Europe Slovakia The return rate of beverage containers in Slovakia remains consistently above 90% according to the administrator of the deposit return system
Europe France A special 32 pages double edition of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo will be available from today in 300.000 copies to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attack to the magazine headquarters; 20 people died in consequence of the act
Europe Andorra The end of the season festivities has been marked by long road queues: ice made leaving the mountain resorts difficult and main roads leading to Spain also registered a peak in traffic
Europe Denmark The new mapping by Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd, the labour business council, is based on 2023 figures and shows that incomes of top 1% of high earners increased by almost 15% despite inflation, while the average citizen suffered a drop in income
Europe United Kingdom London Zoo is about to carry out the census of its over 20.000 individuals from 698 species of animals; the annual survey is expected to take about a week and results will be shared with zoos around the world to help manage global conservation programmes
Europe Ukraine Fighting in southern Russia inflicted heavy losses on troops sent by North Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as battles intensified along the front line
Europe Ireland A historic gate in Dublin's Phoenix Park, removed last September after being hit by a council lorry, will be reinstated this month, the Office of Public Works said
Europe Iceland The Kennel Club will officially recognise the Icelandic sheepdog as a purebred breed in April 2025; the Icelandic sheepdog can trace its roots back some 1.000 years and was even mentioned in a play by William Shakespeare
Europe Switzerland Drivers will be allowed to use self-driving technology on Swiss motorways and let go of their steering wheel starting 1 March 2025; following the decree recently adopted by Federal Council, they must be ready to take control at any time
Europe Portugal The Convent of Christ in Tomar, a World Heritage monument, will undergo two requalification projects in 2025 for 5,2 million euros, fully funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan to "give new functional values and qualified visiting conditions"
Europe Croatia In response to last month's knife attack at Zagreb's Prečko primary schools, which tragically resulted in the death of one child and the injury of several others, the country has introduced new security measures to increase safety in schools
Europe Finland On New Year's Eve, a demonstration took place in the Helsinki metro with over 200 protesters gathering to oppose the imminent increase in public transport fares by Helsinki Region Transport
Europe Serbia Like their parents challenging Milosevic’s regime in the 1990s, university students have taken to the streets to change what they see as the corruption, secrecy and deception endemic in the Serbian government; younger pupils have now joined protests