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German chancellor Angela Merkel said the possibility that Social Democrat Olaf Scholz could try to form a coalition with the far-left Linke party after the September election was one "huge difference" between them, Reuters writes. "With me as chancellor there would never be a coalition in which the Linke is involved, and whether this (stance) is shared by Olaf Scholz or not remains open," Merkel said.

The Taliban celebrated the departure of Western "occupiers", hours after the last US plane left Afghanistan, but also said they wanted to have good diplomatic relations with the United States and the rest of the world, Deutsche Welle reports. US defeat in Afghanistan is a "big lesson for other invaders and for our future generation," a Taliban spokesperson said, adding "it is also a lesson for the world."

There was no evidence that Russian state agents were guilty of murdering human rights activist Natalia Estemirova in 2009, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg ruled Tuesday, but Russia did fail to investigate the case properly and should pay her family €20,000 compensation, it said. Her daughter, Lana, called the judgment "upsetting and infuriating". Russia has a track record of never paying ECHR court fines.

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal has delayed a ruling on the primacy of the country's constitution over European Union law, following a long-standing dispute between the European Commission and Poland's right-wing ruling party over judicial independence. The verdict had been due on Tuesday, but a new date is now set for 22 September, reporters Reuters.

The digital industry now has more lobbying power than pharmaceutical, fossil fuels, financial, or chemical sectors - spending annually over €97m to influence EU decision-making, according to a new report.

The political group leaders in the European Parliament decided to pass the ball to the legal affairs committee - which will now draw up a recommendation to the parliament president, David Sassoli.

Around 70 percent of adults in the EU are now fully-vaccinated against Covid. But some member states - like Bulgaria and Romania - are falling behind, for a mix of reasons.

Better migration management is important and long overdue. But as the drawbridge goes up again, years of Europe's hard work in Afghanistan and elsewhere will perish in the shadow of Fortress Europe.

Chemical companies are watching the raw materials they need for future production go up in flames as the Fit for 55-package continues to support the burning of trees as a 'renewable' form of energy.

Germany's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) extended their lead over chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in the latest poll published, Reuters reports. The poll showed support for the SPD and their chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz jump by 2 percentage points to 25 percent, the highest reading in the survey in four years. CDU's Armin Laschet lost 3 points to reach a record low at 20 percent. The Greens stood at 16.5 percent.

The European Commission has reiterated its threat to withhold EU budget funds from companies, such as Agrofert, clandestinely controlled by Czech billionaire-prime minister Andrej Babiš due to fears that he breached conflict-of-interest rules. The Commission "will interrupt any future payment claims in respect of such companies pending the implementation of system improvements to address this risk," a spokesman said Monday. The European Parliament, in June, also urged a grant freeze.

The UN Security Council Monday failed to take up France's proposal to create a UN-controlled "safe zone" at Kabul airport for people trying to leave Afghanistan. It called for a "safe, secure, and orderly departure from Afghanistan of Afghans and all foreign nationals," however. China and Russia abstained from the vote. Russia also called on the US to unfreeze Afghanistan's gold and foreign currency reserves at the Word Bank.

Maltese journalist Manuel Delia, a fierce critic of his government's handling of a notorious journalist-murder in 2017, has said he feels afraid to continue working after being targeted with a fake-email campaign designed to make him look corrupt and mentally ill. "If anyone tells you they are fearless, that none of this stuff affects them ... I'm not. I do feel fear," he said in The Times of Malta.

EU countries are preparing to stop Afghan refugees from potentially entering Europe en masse, amid fears of a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis.

The spokeswoman of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, one of his last close associates remaining in the country, has fled Russia, Interfax reported. Kira Yarmysh's reported departure comes amid a growing exodus of opposition-leaning journalists and dissidents that The New York Times calls "the biggest wave of political emigration" in Russia's post-Soviet history. Critics point to a widening crackdown on dissent and independent voices ahead of September's election.

In a statement published on the Telegram messaging platform, the IS-K group (IS-Khorasan) said that it had fired six rockets, targeting Kabul airport. The "Islamic State" affiliate in Afghanistan also said some people were injured in the attack, Deutsche Welle writes. The global coalition of countries against the so-called "Islamic State" condemned the attack.

Germany's foreign minister said €500m was "ready for immediate aid" to support Afghanistan's neighbouring countries as they receive Afghan refugees, Deutsche Welle writes. "We will support the countries of the region and the people in Afghanistan," Heiko Maas said in Tajikistan — part of his four-day trip to countries that could host Afghans seeking to flee.

US president Joe Biden will welcome Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity between the two countries, the White House said in a statement, Reuters reports. "This visit will affirm the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's ongoing aggression," the White House said.

The World Health Organisation and Unicef have called on European countries to keep schools open despite the pandemic, by making teachers a target for vaccination programmes and implementing new anti-infection measures.

An EU Commission spokesperson called the situation's origins as "an attempt by a third county to instrumentalise people for political purposes, which we very firmly reject and described as a form of aggression".