Europe Ukraine The Secretary of the Ukrainian Council for Security and National Defence admitted the possibility of the West starting to help Ukraine not only with weapons, but also sending troops, Ukrainska Pravda reported
Europe Slovakia Slovakia should leave NATO and the European Union, while the most important power of the president is the ratification of international agreements, said presidential candidate Robert Svec in a much debated declaration
Europe Albania After years of negotiations, Albania and Italy signed the long-awaited agreement on the recognition of reciprocal social security contributions, which will benefit over 500.000 Albanians living in Italy and all Italians who have worked in Albania
Europe Belarus The film The Women President, broadcast on the Mir TV channel, showed the children with whom President Lukashenko posed for photos in the National Mother and Child Research Centre in December 2021, showing how they grew up
Europe Germany In a long-running dispute over asylum policy between the German federal states and the central government, the states made a request to outsource asylum applications to third countries
Europe Latvia The definition of maximum permitted teaching hours is considered by Minister of Education as a possible solution to teacher overload; one third of teachers, 34%, carry more workload than the 36 hours provided for by the contract
Europe Austria Rohrdorfer Zement GmbH in Gmunden is building Austria's first CO2 recovery plant in the cement industry on an industrial scale, capable of recovering 30.000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year; it is scheduled to go into operation in late autumn 2026
Europe Czech Republic An 82-year-old man died of diphtheria in the Czech Republic, the first death from this cause recorded in the country since 1969
Europe Estonia The government is working on a bill to tax sugary drinks with a sugar content of at least five grams per 100 millilitres or to which artificial sweeteners are added
Europe Finland The government has proposed significant changes to the unemployment benefit system, including the reform of wage-subsidised work and the introduction of a gradual reduction of income-related unemployment benefits
Europe Ireland Two referendum will be held on 8 March to amend the constitution on the themes of marriage as fundament of the family and on the role of women in the family; proposed texts would bring the basic principles - fully respected - closer to 'real life'
Europe Bulgaria At Bulgaria Open 2024 international taekwondo tournament, the Bulgarian team scored a total of 750 points, winning the first place and the cup; more than 450 participants took part in the competition, making the tournament the largest in Europe this year
Europe Croatia The Vukovar Water Tower, a symbol of Vukovar's defence during the siege by the Yugoslav People's Army and Serb rebels in 1991, was visited by 117.090 people in 2023; reconstruction, which began in 2017, has preserved 640 holes, the result of bombing