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Some 20,000 people came out in protest against Moldova's pro-European president, Maria Sandu, and her government on Sunday amid soaring inflation due to the Ukraine war, Reuters reports. The cost of energy rose 50 percent in August and a further 29 percent in September. Overall inflation is 34.3 percent. A recent internal EU document singled out Moldova as being the most vulnerable to the knock-on effects of the conflict.

Azerbaijan has lashed out at US speaker Nancy Pelosi after she backed Armenian claims over recent violence. Pelosi said in Yerevan Sunday she condemned Azerbaijan's attacks, which killed over 100 Armenian soldiers, but Azerbaijan denies the killings. "This is a serious blow to the efforts to normalise relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan," the Azeri foreign ministry said. Russia and Turkey had been leading diplomatic efforts to defuse the situation.

Some 64 people were arrested, five cars were damaged, and 10 policemen were hurt in Belgrade Saturday when police clashed with right-wing demonstrators, who were trying to disrupt a pride march, Reuters reports. "I am very proud that we managed to avoid more serious incidents," Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabić said. The government had initially banned the gay-rights rally, but later approved it following an outcry by civil-society groups.

The Czech EU presidency has called for the creation of an international war-crimes tribunal on Russia following the discovery of mass graves in Izyum, Ukraine. "In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent," Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavsky said Saturday. "I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal," he aded. French president Emmanuel Macron also "condemned" the "atrocities".

The freezing, the first time in the EU's history using the conditionality mechanism linking EU subsidies to the respect of the rule of law, would suspend money from the bloc's cohesion funds under the 2021-27 long-term budget.

Just as Europe is planning another massive bail-out of the economy, the European Central Bank is retreating into monetary austerity.

The Queen of England died. Ukraine started a startlingly successful counterattack on Russian occupiers. Sweden elected a rightwing government. Hungary no longer considered a democracy by the European Parliament. A new secretary-general appointment was rushed through.

The Queen of England died. Ukraine started a startlingly successful counterattack on Russian occupiers. Sweden elected a rightwing government. Hungary no longer considered a democracy by the European Parliament. A new secretary-general appointment was rushed through.

The proposal for a so-called European Media Freedom Act announced on Friday by the European Commission is part of wider efforts to tackle the erosion of rule of law in EU states like Poland and Hungary.

Climate change, food insecurity and seasonal shortages have triggered calls to loosen regulation for genetically-modified food and seed technologies in the EU.

The European Commission has not taken any initiative to restaff the position of a coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred, which has been void since July 2021 and starved of resources and a clear mandate.

In a fraud trial relating to €2m in EU subsidies, Andrej Babiš son testified his signature on share-transfer agreements was forged. He claims his father transferred the shares to him without his knowledge, making him a front man for scheme.

The progress, publicly-touted, by EU Council president Charles Michel's puts his credibility on the line when it comes to forging a lasting Azeri-Armenian peace. And it's a test of the EU's capacity as a credible mediator in its own backyard.

A report on Russian spying at the Council of Europe doesn't present the slightest evidence for the far-reaching allegations it makes, the Council's parliamentary president, Tiny Kox says.

The German government has put the German subsidiary of Russian oil giant Rosneft under trusteeship. Germany will eliminate all oil imports from Russia and to ensure the refinery, one of Germany's largest, can continue operations in the winter without disruption, the majority owned Russian company has been taken over. "With the trusteeship, the threat to the security of energy supply is countered," the economy ministry said in a statement.

Sweden and Finland are counting on further talks with Turkey to unlock their Nato accession, as Western diplomats wonder what Ankara really wants.

A mass burial site of more than 440 people was found in the recently liberated city of Izium in Eastern Ukraine. In a Thursday night video speech, president Volodymyr Zelensky compared the discovery to the hundreds of people found buried in Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv in February. "Russia is leaving death behind it everywhere and must be held responsible," he said.

Sweden's prime minister Magdalena Andersson resigned on Thursday, paving the way for a change of government. The speaker of the parliament is now expected to give the head of Sweden's Moderate Party, Ulf Kristersson, a mandate to form a new government, following Sunday's general election. His right-wing group includes the far-right Sweden Democrats. The result has been a blow to Andersson's Social Democrats, which remain Sweden's largest single party.

The European Commission announced on Thursday it will restrict access to 87 vulnerable marine ecosystems in the north-east Atlantic coasts of France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain for deep-sea bottom fisheries. "The total closure area corresponds to 16,419 km2 reserved for the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems below 400 meters," said environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius. Fishing below a depth of 800 meters in the north-east Atlantic was banned in 2016.

With evermore connected devices on the market, new EU rules aim to minimise cybersecurity risks from innocuous household appliances and industrial operating systems — amid concern over the increasing number of cyberattacks and their cost for companies.