Author: staff
Published on 23/07/2026 – 13:50 GMT+2 Norway has been reeling from a huge fire that broke out in a townhouse in the southern city of Drammen last week and spread through the surrounding area and into nearby forests. More than 100 homes were destroyed, and hundreds of people were forced to evacuate following the start of the blaze on 17 June. The Associated Press reported that Norway’s Directorate for Civil Protection described it as the “largest fire of its kind in modern times”. Since then, posts circulating online have attempted to link the blaze to a decision allegedly taken by…
It is widely reported that the changes will be funded by a 20 percent increase in business rates for large fulfillment warehouses used by companies like Amazon and ASOS. Stephens also criticized the government’s social media ban for under 16s — calling it “a little draconian from a freedom of speech point of view.” “I don’t think we see it as an attack on U.S. companies, but U.S. companies are the ones that are most affected by it,” he said. “But I think we’ll find a way, as best as we can, to work with the laws and rules of…
NATO says it is poised to defend Bulgaria against any threat from Iran after Sofia agreed to host US tanker aircraft as part of Washington’s operations against Iran. A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry warned Bulgaria on Tuesday against hosting up to eight US military aircraft at an air base on its territory. Bulgaria is both an EU and NATO member. Iranian Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state media that any action that supports US attacks on Iran would be regarded as participating in hostilities and amount to “aggression and war crimes”. Meanwhile, NATO’s Colonel Martin O’Donnell told Europe Today…
Before the war, roughly 15 million barrels of Gulf oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz every day, as roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil moved through the maritime chokepoint in peacetime. With the channel still largely closed and prices elevated, at least seven major pipeline projects are now under construction, in planning or under discussion to push supplies out through the Red Sea, the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Oman instead, according to Gulf officials, energy companies and market analysts. With the Iran war reignited this month, Brent crude is trading again at around $93 a…
Teenagers’ use of social media and digital services is a popular subject among politicians worldwide, including those in the European Union (EU). While some countries are currently considering bans up to age 16, others are considering more modest approaches with lower thresholds. Meanwhile, a digitally advanced Estonia openly rejects the idea of an EU-wide minimum age for social media use, emphasizing the importance of digital literacy among minors, teachers and parents, as well as stronger enforcement of existing legal frameworks, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA). A few weeks ago, a special expert panel, led by Prof. Dr. Jörg…
Setting off on your first solo trip can be daunting, but there are definitely ways to make it less so. While no destination can be 100% safe (the same goes for the city you live in), you can certainly minimise risk by opting to visit a place known for things like being able to walk around at night, or being stable in terms of wars and conflicts. To help you narrow down your search, Squaremouth has compared more than 100 countries to identify the safest countries to visit. The US travel insurance comparison site evaluated destinations which have “very high”…
Famous Hong Kong actor, filmmaker and stunt performer Jackie Chan arrived in Kazakhstan to start filming the fourth Armour of God movie. He will return as Asian Hawk, a treasure hunter, who springs back into action in the quest to find an ancient artifact known as Tumar worth more than €20 million. On Saturday, the crew officially started filming by breaking a ceremonial dish. “Many years of preparation, finally, we start the movie. We have a long way to go. Only the first shot, we have a thousand shots,” Jackie Chan said. Filming will take place in Almaty city, Almaty…
The attacks forced shipping giant Maersk to stop operations at the Chornomorsk Fishing Port in the Odesa region this week, redirecting cargo to Romania’s Constanta Port. Ukraine says it would still provide security, but the vessel owners decided to halt traffic due to heightened security threats. “Previously, there had also been many hits on ships, but most of them concerned ships already docked in ports,” Andrii Klymenko, head of the Black Sea and Baltic Strategic Research Monitoring Group, told POLITICO. Vessel owners have halted operations, wanting to see how the situation unfolds and what new solution Ukraine can find, Klymenko…
The European Commission announced a €890 million fine against Google on Thursday over alleged self-preferencing practices and unfair treatment of app developers, just as the Trump administration prepares a fresh round of trade duties. The fine caps an investigation the Commission launched in March 2024 under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law setting out a list of dos and don’ts for large tech companies that dominate key digital markets. The flagship element of the case, leading to a fine worth €460 million, concerns Google’s search engine allegedly giving systematic preferential treatment to its own services — Google Shopping, Google…
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond in this Euronews news bulletin. In just a few minutes, our newsroom brings you the latest news and breaking news across world affairs, business, politics, culture, entertainment and travel, with the context you need to make sense of a fast-moving day. Reported with the independence and the European perspective that define Euronews, this regular round-up gives you a clear and reliable overview of the stories shaping our world right now, wherever you are watching from.