Hürtgenwald
- Aug 23
Merz returns to Berlin facing CDU dissent, cabinet retreat and state elections
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ended a 23-day summer break, returning to Berlin ahead of a CDU presidium meeting, a cabinet retreat at Schloss Neuhardenberg, and three state elections in September.
- Aug 21
Firefighters extinguish 300-hectare Hürtgenwald blaze in North Rhine-Westphalia
Emergency services declared the largest forest fire in North Rhine-Westphalia history fully put out on 20 August 2026 after more than 1,800 responders spent a week containing canopy flames and dodging buried munitions.
- Aug 15
Belgium battles 3,000-hectare High Fens wildfire with European air support
Firefighters and international air crews continue operations in the High Fens nature reserve after a fire burned roughly 3,000 hectares along the Belgian-German border.
