Europe

Bulgaria's two largest trade unions, KNSB and Podkrepa, protested in front of Parliament in defence of the country's energy security, unhappy with the commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by the end of 2025 compared to 2019 levels

A newly approved amendment to the Road Traffic Act brings stiffer penalties for the most serious offences, like speeding and drink driving, and young people will start driving a year earlier, from the age of 17, under the supervision of a parent

Dutch and Belgian customs will continue their cooperation against drug smuggling in the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp in 2023

The conservatives, eager to win the upcoming local elections in the state of Lower Austria, want to further crack down on climate activists with harsher penalties, although legal experts consider such a move problematic

The country's Hydrometeorological Institute said in a recent analysis that extreme drought affected large parts of Slovakia during typically wet periods, causing low agricultural yields and affecting forest ecosystems

The Church of England has apologised for past links to slavery by a related financial body, now engaged in an extensive process to compensate victim communities

Constantine II, the last ousted king of Greece, has died at the age of 82 in Athens; a ministerial meeting under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided that he will be buried as a private citizen

The European Commission will continue to enforce the divisive US duties on Spanish black olives, while EU lawmakers and Spanish producers demand more EU support for legal costs and losses

Hunting will continue to be allowed on weekends in France, according to a government plan presented on Monday that has disappointed environmentalists but has yet to be approved by Parliament

Applications for the Eiffel scholarship are accepted until today; open to international students, it is the most prestigious scholarship offered by the government for students of master's, doctorate or PhD programme at any French university

Workers who are hired by companies offering cleaning services complain that they have a minimum work contract that prevents them from enjoying the benefits of CASS and brings them low wages, thus asking for a 40-hour contract

The country has installed more than 1.000 MW of solar power and has now reached over 4,2 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity

President Putin has sent a bill to Parliament to end Moscow's participation in Greco, the Council of Europe's anti-corruption body, and denounce the relevant Convention against Corruption