Europe Croatia The Church and Monastery of St. Nicholas and the new Underwater Archaeology Teaching-Presentation Center, part of the International Center for Underwater Archaeology, were inaugurated in Zadar after three years of renovations
Europe Bulgaria Famed actor and Nobu Hospitality co-founder Robert De Niro is to open two Nobu-branded luxury hotels in Bulgaria, one in Sofia in the city center and the other in Varna on the Black Sea coast
Europe Germany The Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, has approved the so-called "self-determination law," a provision that makes it easier to change gender identity and name at the registry office
Europe Italy Rice cultivation, of historic importance to the country, is facing a severe crisis; according to National Rice Authority, 46 thousand hectares of paddy fields were lost to drought in 2022
Europe Russia Patriot, an autobiographical book Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was working on before his death last 16 February in a prison in Siberia, will be published on October 22
Europe Slovakia A new film by Erik Baláž, Slovak ecologist, activist and filmmaker, telling the story of the western grouse, which is critically endangered in Slovakia due to widespread deforestation and habitat destruction, struggles to be distributed
Europe Norway The government intends to invest about 500 million Norwegian kroner (€42.939.000) a year in church restoration over the next three decades
Europe Netherlands There is a decrease in the number of cyclists killed on Dutch roads, although cyclists represent the largest group of road accident victims for the fourth consecutive year; in 40% of cases they were using an e-bike
Europe Ukraine Parliament passed a law to reform rules for recruiting civilians into the armed forces, at a time when the Ukrainian army lacks soldiers and means to fight: 500.000 men would be needed to relieve soldiers who have been committed for more than two years
Europe Portugal The Roman galleries on Rua da Prata in Lisbon will reopen for visits 18-21 April, in celebration of the International Day of Monuments and Sites; discovered after 1755 earthquake, they continue to attract visitors and 2024 tickets went sold out in 2 hours
Europe Ireland Simon Harris, 37, appointed Prime Minister of Ireland to replace Leo Varadkar, is the youngest Irish prime minister ever
Europe Sweden Apotek Hjärtat, a large Swedish pharmacy chain, has decided to ban the sale of anti-aging products to anyone under the age of 15 in an attempt to go against a dangerous trend involving an increasing number of children
Europe Belgium Mixed race people, children and grandchildren of unions between Europeans and Africans in colonialism are totally forgotten by Belgium's reparation policies, according to a report by the non-governmental organization African futures lab