Euobserver.com

A possible deal to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear pact is within reach, says the European Union. Washington backs the final proposals, but Tehran remains cautious.

Water levels on the Rhine River are set to fall perilously close to the point at which it would effectively close, according to German data. This puts the trade of huge quantities of goods at risk and also hampers EU plans to increase the movement of goods along waterways by 25 percent by 2030, as part of efforts to slash emissions from the transport sector.

Last month's declaration by the breakaway Moldovan region of Transniestria that it wanted to join Russia, coupled with a spike in anonymous bomb threats in Chișinău, looked like "a kind of prelude to an operation in Moldova", Oleg Serebrian, Moldova's deputy prime minister, told The Times. Transniestria hosts at least 1,500 Russian troops. Russia-friendly separatists in Moldova's Gagauzia region have also begun calling to split away.

Afghan nationals who had worked for the German government are being prevented by the Taliban from fleeing the country, report German media outlets. News magazine Der Spiegel on Sunday said an emergency plan by the German government to evacuate thousands of former local staff of German institutions had stalled. It said Berlin had wanted to evacuate 7,700 people between July and mid-September. However, only 1,044 Afghans were evacuated in July.

Amnesty International apologised on Sunday for "distress and anger" caused by a report released on Thursday which stated that the presence of Ukrainian troops in residential areas heightened risks to civilians during Russia's invasion. Ukrainian army officials said they try to evacuate civilians from front-line areas. In an email to Reuters Amnesty said it had found Ukrainian forces next to civilian residences in 19 towns and villages it visited.

Energy companies, including Belgian Fluxys and French utility EDF, have warned gas exports from the UK to the EU are "contaminated" with toxic elements that are often radioactive. Removing the materials has cost gas traders an estimated €320m. If the problem is left unchecked pipelines may have to be closed down this winter. EU countries are struggling to replace Russian gas and the UK has become a vital gas bridge.

The Financial Times newspaper reports EU rules being discussed on political advertising are to create tensions between the European Parliament and the European Commission. The paper cites European Commission vice-president Věra Jourová as saying she rejected parliament's desire to impose a total ban on personally targeted online political advertising, also known as microtargetting. "If we ban microtargeting, the marketing method will not be possible to use," she said.

Italy has lurched closer to electing a far-right government in September after a centre-left coalition broke down on Sunday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for international inspectors to be given access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the shelling of Europe's largest atomic plant over the weekend.

Greece has become embroiled in a wiretapping scandal that led to the resignation of its intelligence chief as well as the Greek prime minister's top aide.

The Kremlin attacked Ukraine because it believed it could afford to. It perceived nuclear deterrence between Russia and the West as reciprocal, and therefore almost a non-issue. It also saw, in military terms, Europe is disappearing from the world map.

Viktor Orbán delivered the opening address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, where he was met with a "heroic welcome".

Russian president Vladimir Putin would be more likely to wage war against Nato if he won in Ukraine, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has warned.

Nato members are discussing with defence companies boosting weapons supplies to Ukraine, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday. "We're now working closely with the defence industry to produce more and to deliver more of different types of ammunition, weapons and capabilities," he said. Stoltenberg added the war in Ukraine was the most dangerous period for Europe since World War II and Russia must not be allowed to win.

Some Spanish supermarkets are experiencing ice shortages and limiting the number of bags sold to consumers as demand soars amid the third heatwave of the summer. High energy prices are being blamed for the lack of supplies, and, as a result, the price of ice bags is also increasing. "The increased demand due to the high temperatures is leading to hoarding," Spain's biggest retailer Mercadona spokesperson told Reuters.

Estonian foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu has called on the EU to impose a ban on travel visas for Russian citizens in order to further isolate Russia, Bloomberg reported. He raised the issue during a three-day trip to Ukraine when he met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. The EU-wide visa ban should be part of the sixth round of sanctions imposed on Moscow over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Reinsalu said.

EU member states are expected to have their gas-storage facilities filled at 80 percent of capacity by 1 November, as the bloc prepares for possible further disruptions and peak demand during the winter, Reuters reported. European gas storage facilities were 70.54 percent full earlier this week, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe released on Thursday. This level was higher than the five-year average of 70.32 per cent.

Russian president Vladimir Putin's ex-wife, Lyudmila Ocheretnaya, and her husband have a house in Biarritz, France, two flats in Malaga, Spain, and one apartment in Davos, Switzerland, according to associates of the jailed Alexei Navalny, Polish media reported. The villa in France was bought for €5.3m in 2013. One flat in Malaga cost her €790,000 and the other one €1.4m. The flat in Davos was purchased for €3.6m in 2014.

Three ships, carrying 58,041 tonnes of corn, are due to leave Ukrainian ports on Friday under the safe passage agreement reached to unblock grain exports, Reuters reported. The Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which monitors the compliance with the deal, said two vessels will leave from Chornomorsk and one from Odessa. On Monday, the first ship was allowed to leave Ukraine's Odessa port since the war began.

Dr Ming-Yen Tsai, head of the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, responds to EUobserver op-ed on Taiwan by the Chinese ambassador to the EU. "Taiwan is an 'island of resilience'. That will continue to be the case."