If the buds on your rhododendron failed to flower, turned brown or died, that may well be due to a fungus often transmitted by the rhododendron leafhopper, an insect that lays its eggs on rhododendron buds. Act now to prevent bud dieback, says Germany's Plant Protection Service of the Chamber of Agriculture of North Rhine-Westphalia. In late summer to autumn, the conspicuous green leafhopper with orange-striped wings lays its eggs under the bud scales of the new flowers. This creates small wounds on the rhododendron buds, making it easier for the harmful fungus to penetrate. If a fungal infect...

Austria's state postal company will soon only accept parcel shipments to the United States on a very limited basis because of new US customs regulations. From next Tuesday, no more shipments of goods will be processed until further notice, Austrian Post announced on Thursday. Postal service providers in Belgium and Scandinavia have recently announced similar measures. According to an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump, duty-free imports of goods worth less than $800 will be abolished from August 29. Customs duties of between $80 and $200 will be levied on each item. Customs pr...

VfB Stuttgart will be without newly signed Lorenz Assignon in their Bundesliga opener on Saturday at Union Berlin because he has to serve a yellow-card suspension from his time at French side Stade Rennes. Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness said on Thursday that the French league sanction "annoyingly also applies for the Bundesliga." He said he was "surprised" about this but "it is a fact. We checked it." Assignon's suspension came from a yellow card on the final Ligue 1 matchday against Olympique Marseille. Assignon joined Stuttgart afterwards for a fee which with add-ons could amount to €13 m...

Greece has recorded its first deaths of the year from the West Nile virus, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes that originated in Africa. The weekly report from the health authority EODY, published on Thursday, revealed that the two patients were over 78 years old and had an infection of the central nervous system caused by the virus. The health authority says a total of 47 cases of West Nile fever had been confirmed by August 20 this year. Eleven patients had been treated in hospital, two of whom were in intensive care, it added. The number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly hi...

The European Union and the United States have agreed on a framework to resolve their trade dispute, according to a joint statement issued Thursday, including the prospect of retroactively easing import tariffs on EU cars. The statement is based on the agreement reached by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump at talks in the Scottish golf resort of Turnberry in late July, aimed at seeing off a US threat of 30% import tariffs. Among other things, the deal provides for the retroactive reduction of US tariffs on car imports from EU countries to 15% as of...