Spanish King Felipe VI has been embarrassed at the opening ceremony of the country's newly elected parliament, as he became the target of a series of anti-monarchy protest actions launched by left-wing politicians.

Britain has no overall plan for Brexit and the strategy for leaving the European Union might not be agreed for six months, according to a leaked memo seen by British media outlets.

Prince Harry has confirmed US actress Meghan Markle is his girlfriend, in a statement from Kensington Palace attacking the media for subjecting her to a "wave of abuse and harassment".

Five people have died after their plane crashed at Malta International Airport.

The death in a prison cell of a Syrian refugee suspected of planning a bomb attack in Germany is a judicial scandal, his lawyer has said.

A Muslim man in Norway has been detained for raping his daughter as a punishment after she became 'too Western'.

German police have arrested a Syrian man in the eastern city of Leipzig they suspect of planning a bomb attack.

Women in Poland have gone on strike in protest against proposals for a total ban on abortions.

They marched through the streets wearing black as a sign of mourning for their reproductive rights.

Women who oppose the ban are staying away from work and school and refusing to do domestic chores, in a protest inspired by a women's strike in Iceland in 1975.

Anti-abortion protests are being held around the country too.

IVF curb

Women took to the streets of the capital city, Warsaw, in a pro-choice march on what they are calling "Black Monday".

It is unclear how many women are taking part in the action and how widespread it will be beyond big cities.

Will Poland impose a total ban on abortion?

If the law, which has cleared one parliamentary hurdle so far, goes through, it will make Poland's abortion laws as restrictive as those in two other countries in Europe: Malta and the Holy See.

Women found to h

Bomb attacks hit a mosque and a convention centre in the eastern German city of Dresden, police said on Tuesday, adding that the motive appeared to be xenophobia and nationalism.

Turkish authorities have dismissed almost 28,000 teachers and suspended about 9,500 others over alleged links to "terrorism" as part of a crackdown following the failed military coup in July.

Five members of Cuba's national volleyball team have been convicted of raping a Finnish woman during a World League tournament in Tampere.

France has become the first country in the world to ban disposable plastic cups and plates.

A new French law will require all disposable tableware to be made from 50% biologically-sourced materials that can be composted at home by January of 2020. That number will rise to 60% by January of 2025.

Russia's ruling United Russia party cruised to an easy victory in parliamentary polls but a low turnout suggested a softening of enthusiasm for the ruling elite 18 months before the next presidential election.

Residents have clashed with asylum seekers in a town in eastern Germany that has become a flashpoint for anti-refugee sentiment.

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn has called for Hungary to be suspended or even expelled from the European Union because of its "massive violation" of EU fundamental values.

Three Syrian men have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of being sent by so-called Islamic State (IS) to launch attacks, prosecutors say.

At least four people have been killed and 49 hurt in a train derailment near O Porrino in north-western Spain. 

Angela Merkel's ruling CDU party has been beaten into third place by an anti-immigrant and anti-Islam party in elections in a north-eastern German state.