Europe Kosovo The Kosovo Olympic Committee, in a statement on its official website, expressed its concern about the discrimination of Kosovar athletes by countries that still mix sport with politics
Europe Lithuania Lithuania ranks 20th in the World Happiness Report and is the happiest country among its neighbours
Europe Latvia Parliament approved amendments to ban the sale of tobacco products, substitute products, herbal smoking products, electronic smoking devices and fillers to persons under 20 years of age
Europe Belarus Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN Office in Geneva commented on the report on "human rights violations" in Belarus during the 2020 election period as "true hypocrisy"
Europe Slovenia The country has satisfactorily implemented five of the 15 recommendations the Group of States against Corruption made in 2017 but still lacks a government integrity plan and tools to monitor conflicts of interest
Europe Serbia Artist Luke Black has been confirmed to represent the country at the London Eurovision Party 2023
Europe Romania The American magazine Forbes has included seven Romanians in its European list of successful young people - Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2023
Europe Poland Poland and Israel have signed an agreement that allows for the resumption of Israeli youth trips to Poland, while at the same time guaranteeing Poland the right to organise youth trips to Israel along the same lines
Europe Monaco Ricky Martin will perform with the Montecarlo Philharmonic Orchestra for an evening at the Montecarlo Summer Festival in July
Europe Liechtenstein The Seven Heavens Sky Lounge in the Essanepark in Eschen, a new rooftop restaurant, will open in April with a four-month delay
Europe Bulgaria In 2022, pensions were increased on two occasions: on 1 July and 1 October; as a result, the average monthly pension per pensioner increased by 17,5% compared to 2021, reports the National Institute for Social Security
Europe Sweden A nearly century-old regulation, originally applied to agricultural vehicles, allows teenagers aged 15 and over to drive without a proper licence, provided the vehicle has been modified to have a maximum speed of 30 km/h
Europe Austria Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig said he opposes the EU-Mercosur trade agreement during the Agriculture Council in Brussels, despite alleged pressure from industry