New move “fills dangerous vacuum” on child safety
By Martin Banks MEPs have welcomed moves to fill a “vacuum” that they say left children “unprotected.”
-
EUROPE
August 12, 2026 -
GREECE 
August 12, 2026 Igoumenitsa becomes hub on Spanish pot route
Greek authorities are investigating why Igoumenitsa has emerged as an entry point for large shipments of Spanish hydroponic cannabis, known as skunk. On July 28, a trained coast guard dog found 92.5 kilograms hidden in sealed packages inside boxes marked “fragile” on a truck arriving from Italy. The network’s expected profit exceeded €2 million. Since […]
-
HISTORY
August 12, 2026 12 August 2026: This day in history
1121: Battle of Didgori: Georgian army under King David the Builder wins a decisive victory over the renowned Seljuk commander Ilghazi 1480: Ottoman troops conquer Otranto in southern Italy after a 15-day siege, killing 12,000, enslaving 5,000, and beheading 800 Christians for refusing to convert to Islam 1851: American inventor Isaac Singer patents his famous […]
-
EUROPE
August 11, 2026 “Fundamental questions remain” in wake of Ceuta crisis, say MEPs
By Martin Banks MEPs have called for action on “various levels” to prevent a repeat of events in Ceuta.
-
WORLD
August 11, 2026 At least 132 killed in Colombia’s largest earthquake in years
At least 132 people are dead and a state of emergency has been declared after Colombia was hit by one of its largest earthquakes in years. The death toll is likely to rise, with more feared trapped under collapsed buildings. The magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) at a depth of 103km (64 […]
-
GEOPOLITICS
August 11, 2026 Athens reassesses Mideast strategy
Athens is being pushed to reassess its strategy in the Middle East and North Africa following the expected but unwelcome signing of a mutual defense agreement among Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The pact provides for reciprocal military assistance if one of the three countries invokes the clause.
-
HISTORY
August 11, 2026 11 August 2026: This day in history
3114 BC: 3114-08-11 BCE is traditionally considered the start date of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya 1945: Allies refuse Japan’s offer to surrender on the condition that Emperor Hirohito retains his status 1954: Formal peace treaty ends over seven years of fighting in Indochina between the […]
-
WORLD
August 10, 2026 China evacuates one million from homes as massive storm arrives
Chinese authorities have evacuated more than a million people from their homes in eastern China including Shanghai, as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall. It packed maximum wind speeds of 150km/h (94mph) when it first slammed into Yuhuan in the Zhejiang province at 17:30 (09:30 GMT) before making a second landfall in the city of Wenzhou about […]
-
CYPRUS
August 10, 2026 Protesters demand halt to planned antenna installations at Akrotiri British Bases
Around 300 people expressed their opposition to plans by the British Bases to install a new antenna system in the Merra area of Akrotiri during a peaceful protest organised by the Kourion Municipality on Saturday morning outside the Akrotiri Base. Mayor Pantelis Georgiou handed a relevant resolution to a representative of the bases.
-
POLITICS
August 10, 2026 Ex-PM Samaras moves toward September launch of new party
Former conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is reportedly moving toward launching a new political party in September, amid indications that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis intends to keep national elections on schedule for the end of the government’s four-year term.
