Polish abortion laws violate women's rights, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) stated yesterday. The statement is the result of an investigation into Poland's abortion law, which the Committee launched in 2021.more

The Dutch authority has slapped taxi platform Uber with a €290 million fine for sending private data of European drivers to the US in what was deemed a violation of EU privacy rules (RODO). The company criticised the decision and announced an appeal.more

Former President Donald Trump has hinted that he may pull out of his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC television. The Republican candidate accuses television of bias, with both staffers arguing over whether the candidates' microphones should be switched off.more

Hungry tourists hiking on the Great Wall of China can now get their lunch delivered – from the air. Chinese food delivery giant Meituan says its new drone service, announced last week, will bring food, drinks and other goods such as medical supplies to customers at a far-flung section of the ancient monument on the outskirts of Beijing.more

Fifteen regions of Ukraine came under massive rocket fire from Russia on Monday morning; energy infrastructure facilities were targeted, and there are dead and wounded, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal declared.more

Belgian French-language radio station Nostalgie has announced that it will have an artificial intelligence-generated radio presenter, the Belga news agency reported.more

Sunita "Suni" Williams and Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore blasted off in Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft on 5 June.more

Officials of the Afghan Ministry of Virtue and Vice Prevention have just presented a year-long summary of their fight against prohibited phenomena, such as music or the propagation of beliefs other than the officially prescribed Islam, the tolonews portal reported.more

A resident of the city of Guaruja, in the state of Sao Paulo in eastern Brazil, came to the hospital emergency room with a poisonous snake in his hand, causing panic among the staff. Some employees recorded the unusual event and then published the recordings on the X network.more

Raiffeisen Bank (Kyiv) opened its first underground branches in Kharkiv and Dnipro, the bank’s Telegram channel reported on Friday. As specified, the underground branches will operate on the basis of existing ones and serve clients in the event of an air raid alarm. Customer service is already available through a separate entrance leading to the underground premises.more

Australia yesterday announced a plan to improve water quality around the Great Barrier Reef to protect the world's largest coral ecosystem. The government will spend $130 million on the plan to reduce pesticides, control invasive species and improve the most vulnerable parts of the reef, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said.more

U.S. regulators approved updated COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, shots designed to more closely target recent virus strains- and hopefully whatever variants cause trouble this winter, too.more

Earlier reports in Italian media that the last wanted victim of the yacht disaster that sank off the coast of Palermo in Sicily on Monday had been found have not been confirmed. Earlier, it was reported that a body had been located in the wreck, but that recovering it would be difficult. RAI television reported on Thursday evening that the seventh victim was still being sought.more

Australian workers will have the right to "disconnect" from work outside the hours specified in their contract with their employer from next Monday, Reuters reported.more

More than 14 million tourists arrived in Portugal in the first half of 2024, estimated the National Statistical Institute of Lisbon (INE). According to the government agency, this figure is a record high.more

Spain's tourism sector is expecting a record 95 million visitors this year, even despite protests over mass tourism, Spanish daily "El Pais" wrote in yesterday's edition.more

Italian group Euricom, owned by the Lombardy-based Sempio family, is acquiring Polish company Sonko, one of the leading producers of snacks and many other food products, Italian media reported.more

Prime Minister Donald Tusk will receive the European journalists' award on September 12 in Potsdam, which has been awarded since 2005 by the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium organization - the dpa news agency reported. The award will also be presented to the President of Kosovo, Vjosia Osmani-Sadriu.more

The Belarusian copy of the Ikea chain of stores, operating in Russia under the name Swed House, incorrectly uses Swedish product names. For Swedes, they sound comical - notes the "Goeteborgs-Posten" newspaper.more

An ambitious plan to build a massive solar farm in remote northern Australia to transmit energy by a submarine cable to Singapore is a step closer after the Australian government granted environmental approvals for the $19 billion project on Wednesday.more

The body of the vessel’s cook was recovered while divers searched the hull of the Bayesian for passengers, including the tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch.more

In 2023, the German Federal Police, which is responsible for protecting borders, railway stations and airports, recorded the highest number of crimes since 2012: 790,245. 12.5 per cent more than in 2022, Interior Ministry chief Nancy Faeser reported on Monday.more

With the heat persisting in Italy, several teachers' unions and associations have appealed to the Minister of Education to postpone the inauguration of the school year until October. The idea is being protested against by parents who believe that the holidays, which last three months, are already too long.more

The EU Commissioner for Home Affairs has officially confirmed that the Entry/Exit System will launch on November 10, 2024.more

At the age of 117, the world's oldest person, Spaniard Maria Branyas Morera, died today in her sleep, her family announced on Platform X.more