Europe Sweden The risk of grass fires is high or very high in almost half of Sweden: at this time of year dead grass is exposed, dries quickly and burns easily, the wind can spread it rapidly; about 30 houses are damaged in grass fires and one person dies each year
Europe Portugal The use of cork has been part of Portugal’s identity for centuries and the local industry, which produces half of the world's cork, is integrating AI to manual inspection to detect defects, improve quality, and reduce waste
Europe Norway Expanding offshore O&G industry before attacks on Iran, Norway was already cutting Persian Gulf oil supplies; now a majority of Norwegian leaders think it’s even more important to keep Norway’s own oil flowing, despite its contribution to climate change
Europe Montenegro Montenegro will be first country to join the European Union under the new safeguards designed to ensure all new members uphold agreed democratic standards, preventing backsliding on the bloc’s values
Europe Poland Three bison have been hit by a train – which, in a sad irony, was called Żubr, the Polish word for bison; the incident occurred near the town of Witowo, close to Białowieża Forest, which is home to the country’s largest bison population
Europe Russia The Russia/Sahel Region teleconference was organized by Lomonosov Moscow State University with other institutions and focused on socio-political cooperation, personnel training, interaction between Russia and Sahel countries in the field of security
Europe Belgium The Brussels citizens’ collective '40 Comités' in an open letter called on the Capital Region's new Minister-President to tackle insecurity and cleanliness, and to further step up the fight against poverty and homelessness
Europe Kosovo An exhibition has opened to mark the anniversary of NATO air strikes; the open-air selection of pictures in Pristina commemorates the 27th anniversary of NATO’s military intervention to end the Kosovo war and the ethnic cleansing of ethnic Albanians
Europe Switzerland Swiss cancelled hundreds of summer flight due to shortage of pilots and offered flight attendants financial incentives for voluntary resignation; currently though it added links on route like New Delhi following the situation in the Middle East
Europe Malta Two years after legal standards were introduced, pet groomers still operate without a professional licence or mandatory training as the Veterinary Surgeons’ Council hasn't yet specified qualification criteria required to trigger the actual licensing
Europe Latvia The number of particularly serious crimes increased by 19% last year, mainly due to large-scale financial crimes, as well as violent crimes against minors; one of the priorities for 2026 is to ensure quality in the implementation of criminal proceedings
Europe Italy Italians are going to the polls for a constitutional referendum on the judiciary system that has developed into political polarization; experts say the proposed text would eventually open up to moves that would restrain the autonomy of the judiciary power
Europe Croatia The biggest tourism project in years opened after over 18 months of uninterrupted construction; the new five stars resort in Poreč is the most significant tourism investment in Croatia is a flagship for Valamar Riviera