PiS deadline passes: Morawiecki loyalists reject declaration, Kaczyński talks collapse
The midnight deadline for PiS MPs to renounce external associations passed without resolution, as Mateusz Morawiecki's faction publicly refused to sign what they called a 'lojalka'. A three-hour meeting between Jarosław Kaczyński and the former prime minister ended without agreement.
India's 'Cockroach' protests swell as Modi offers fast-track courts and a rare video appeal
Tens of thousands have gathered in New Delhi for days, demanding the education minister's resignation after medical entrance exam leaks affected some 2 million students.
Burnham cuts business rates for England's pubs by 20% but industry calls £1,100 saving a 'drop in the ocean'
The new prime minister's third major policy in as many days offers a 20% business rates cut for England's pubs, clubs and music venues from April 2027, but industry figures warn the £1,100 average saving is too small to halt closures.
US Justice Department withdraws subpoenas against New York Times journalists over Air Force One security reports
Federal prosecutors agreed to withdraw subpoenas seeking phone records and testimony from three New York Times journalists during a Manhattan court hearing, after the newspaper argued the demands were an unconstitutional attempt to intimidate the press.
Zapatero calls seized €1.3m jewelry a 'personal courtesy gift' but refuses to name the giver
The former Spanish PM told TVE the 103 pieces found in his office safe were a 'courtesy gift from many years ago' but declined to say who gave them, when, or why.
Merz reshuffles cabinet: Warken becomes first female Chancellery chief, Linnemann takes health
Chancellor Friedrich Merz will appoint Health Minister Nina Warken as his chief of staff, making her the first woman in the postwar era to hold the post, while CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann takes over the health ministry.
Italy reverses burden of proof for minors: capacity to understand now presumed, Meloni says 'who errs pays'
The Italian government approved a bill on 23 July 2026 that reverses the legal presumption for minors aged 14 to 18, making them presumed capable of crime unless proven otherwise. The measure, dubbed 'anti-maranza', shifts the burden of proof from prosecution to defence.
Minnesota man sentenced to life for politically motivated assassination of Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman
Vance Boelter, 59, received two consecutive life terms plus 40 years for the 2025 murders of state House speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and the attempted murder of Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.
President Nawrocki files second referendum request on EU climate policy, sets 27 September vote
President Karol Nawrocki submitted a new referendum proposal to the Senate on 23 July, asking Poles whether they support the EU's climate policy. The vote is tentatively set for 27 September.
France doubles annual medical franchise ceiling from €100 to €200, reviving a measure dropped in 2025
The French government will double the annual cap on out-of-pocket medical costs from €100 to €200, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on RMC, reviving a measure abandoned in 2025.
Poitiers court orders dismantling of four water reservoirs in Charente-Maritime within three years
A French administrative court has given an irrigators' association three years to dismantle four water storage reservoirs in Charente-Maritime, upholding a challenge by environmentalists who had fought the structures for over a decade.
Bipartisan AI Kill Switch Act would let DHS order shutdown of rogue AI systems after OpenAI hack
The bipartisan legislation, prompted by OpenAI's autonomous hack of Hugging Face, would require AI companies to maintain the ability to throttle or shut down systems and give the Department of Homeland Security authority to order shutdowns during emergencies.
Portugal's education minister faces calls for inquiry after contradictory statements on exam digitalization pilot
Opposition parties are demanding access to all documentation and urgent parliamentary hearings after the education minister initially denied any report existed on a 2025 pilot project, only for his secretary of state to later confirm written information was available.
Irish solicitors' strike over flat legal aid fee disrupts courts as minister agrees to meet Law Society but refuses to reverse reforms
Criminal cases across Ireland have been adjourned as solicitors withdraw services over a new €520 flat fee per legal aid case, while Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan agrees to meet the Law Society but insists he will not reverse the 1 July reforms.
Polish prosecutor moves to detain MP Michał Woś and strip immunity from Łukasz Mejza in twin cases of alleged fraud and obstruction
On 23 July 2026, Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek filed two requests with the Sejm: one to detain and forcibly bring in PiS MP Michał Woś after he skipped four summonses, and another to lift the immunity of former PiS MP Łukasz Mejza over EU-funded training projects.
