Climate change is putting increasing pressure on maize production across central and eastern Europe, with repeated droughts, heatwaves and water shortages reducing crop yields. The impact is particularly severe in Hungary and Romania, where maize acreage has fallen sharply. Hungary, once a major exporter, is expected to import maize this year, while Romania’s exportable
France has introduced new fees on ultra-fast fashion products, with charges potentially reaching nearly €20 per item by 2030. The measure, which came into effect on Tuesday, follows legislation passed in June targeting major e-commerce platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress, which French officials have criticised for encouraging high-volume consumption of inexpensive
German police are investigating an incident involving an unexploded incendiary device found Tuesday at a power substation in Brandenburg, eastern Germany. Police said officers were deployed to the facility in Turnow-Preilack after receiving information about the incident at around 8 a.m. local time. Grid operator 50Hertz said unidentified perpetrators are believed to have
Serbia’s Deliblatska Pescara reserve is facing difficult choices after a major wildfire damaged large areas of its unique dunes and woodlands. Foresters are now working on a long-term restoration plan, while considering how to make the landscape more resilient as hotter and drier conditions increase the risk of future fires. Experts say the recovery could […]
Poland is increasingly turning to domestic and Central European defence companies as it builds what officials describe as Europe’s largest army. Defence procurement from Polish and regional firms has nearly quadrupled since 2022, reaching 30.4 billion zlotys ($8.15 billion) last year. The shift is aimed at reducing reliance on distant suppliers and strengthening
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to lead Italy’s longest-lasting government since World War Two, surpassing a record previously held by Silvio Berlusconi. Her government has benefited from political stability and improved investor confidence, particularly through tighter control of Italy’s public finances. However, analysts warn that the stability may not last
Germany’s largest union, IG Metall, has warned of strong opposition if Volkswagen attempts to revise a restructuring agreement reached less than two years ago. Union leader Thorsten Groeger said workers across Volkswagen’s sites would resist any move to reopen the deal, as the automaker considers major changes including plant closures, business carve-outs and up to […]
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that Germany is finalising its response to the suspected drone attack near Leipzig/Halle airport earlier this month. He said the government was coordinating its actions with European Union and NATO partners, with an announcement expected in the coming days. The incident took place on August 4, when a […]
A Dutch health institute has issued a red alert over ecstasy pills shaped like US President Donald Trump after several tablets were submitted to testing centres in August. The Trimbos Institute said the pills contained a very high amount of PMMA, a substance that can cause potentially fatal overheating, and warned people not to take […]
A forced contraception programme carried out in Greenland mainly during the 1960s and 1970s violated women’s human rights but did not meet the legal definition of genocide, according to two expert reports released on Friday. More than 4,000 Greenlandic women and girls, some as young as 12, were given intrauterine devices or contraceptive injections between […]









