Europe

• Ukraine: protests after Zelensky dismisses popular defence minister 23 July 2026
  Volodymyr Zelensky’s sudden decision to replace popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has prompted debate about the country’s wartime leadership and military strategy. Fedorov, appointed in January, was widely credited with advancing technological innovation, improving military procurement, promoting greater transparency and strengthening Ukraine’s drone programme. His approach won support from many…
• Germany: minister resigns after fathering a son via a US surrogate mother 23 July 2026
  Jens Spahn has resigned as parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Union after criticism surrounding the birth of his son through a surrogate in the USA. Surrogacy is prohibited under German law, although parents who arrange such births abroad do not face criminal penalties. Spahn, who had previously supported Germany’s…
• Mallorca: local protests against overtourism 16 July 2026
  Growing opposition to mass tourism has prompted fresh protests on the Spanish island of Mallorca, where campaigners fear new planning rules could lead to increased development along protected coastal areas. Thousands of demonstrators formed a human chain at the unspoilt beach of Es Trenc, arguing that relaxed regulations could allow…
• Gibraltar: removal of border controls a welcome change 16 July 2026
  Residents on both sides of the Gibraltar–Spain frontier are welcoming the planned removal of border controls, ending more than a century of physical separation. The agreement, negotiated by the UK and the EU following Brexit, is expected to allow easier movement between Gibraltar and the neighbouring Spanish town of La…
• Serbia / Greece / Germany: passenger injured and rescued after aeroplane window shatters 16 July 2026
  A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, was forced to return shortly after take-off when a cabin window became dislodged, causing rapid decompression. Svetlana Grković Maksimović said she and two others desperately held onto her husband, Ljubisa Karović, whose head and right shoulder were pulled outside the aircraft…