Europe Austria Starting tomorrow, 1 December 2023, Austrians will be able to apply for the new generation of passport in almost 900 municipalities and district administrations, which is expected to become one of the most modern and secure in the world
Europe Portugal Portugal has lost 46% of its population 0-15 years in the last 50 years, becoming the second oldest European country; according to Pordata, 5% of 1,3 million total young people are foreigners
Europe Vatican City Pope Francis wrote the preface to the posthumous book by Metropolitan John Zizioulas of Pergamon, late Orthodox bishop and theologian of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, entitled 'Remembering the Future: Towards an Eschatological Ontology'
Europe United Kingdom Teachers' unions will have to ensure that schools in England remain open on strike days, according to government plans; the Department for Education launched a consultation on how best to implement minimum service level requirements in schools
Europe Ukraine The Defence Intelligence spokesman officially confirmed the poisoning of Marianna Budanova, wife of Ukrainian Defence Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, and the poisoning of several other members of the Kiev intelligence community with heavy metals
Europe Spain An investment of €1,4 billion in the areas around the Doñana National Park will encourage farmers to stop cultivating crops that are heavily dependent on water from underground aquifers, overexploited in recent years
Europe Andorra Concern about housing has driven up enquiries in the last two months, leading the National Housing Institute to surpass last year's total so far this year, with 682 services in less than eleven months compared to 663 in 2022
Europe Belarus President Lukashenko signed Decree No. 375 "On the Proclamation of 2024 Year of Quality"
Europe Finland Pepi, an experienced drug-sniffing dog working in Turku, was named Customs Dog of the Year for his work in discovering drugs cleverly hidden in children's toys
Europe Kosovo NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that consideration is being given to the need to add more troops in Kosovo
Europe Switzerland The Federal Council ratified an amendment to the 1996 Protocol to the 1972 so-called London Protocol that would allow the export of CO2 for storage in sub-seabed geological formations from 2024, in order to meet net-zero emissions goals
Europe Lithuania Lithuanian Railways will launch the Vilnius-Riga train by end of year, with the first train sheduled to depart on December 27, even though the company said the dates may be subject to adjustment
Europe Ireland The props used in The Banshees of Inisherin, My Left Foot, Normal People and Father Ted and other films are among the 1.800 collector's items in an online auction with an estimated value of almost half a million euros