Europe Belgium With 280 days until the elections, the Workers' Party of Belgium, the Reformist Movement, the social-liberal party DéFI and the New Flemish Alliance launched their campaigns at three levels: federal, regional and European
Europe Sweden Next year, the defence budget will be increased by more than SEK 27 billion (EUR 2,2 billion), bringing Sweden's defence spending to 2% of GDP and meeting the NATO target
Europe Netherlands According to the latest figures from the Dutch statistical office CBS, over half of Dutch adults do not get enough exercise; government goal is 75% of the Dutch population to meet exercise guidelines by 2040
Europe Iceland 213 cases of gonorrhea were diagnosed in the first 8 months of 2023, surpassing the total number of cases recorded last year; already in 2022, the figure broke a 3-decade record, in fact after 1990, its incidence had declined significantly
Europe Ireland Irish lone parent families have one of the highest average incomes in the EU when measured in strictly monetary terms, but are far down in terms of actual purchasing power, according to statistics released by Parliamentary Budget Office of Oireachtas
Europe Norway Sales of plastic bags in grocery stores have dropped by up to 40% since stores increased their price from NOK 3 (0,26€) to NOK 4,25 (0,37€), in line with EU and country guidelines to reduce plastic bag consumption
Europe Poland Chabad of Poland has begun coordinating food preparation for the holiday, with a record amount of more than 5.000 meals and food parcels to help Polish and Ukrainian Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown on 15 September to Sunday 17
Europe Romania The country is still far from reaching the 55% recycling target by 2025, with only 12-14% currently subject to separate collection; the ongoing 'Recycle in Romania' campaign aims to encourage separate waste collection
Europe Denmark Novo Nordisk AS, the world's biggest producer of insulin with headquarters in Bagsværd, Copenhagen, has become the European listed company with the largest capitalization, taking the place held for over 2 years by luxury group LVMH
Europe Andorra The new national energy and emissions labeling system for vehicles will be launched today; the badge will be delivered along with the license plates of newly registered vehicles
Europe Germany Wind energy expansion has slowed due to delays in obtaining transport permits for heavy wind turbines, with more than 15.000 applications pending, putting at risk the goal of 80% of energy from renewable sources by the end of the year
Europe Spain Cooperator Emma Igual, 32, died after a Russian attack hit the convoy she was traveling on in Ukraine; she is the first Spanish casualty in the ongoing war
Europe Latvia Today, a celebratory reception for Latvian men's basketball team will be held outside the Freedom Monument at 5:30 p.m.; from 4:30 p.m. until the end of the event, vehicular traffic will be closed or restricted if necessary