Europe

Maltese Fireworks Association rejected criticism over a display in Mosta, with horses nearby appearing panicked in a video, insisting responsibility lies with animals’ owner, duly noticed, adding that stables are illegal and subject to enforcement notice

Princess Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer, has spoken out to media about the +45% incidence in water-related deaths compared to 2024, saying this “public health emergency” calls for more safety education and supervision around pools, beaches, waterways

Unrest escalated across Serbia, with ruling party supporters clashing violently with student-led protesters and trying to attack journalists, while in Valjevo demonstrators set fire to a ruling Progressive Party office and attacked City Hall

140.000 permanent public school teachers will be evaluated in a decade, according to estimates by the competent authority: the evaluation law was passed in 2021 but few have been assessed so far, while 30.000 newly hired teachers have undergone evaluation

Three crew members of the oil tanker Eagle S, believed to belong to Russia's so-called shadow fleet, were charged with aggravated criminal mischief for damaging 5 Baltic Sea cables last December by dragging the ship's anchor on the seabed for around 90km

National Cyber Security Directorate has issued a warning about a new online scam that fraudulently uses the image of president Nicușor Dan in so-called “quick investment” schemes

Russia is not committing to a meeting between Ukrainian President Zelensky and President Putin, which US President Trump has encouraged as a next step toward ending the war; Foreign Minister Lavrov argued any meeting should be prepared “gradually”

Political chaos has created a media vacuum in which citizens are vulnerable to disinformation and Kremlin-led narratives proliferate; with highest rate of news avoidance and lowest media literacy in Europe, a better enforcement of existing rules is needed

The chargé d'affaires of the Russian embassy was given a diplomatic note declaring him persona non grata: the first secretary of the Russian embassy's staff must thus leave Estonia; the Foreign Minister cited incompatibility with Estonia values

More inclusive websites will be developed at government level for people with visual impairments and hearing disabilities, but a lot of work remains to be done in North Macedonia for access to both physical and virtual sites

A ban on all open fires, including the use of official firepits, the burning of bushes and trees, and smoking, is in effect in the forests of Bratislava this week and until further notice, due to high risk fires

Kiruna church is on its way to the new city center, the most spectacular event of the transformation forced by crack formation in the ground resulting by LKAB's mining; the 40x40m building weighs 627 tons and the gigantic moving convoy rolls on 220 wheels

Latest speed control campaign by the General Directorate of Traffic DGT took place from on 4-10 August: at 2.793 checkpoints, with 1.021.303 vehicles transiting, 68.662 drivers (6.7%) were reported for traveling at a speed exceeding the limit