European Union

An inquiry by the House of Lords has found that the EU's naval operation, Sophia, has led to more people drowning at sea given the mission's mandate to seize and destroy smuggler boats.

The city of Moscow is undergoing a controversial urban renewal project amid accusations that those who stand to benefit the most are also on the EU sanctions list.

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the BBC that EU membership is "not indispensable". Erdogan said that if the EU "bluntly" told Turkey it is not welcome, "this will be comforting" for Turkey, because it has a plan B. Erdogan also noted a majority of Turks "don't want the EU anymore", but that Turkey will continue the process "for a little more time". Turkey applied for membership in 1987.

UK foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that "there is no plan for no [Brexit] deal". Without a divorce settlement by March 2019, the UK would fall out of the EU from one day to the next. "I think the chances of such an outcome are vanishingly unlikely," said Johnson, noting that a "great free trade deal" is in the interest of both sides.

The United States temporarily deployed a battery of Patriot missiles in Lithuania, the defence ministry of the Baltic nation said on Tuesday. They are there for a Nato exercise, which ends 22 July. Meanwhile, the US State Department proposed to approve a sale of Patriot missile defence systems to Romania. "Romania will use the Patriot missile system to strengthen its homeland defence and deter regional threats," the State Department said.

British people trying to book holidays to Europe could see disruptions as early as next year if there is no Brexit aviation deal, airlines have warned.

The Netherlands is one of the many countries that want to host the EU's medicines agency after Brexit.

Paris is to organise the 2024 Olympic summer games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday that its executive board should, in a meeting in September, conclude an agreement with Paris and Los Angeles to award them the 2024 and 2028 games. The IOC explained the double decision by the "exceptional circumstances and unique opportunities" presented by the French and US cities.

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre has tested a Volkswagen Tiguan before and after the carmaker removed the illegal emissions cheating software.

The Copernicus project is a great achievement, but the EU needs to act swiftly to become a world leader in Earth observation data.

Vladimir Putin gained from his performance at the G20 summit in Hamburg. But the same can't be said about the US president.

UK foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that EU demands for the UK to pay all of its financial commitments before leaving the bloc are "extortionate". Answering an MP who asked whether he will make "clear to the EU that if they want a penny piece more then they can go whistle?", Johnson said that "to go whistle is an entirely appropriate expression."

From small businesses to commercial giants, many have been affected by the US and EU sanctions imposed after Crimea's annexation by Russia in 2014. But some locals have found ways around them.

The European Court of Human Rights said on Tuesday that Belgium's ban of clothing that conceals the face does not infringe on the Convention of human rights. The court said that the ban, adopted in 2008 in three municipalities, "could be regarded as proportionate to the aim pursued, namely the preservation of the conditions of 'living together'." It added that it could be regarded as "necessary" in a democratic society.

EU countries Tuesday definitively adopted the Association Agreement with Ukraine, a day before a summit in Kiev. The agreement has been provisionally applied since 1 September 2014, but its final ratification was delayed after Dutch voters rejected it in a 2016 referendum. The Netherlands ratified in May 2017 after getting assurances that it wouldn't guarantee EU membership, or imply military assistance to Ukraine. It enters into force on 1 September.

Ukraine asked Nato to start talks on a "membership action plan" despite Russia’s ongoing aggression in the east of the country.

German chancellor Angela Merkel called on China to allow the ailing activist and Nobel-laureate, Liu Xiaobo, to leave the country and get treatment elsewhere. Merkel urged China's leaders to show "humanity" and found their refusal to allow Liu to leave the country "depressing", according to her spokesman. Liu was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in May while serving an 11-year prison sentence.

Finance ministers at a Eurogroup meeting endorsed Italy's rescue of some of its banks, but said that European rules on banking resolution should be strengthened.

Lawyers at the European Parliament and the Council of the EU are finding ways to work around renewed transparency initiatives. The lack of leadership and political will makes the task for greater transparency even more difficult.

Labour's shadow Brexit minister, Keir Starmer, has urged the UK government to keep Britain in the Euratom treaty that governs the movement of nuclear materials, and argued for the European Court of Justice to continue having its say. Labour wants to work with rebelling Tory MPs in a vote later this year to stop Britain's exit from Euratom. "Brexatom" could impact the supply of radioactive isotopes used in cancer treatment.