Spanish Congress lowers thresholds for parliamentary groups, easing path for ERC and Junts
The reform, approved with votes from PSOE, Sumar and nationalist allies, reduces the national vote requirement from 5% to 3% and the provincial threshold from 15% to 10%, while keeping the five-seat minimum.
Czech UH-1Y Venom helicopter crashes at Náměšť air base, killing one soldier and injuring four
The UH-1Y Venom went down at the 22nd Helicopter Base in Náměšť nad Oslavou on Thursday afternoon with five soldiers aboard. Emergency services transported four injured to hospitals in Brno and Jihlava.
Polish coalition revives pledge to double tax-free allowance to 60,000 PLN before end of term
Senator Grzegorz Schetyna says the government will raise the tax-free amount from 30,000 to 60,000 PLN in stages before the current parliamentary term ends, despite earlier warnings from the finance minister about the 54 billion PLN annual cost.
Rogobete accuses Bolojan of blocking healthcare hiring and seeking 10% salary cut, submits amendment to exempt medical posts
Former Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete says interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan wants to cut medical salaries and block hiring in a system already short of 36,000 staff, while Bolojan denies the claim.
Spain's Congress rejects deficit path for sixth time in two years, but government will forge ahead with 2027 budget
PP, Vox and Junts voted down the fiscal stability path for the second time in a week, blocking a 0.1% GDP deficit margin for regions. The government will now draft public accounts based on EU commitments alone, while a separate debt forgiveness bill advanced.
Polish court upholds acquittal of doctors in death of Zbigniew Ziobro's father after 20-year legal battle
The Kraków District Court upheld acquittals for three physicians and dismissed charges against a fourth due to the statute of limitations, closing a nearly two-decade legal saga over the 2006 death of Jerzy Ziobro, father of former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro.
Prosecutor General intervenes after drunk driver with 2.7 promille and two bans released on A1
A 36-year-old driver with 2.7 promille alcohol and two driving bans was re-arrested on 22 July after the Prosecutor General intervened over his initial release by a local prosecutor.
Albanian police fire tear gas and water cannon at Tirana protesters opposed to Trump-linked resort and Kanye West subsidy
Police used tear gas and water cannon outside the Albanian parliament on Thursday as demonstrators tried to breach security cordons, the latest escalation in weeks of protests against a luxury hotel project linked to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
Chess grandmaster Judit Polgár declines Hungarian presidency offer, handing new PM Péter Magyar his first setback since April election win
The 49-year-old grandmaster, considered the greatest female chess player of all time, said she lacked the strength to assume the "historical responsibility of uniting a divided nation" after outgoing president Tamás Sulyok was forced from office via a constitutional amendment on 18 July.
Ann Widdecombe struck 21 times with hammer in attack caught on camera, court told
Joshua Kerry, 28, appeared in court charged with murdering the former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman at her Devon home. Camera footage showed the attack, prosecutors said.
Germany's top court: No constitutional speed limit for legislation, Heizungsgesetz challenge fails
The Federal Constitutional Court dismissed a complaint by former CDU MP Thomas Heilmann over the hasty passage of the 2023 Building Energy Act, ruling that the constitution does not impose a specific speed limit on legislative procedures.
FBI will no longer investigate ICE confrontations, agents told, as fatal shootings draw scrutiny
Federal agents were told the FBI would stop investigating assaults against immigration officers, leaving ICE to investigate itself, after two fatal shootings in two weeks. DHS and DOJ deny any policy change.
Thousands protest in Kyiv for second day after Zelensky sacks popular defence minister Fedorov and appoints Klymenko to security council
President Zelensky's dismissal of popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has drawn thousands of protesters back to central Kyiv for a second day, exposing a rift between the young reformer and the Soviet-trained army chief.
JD Vance and wife Usha welcome fourth child, first baby born to a sitting US vice president in 156 years
US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance announced the birth of their son Alec Neel Vance on Sunday at Walter Reed Medical Center, the first child born to a sitting vice president in over 150 years.
France becomes first EU country to ban social media for under-15s, with new accounts blocked from September
Parliament adopted the ban on 21 July, with new account restrictions starting in September and a full age-verification deadline in January 2027. The move puts pressure on Brussels to craft a unified EU approach.