Europe

Current Time, a Russian-language network operated by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, has been added to the register of extremist organisationsa in a frame of ongoing repression of independent media and civil society by Belarusian authorities

The decision on entry and stay under special conditions for Palestinian citizens who are relatives of national citizens has been approved by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina

A tide of tiny plastic balls washed ashore on Spain's north coasts; over 1000 bags of plastic granules had fallen into the sea from a cargo ship on 8 December and though volunteers are cleaning up, fears of a potential major environmental disaster remain

Osijek's promenade will become the longest pedestrian and cycling route in Europe along a river, with an extension of 12 kilometres; construction of the promenade began in 1967 to protect Osijek from flooding

Czech lawmakers are meeting with Interior Ministry officials and experts to discuss a possible tightening of gun laws in the wake of the tragic shooting at Charles University on 21 December

A new National Cyber Security Authority will be set up following the wave of attacks that hit Greek public bodies in the past two years

Russian opponent Alexey Navalny claims he was immediately sent to solitary confinement for seven days as soon as the mandatory quarantine period ended in the remote 'Polar Wolf' prison above the Arctic Circle, where he was transferred in December

Masks will become compulsory in Spanish hospitals and health centres due to the increase in respiratory diseases; most of Spain's 17 autonomous regions objected, arguing that the measures should be recommended but not compulsory

Labour has proposed measures to tackle persistent school absenteeism, such as free breakfast clubs for primary schools and increased funding for early speech and language interventions

Following the traditional Christmas campaign of the Agriculture and Food Ministry for the purchase of Christmas trees, 62.000 saplings will be planted in Bulgarian forests

116 suicides were registered in 2023, reinforcing the worrying numbers; according to WHO data, the country leads in the last decade in terms of the number of registered suicides in relation to the number of inhabitants

Polish prosecutors are investigating TV commentators who joked that migrants should be sent to Auschwitz or tattooed or microchipped like dogs; several investors have withdrawn their commercials from the TV station