Germany investigates new grid sabotage attempt, days from crucial state election
In other news from Germany, the country is investigating another attempt to short-circuit an electricity grid transformer south of Düsseldorf , after two similar incidents earlier this week.
Police received a letter claiming responsibility for the incident in Dormagen as well as vandalism at a substation in nearby Bergheim that took 4,200 megawatts in generating capacity offline on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
The latest incident comes just days before a closely watched election takes place in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) could win power for the first time.
Germany’s interior ministry said it was “no coincidence” that such “hybrid attacks” were happening on the eve of the election.
Volkswagen to cut further 50,000 jobs as it ends row with union over revival plan
Patrick Daly , Lisa O’Carroll and Mark Sweney
The car company Volkswagen has approved controversial plans to shed 100,000 jobs in a battle for survival as it faces fierce competition from Chinese rivals.
After the latest round of talks this week, the company announced a further 50,000 job cuts and agreed a staggered end to current production at four German plants: Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and the Audi site in Neckarsulm between 2031 to 2034. There are no specific plans beyond that.
The agreement came as a surprise after a meeting of shareholders, unions, and state representatives on the supervisory board in what was seen as a considerable test for the German carmaker’s chief executive, Oliver Blume.
He had gone as far as to arrange an emergency meeting if the package was rejected in preparation for a potential showdown with unions.
“This is a strong signal for the future,” said Blume, who now has a mandate for what the company previously called the “most strategically profound transformation programme” in the history of the VW group.
He was booed last month by staff during a tour of the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, northern Germany , as part of a dialogue about the need to address the company’s financial challenges.
IG Metall, the company’s biggest staff union and representative on the supervisory board, said concessions had been made on both sides to avert “a dangerous escalation of the conflict”.
Chief among these was a stay of execution for four plants threatened with closure in exchange for an agreement on staff reductions. The deal includes a sweeping cost-cutting plan to cut a further 50,000 positions by 2030, bringing the total job losses in the pipeline to 100,000.
Related: Volkswagen to cut further 50,000 jobs as it ends row with union over revival plan
Meloni marks milestone as her government becomes longest-serving in history, surpassing Berlusconi's record
Giorgia Meloni is celebrating her government becoming the longest-serving since the history of the Italian Republic, although she cautioned that “stability is not a record to flaunt”.
Meloni, leader of the far-right Brother of Italy, and her coalition allies will mark the milestone with a festival-style rally in the southern Italian city of Bari on Friday. About 10,000 people will be bussed in from across Italy and Meloni will deliver a speech, essentially launching her campaign ahead of general elections next year.
In a message on social media, Meloni said she welcomed the longevity record “with gratitude and a strong sense of responsibility” .
“Because stability is not a record to flaunt, but a condition that enables a nation to plan, make decisions, keep its commitments and command respect.”
Meloni came to power in October 2022, becoming Italy’s first female prime minister. Her government has so far lasted 1,413 days – beating by a day the late Silvio Berlusconi’s second administration between June 2021 and April 2005.
Her government has been buoyed by a strong parliamentary majority while Meloni has earned respect overseas after jettisoning her previous hardline rhetoric in favour of cultivating a more moderate, pragmatic image. Still, some of her domestic policies, such as restricting LGBTQ+ rights and vigorously expanding law and order regulations , show her old instincts remain.
But she is now being challenged on the far-right by a former army general, Roberto Vannacci, who in the space of a few months has drawn defectors from all three of the main ruling coalition parties, as well a significant portion of their electorate.
Stability is a major achievement, especially in a country like Italy where governments easily collapse, but with internal infighting beneath the surface, Meloni’s passage towards a second mandate is much less guaranteed than it was a few months ago.
Related: Rise of far-right leader Roberto Vannacci challenges Meloni as she celebrates Italian milestone
Romanian lawyer for the Tates say will examine indictment, clients reject allegations
A Romanian lawyer for the Tate brothers responded to the latest move by the Romanian prosecutors ( 10:38 ).
