Europe Malta A new endemic plant, the Lanfranco’s Sea Lavender, has been discovered in Malta by researchers studying types of sea lavender; the plant is only found in a small area within the Maltese archipelago
Europe Norway After 11 years of political wrangling and opposition from sheep farmers fearing wolves, state officials established a new national park in southern portion of the hills and forests on Oslo's east side, which aims to protect wildlife and nature
Europe Sweden A potential bid for the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games is being taken seriously, the Swedish government confirmed
Europe Slovenia This year Slovenia dropped one place in the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index ranking, placing 10th among 180 countries, according to the indicator published by SolAbility
Europe Slovakia Among potential candidates, Voice-SD president Peter Pellegrini has the best chance of winning next year's presidential election, according to the results of a poll conducted by the Ipsos agency
Europe Vatican City Catholic charitable confederation Caritas Internationalis joined urgent call for a ceasefire in statement 'Now is the time for peace', calling for humanitarian access to be provided to the 2,3 million people in Gaza and for hostages to be released
Europe Poland A massive demonstration saw tens of thousands of nationalists take to the streets in Warsaw to honour 'God, Family and Fatherland', after recent election victories put the country on a more globalist path
Europe Switzerland The Swiss population seems to be in favour of placing a salary cap on managers: whereas in 2022 those who favoured this measure were 75% of those surveyed, today those in favour rise to 83%
Europe Iceland Over 400 Icelandic doctors have signed a petition calling on the government to denounce Israel for its attacks on Gaza and demand an immediate ceasefire
Europe Latvia The Saeima of the Latvian Parliament adopted amendments to eight laws introducing same-sex unions, three years after the Constitutional Court's ruling emphasising the state's duty to protect the families of same-sex couples
Europe Montenegro President Milatovic presented French President Macron with an ambitious plan for Montenegro to be ready for EU membership by the end of 2026 and to become a full member in 2028
Europe Moldova 165 specialised textbooks were distributed to vocational education institutions in Moldova, purchased by the Ministry of Education and Research within the framework of the 'Strong enterprises and communes for Moldova' project
Europe Netherlands Health insurance premiums will see a rise in 2024, even though less than initially expected; of 29 different packages analyzed, monthly premiums will rise by an average of 5,2% taking the total from just below 142€ to 149,23€ per month