Europe Protests Intensify Over Rising Cost Of Living

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans have taken to the streets in separate, uncoordinated demonstrations to protest against the rising cost of living in their countries.

Saturday’s wave of unrest in Belgium, France, Italy and Portugal has put pressure on governments across the European Union.

France experienced one of its most turbulent days of protests in decades, with more than 550,000 people joining demonstrations, according to the Ministry of Interior, and police facing off with protesters across the country.

The marches, which followed weeks of student protests, degenerated into clashes, looting and fires after violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, luxury boutiques and supermarkets, and attacked police vehicles and officers, Al Jazeera said.

Black Sea Drone Attacks Challenge NATO Resolve

A string of Black Sea drone attacks on cargo vessels in the territorial waters of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria has members wondering if President Putin is testing NATO's resolve.

The attacks have killed two people and left at least 25 missing. They endanger a major global shipping route and risk pulling more countries into the war in Ukraine.

Two more ships caught fire after drone strikes on Wednesday and Thursday, one of them in Romanian territorial waters.

On Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on X that he had met Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Romanian President Nicusor Dan to discuss security in the Black Sea.

NATO’s response is complicated by Article 5, its mutual defense clause, under which an attack on one member is an attack on all. Romanian defense analyst Radu Tudor said it is unclear whether the clause applies, because many of the strikes took place in the two countries’ exclusive economic zones rather than their territory.

Amazon Deforestation Hits Record Low

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest declined to its lowest level on record in the 12 months through July 2026, according to data released by the Brazilian space research agency Inpe.

Some 3,335 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest were destroyed in the 12 months through July, an all-time low in the historical series dating back to 1988. It was ​a fall of about 42% from the preceding period.

The Amazon rainforest has been a crucial battleground in the country’s presidential runoff, with President Lula da Silva having pledged to end deforestation by 2030, while his rival Flavio Bolsonaro has said he wants to make it easier to exploit the Amazon’s resources and will end illegal deforestation, causing many to fear that he may do so by increasing legal deforestation.