European Union

Every year, German public broadcaster ARD invites the German Chancellor and the leaders of the parties represented in the Bundestag to a summer interview on a terrace in Berlin's government district. This year the exchange with AfD leader Alice Weidel was disrupted by a group of loud demonstrators. Commentators criticise both the discourse on German television and the approach to countering the rise of the far-right party, which was classified as right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in May.

The coalition government of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has lost its majority in the House of Councillors, the upper house of the National Diet. His Liberal Democratic Party has had a majority in the house almost without interruption for 70 years. Now for the first time it is in the minority in both chambers. Meanwhile two right-wing populist parties have gained ground. The press focuses on Sanseitō, which went from two to fourteen seats.

At a Coldplay concert in Boston, a "kiss cam" was displaying couples when it panned to a man and woman who didn't want to be shown together on the big screen. Instead of kissing the two ducked away. The video quickly went viral and as a result the man in the video, who happened to be CEO of IT firm Astronomer and was at the concert with the company's HR chief, lost his job. Europe's press reflects.

A report by the UK's Independent Water Commission paints a bleak picture of the water supply sector in England, which was privatised in the 1980s, concluding that inefficiency, blatant disregard for environmental standards, leaks and poor water quality are rife. Environment Secretary Steve Reed reacted by announcing that the current water regulator will be scrapped and replaced to overhaul the entire system.

The world’s most widely used vegetable oil is at the heart of a decades-long battle between economic development and environmental damage. More can be done.

This video captures highlights from the event: Wild Animals Not Pets – The Case for an EU Positive List. A gathering of policymakers, experts, and animal welfare advocates at the European Parliament to discuss the trade in wild animals and its implications for welfare, health, and biodiversity

Berlin says other countries want in on controversial return operations.

Tehran is accusing Britain, France and Germany of undermining the 2015 nuclear deal.

“What they sell is a product – and that product is access to European countries,” Danish immigration minister said of smugglers.