“ We will examine every aspect of (the indictment) with the same level of scrutiny and we will challenge any evidential, procedural or legal deficiencies through the appropriate judicial process,” a Romanian lawyer for the Tates, Eugen Vidineac , said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
“ Our clients continue to reject the allegations against them. “
US negotiators could visit Ukraine on 6 September - reports
Discussions on US negotiators going to Ukraine are ongoing, and the teams have spoken about 6 September as a possible date, a source familiar with the matter said, as reported by Reuters.
Russian news agency TASS reported earlier that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would visit Russia and Ukraine on Saturday and Sunday.
Air Tanzania suspends flights to Moscow amid Ukrainian warnings
Back to Ukraine and Russia, Air Tanzania is the first airline to suspend flights to Moscow, attributing the decision to “a routine risk assessment of the operating environment along the route.”
In a post on Facebook , the airline said it was “temporarily” suspending flights to Moscow, insisting that “safety considerations always take precedence over commercial ones.”
The move comes after r epeated warning from Ukraine that Russian airspace is becoming unsafe for commercial airlines because of increased military activity, with Kyiv formally notifying the International Civil Aviation Organization of its concerns.
A rapid escalation of Ukrainian military capability in the past few months has allowed Ukraine’s forces to strike at targets around Moscow, St Petersburg and other locations deep inside Russia.
Related: Russian airspace becoming unsafe for commercial airlines, Zelenskyy says
Today’s announcement regarding the Tate brothers is the latest in a series of developments in their legal cases in Romania.
Romanian investigative journalist Andrei Popoviciu wrote for the Guardian last year that “how we handle [Tate] will reveal what kind of country we really are.”
“If Romania’s justice system wants to maintain any credibility, it must remain independent – not just from Washington, but from any external or political influence. Judges, prosecutors and lawmakers must take the allegations against the Tates seriously, and the government must be independent, not least for the sake of the Tates’ alleged victims.”
Related: Andrew Tate is back in Romania. How we handle him will reveal what kind of country we really are | Andrei Popoviciu
For what it’s worth, the brothers have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Romanian prosecutors indict British man identified as Andrew Tate for number of alleged crimes
A British man – identified by local media as controversial manosphere influencer Andrew Tate – was formally indicted by Romanian authorities on Friday for a number of alleged crimes, including trafficking minors, money laundering, and sexual offences.
His older brother – identified by media as Tristan Tate – was also indicted for alleged complicity and seeking to pervert the course of justice.
A press release issued by DIICOT , Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, outlines a number of alleged offence s including alleged sexual exploitation of a minor who was moved to Luton, UK, for the purposes of online pornography.
The press release also includes allegations of attempts to pervert the course of justice by seeking to stop another victim from reporting it to the police.
The two men are not named in the press release, but the authorities said it was part of an investigation into two British citizens, aged 38 and 39 and members of the same family. National news agency Agerpress , Antena3 and Digi24 all identified them as the Tate brothers.
As part of the investigation, the prosecutors also requested that four of their luxury cars – worth €825,000 – are confiscated as part of the probe.
The Tate brothers also face separate proceedings in the US and in the UK.
Related: Tate brothers urge release on bail in Miami as they fight extradition to UK
Morning opening: Russia keeps targeting Ukraine's energy facilities
Russia keeps targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities in its latest round of overnight attacks, part of an ongoing attempt to cripple the country’s power grid ahead of winter.
Odesa region governor Oleh Kiper said that one was died and at least five were injured in the attack.
Over the last few days, strikes continued to hit the capital city of Kyiv as Russia seeks to disrupt daily life by adding daytime attacks to regular night-time attacks.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last night that he was preparing to hold further talks with US negotiators in the coming weeks, with tentative dates set for their much-anticipated visit to Kyiv.
I will bring you all the updates on this today.
Separately, Germany braces for the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sunday, which could see the far-right Alternative für Deutschland in power for the first time since the second world war. Over in Italy , Giorgia Meloni celebrates her record as longest-serving government in the country’s post-war history.
It’s Friday, 4 September 2026 , it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live .
In other news from Germany, the country is investigating another attempt to short-circuit an electricity grid transformer south of Düsseldorf , after two similar incidents earlier this week.
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Jakub Krupa. Published 4 Sept 2026, 10:36 am.
