Europe

16 out of 41 migrants transferred earlier this year are claimed to have disappeared from the Italian-run Gjader Repatriation and Detention Centre, CPR, in Albania, according to a claim made by an Italian opposition MP after a visit to the camp

Belarus is moving to boost bilateral air transport cooperation with Iran; plans include the launch of direct flights between Tehran and Minsk, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said

The 47th Moscow International Film Festival MIFF, one of the oldest in the world having had its first edition in 1935, will open in Moscow tomorrow 17 April; ending on 24 April, it will display dozens of international works including five from Iran

In the deadliest attack this year, Russian missiles hit the center of Sumy killing at least 35 people and striking terror as residents were out enjoying Palm Sunday and attending morning church services

Sahel foreign ministers arrived in Moscow for their first official talks with Russia following the breaking of relations between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and traditional western allies, namely France and other EU countries

Via Ferrata – Sokolie Skaly, an outdoor climbing centre, officially opened near the town of Zvolen; the area offers a wide range of routes, from simple bridges and scenic viewpoints to technically demanding sections for seasoned via ferrata enthusiasts

In 2024 ONGs, citizens, media and businesses submitted 6.787 requests for access to information to government bodies; the Agency for Personal Data Protection and Free Access to Information reports they have decided on 4.220 cases of administrative silence

National park Hoge Veluwe has been refused permission to chase or shoot roaming wolves, which it says are decimating the mouflon sheep population; provincial authorities said the privately owned park will have to abide by the rules and not take any action

Zoran Mušič (1909-2005), an internationally acclaimed modernist painter and printmaker, will be honoured with a series of exhibitions in Slovenia and Italy as Nova Gorica and Gorizia have come together as the first cross-border European Capital of Culture

The 105th anniversary of the Patent Office of Latvia was celebrated on 8 April 2025 with the simultaneous visits of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the European Patent Office and the European Union Intellectual Property Office

A clear decline in asylum applications from people from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey led to a 45,3% lower figures than in March 2024; Germany, for a long time number one in Europe for asylum applications, sees its figures are falling rapidly