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, Carlo Buontempo, on the current heatwave hitting Europe is clear. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “There’s a clear need to develop strategies to cope with these extremes (as) they have the potential to kill us,” Buontempo warned. He made the comments on Euronews’ flagship morning programme Europe Today on Friday — a day where extreme weather warnings have been issued for France, Belgium, Germany and Britain, following half-a-week of soaring temperatures sizzling capitals and citizens. These increased temperatures are “a natural consequence of the fact that the world is warming up”, Buontempo…

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he approved a plan for Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) to launch a 40-day operation aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Zelenskyy’s announcement comes after his meeting with SBU chief Major General Yevhenii Khmara, who reported on Kyiv’s “plan for long-range sanctions, medium-range sanctions, and the results achieved by the SBU,” Zelenskyy said on X. “For several months in a row, the SBU has demonstrated the highest performance in defending Ukraine’s positions on the front lines through the use of various types of drones,” Zelensky said on Thursday evening. What is…

European anti-fraud investigators have helped uncover a large-scale scheme that illegally exported 4,200 tonnes of textile waste from Italy to Turkey, exposing what authorities describe as a profitable operation designed to evade environmental laws and recycling costs. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The investigation, led by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in cooperation with Italy’s Carabinieri and Turkish customs authorities, focused on textile waste containing high levels of acrylic fibres. Because these synthetic materials persist in the environment for up to 200 years and require more sophisticated recycling processes, they are subject to strict and costly disposal rules. Investigators found that shipments had…

Published on 26/06/2026 – 10:36 GMT+2 The European Commission proposed excluding military-age Ukrainian men from the EU’s temporary protection scheme while extending the program until March 2028, in a move intended to bolster Kyiv’s armed forces. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The measure followed pressure from several EU member states to tighten temporary protection rules, citing integration challenges and Ukraine’s need for additional military personnel. It was also backed by Kyiv, which, under martial law, bars most men aged 23 and older from leaving the country. “Our proposal takes into account Ukraine’s evolving defence needs,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner said. Despite…

In 2025, inland demand in the EU for natural gas increased by 2.5% compared with 2024, according to the latest Eurostat figures. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The largest increases in consumption across the bloc were recorded in Croatia (11.3%), Portugal (11.2%) and Slovenia (10.3%). In contrast, the largest drops were seen in Finland (17.7%), Sweden (9.7%) and Estonia (9.6%). Last year, Germany, Italy and France had the highest inland demand for natural gas. Gas is mainly used for power generation, household heating and industrial processes. For instance, around 30% of households in the EU are heated using gas. Inbalance in production Romania…

The EU’s efforts to return irregular migrants to Afghanistan face a fundamental dilemma: how to solve the long-standing and intractable issue of the repatriation of Afghans while avoiding legitimising the Taliban, a regime the bloc has refused to formally recognise since it seized power in 2021. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT UN and migration experts have warned that it will become increasingly difficult for the EU to maintain its boycott of a government that’s long sought diplomatic legitimacy in Europe while also managing the politically sensitive issue of Afghan returns. That tension was reflected on Tuesday, when officials from the European Commission and…

Former European Union Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told Euronews that it is up to the United Kingdom to decide whether it would want to rejoin the bloc, but that Brussels has made its conditions clear. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT His comments come ten years after the UK voted to leave the EU by 52% to 48%, and at a time when polling shows a clear majority of the British public, across party lines, views doing so as a mistake. “Brexit decided by a sovereign vote 10 years ago is done, but the future is open, and the door is open,” Barnier, a…

Published on 25/06/2026 – 10:27 GMT+2•Updated 16:21 The EU Pay Transparency Directive was to enter into force on June 7, and it requires employers to disclose pay ranges before hiring, report on gender pay gaps, and take corrective action when those gaps exceed 5 percent without justification. Workers will know what a role pays before they apply, and the burden of proof in discrimination cases shifts onto employers. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The figures behind the law remain stark. Eurostat data shows women’s average gross hourly earnings across the EU stood 11.1 percent below men’s in 2024, a gap that has barely…