Kremlin rejects Kazakh call to freeze the Ukraine war

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged Vladimir Putin to freeze the war in Ukraine and revive the 2022 Istanbul peace talks, during a meeting in the Russian city of Omsk on July 25, AFP and EFE reported. The Kremlin rejected the idea within a day.

Spain declares first wildfire state of emergency as blazes rage

Wildfires burning out of control in Spain and France have forced more than 250,000 people to flee, authorities in both countries said, as firefighters struggle to contain the flames. Spain evacuated about 70,000 people from the country's center, while France evacuated 197,000, including tens of thousands from the wine region around Bordeaux, The Guardian reported.

Local government congress warns merger drive threatens rule of law in Moldova

The Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM) has accused the government of using a July 31 deadline for voluntary municipal mergers to pressure local elected officials. In a letter to the country's top leadership, the group is demanding a restoration of legality, an end to the pressure on local authorities, and a resumption of dialogue with communities.

Romania intercepts third drone in three days, protests to Russia

Romanian forces shot down a drone early Sunday, 26 July, over the country's territorial waters near Sulina–Chilia on the Black Sea coast — the third such interception in three consecutive days. Defence Minister Radu Miruță said the incident confirms that Russia's war on Ukraine keeps generating risks beyond Ukraine's borders.

Driver sought after vehicle plows into Berlin Pride crowd

A vehicle plowed into the crowd at Berlin's Pride march on Saturday evening, killing one person and injuring 16, police said. The driver remains at large.

Doctors see twice as many ear, nose and throat patients in heatwave

The number of patients visiting ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists has doubled during the current heatwave, doctors say. Clinics are reporting seven to ten such patients a day, roughly double the usual rate for the rest of the year.

Teen's death in ATV crash prompts questions over vehicle access

A 17-year-old girl has died after her all-terrain vehicle crashed into a utility pole in Moldova's Ungheni district. The crash happened in the village of Stolniceni on Saturday evening, July 25, at around 10 p.m.

Chișinău couple injured as grenade kept for two years explodes

A married couple, aged 27 and 36, were hospitalized in Chișinău's Botanica district on Saturday after a grenade they had kept in their apartment for two years exploded. Police said both suffered various injuries in the blast, which occurred around 9:50 a.m.

Born at 25 weeks weighing 850 grams, Moldovan girl defies the odds

Gloria-Maria, a baby girl born in Moldova weighing just 850 grams, has gone home after nearly tripling her weight over 72 days in hospital. She was born at 25 weeks' gestation — more than three months premature — weighing 850 grams and measuring 34 centimeters, according to her mother.

Moldova's environment ministry denies fines over invasive species law

Moldova's Ministry of Environment has denied online claims that citizens face 5,000-lei (about €249) fines for having Colorado potato beetles in their gardens. The ministry called the claims false and urged people to check official sources rather than share them further.

Moldova court orders pretrial detention for three Moldatsa executives

A Chișinău court has ordered pretrial detention for two senior employees of Moldatsa, Moldova's state air-navigation enterprise, and house arrest for a third, following anti-corruption raids on the trio's homes and offices on July 23.

Moldova ends decade of qualitative-only primary school grading

Moldova's Ministry of Education and Research will reintroduce numerical grades for fourth-graders in Romanian Language and Literature and Mathematics starting 1 September, ending nearly a decade in which primary school pupils were assessed only through descriptive ratings such as "very good," "good," or "satisfactory."