Europe

Wolf presence decreased over the last two decades notwithstanding efforts of conservation that failed to reach their goals: latest census shows the area of ​​presence in Portugal was reduced by 20% and the number of packs decreased by 8% to 58

Amid workforce shortages, healthcare leaders hope Syrian doctors working in Germany will decide to stay; they return to motherland after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria would have a hard impact on the health system

Resident Netherlands citizens - now around 18 million - will be 19 million in 2037 and 20 million in 2058, according to new Statistics Netherlands forecasts

A new led illumination of the 140 Saint Statues on the Colonnade of St Peter's Square, 14 Water Houses for free drinking water and an app to locate the city's water sources are some of the initiatives to be launched for the upcoming Jubilee of Hope

Fitch improved San Marino's rating from BB to BB+; the Secretary of State for Finance and Budget didn't agree, affirming that San Marino's economic outlook is even more positive

A new pilot project was implemented in the port of Algeciras to strengthen controls on agricultural imports from third countries, particularly Morocco, in response to the demands of Spanish farmers who protested earlier this year

The government has approved a second loan of €500 million from Hungary, which will be used to repay a Eurobond issued by the previous government in 2018, due to mature on 25 January 2025

EPCG, Montenegro's largest electric utility, is planning to launch a large-scale tender for battery energy storage by the end of 2024 for the supply of 300 MWh of battery systems

MAN Truck&Bus stopped taking tyres from Chinese Linglong’s Serbian plant after reports alleging the exploitation and possible trafficking of Vietnamese and Indian workers; the company’s ultimate owner, Volkswagen, said it's trying to “clarify the facts”

Over 80% of Eastern European graduates from Polish universities intend to live and work in Poland; 60.000 students from Ukraine and Belarus are currently enrolled at Polish universities, medical schools and technical colleges

Vladimir Putin said that 'this year, on average, over a thousand people a day are enlisting' under contract in the Russian armed forces; the government has increased payments for those who enlist, with highest payment being set by the Moscow City Council

The Slovak parliament has passed a law introducing charges for access to public information, a proposal initially criticised by the Let's Stop Corruption Foundation as a threat to transparency

Stricter rules on age limits for using social media are being considered in order to protect children from gangs, which increasingly use social platforms to reach teenagers