Europe Iceland Fireworks in the country are sold and can be fired today; next time they will be on the market this year would be December 28–31
Europe Latvia The Latvian Botanist Society has chosen the globeflower (Trollius europaeus) as the flower of the year; according to popular belief, the flower has magical qualities, including the ability to ward off evil spirits
Europe Slovakia President Zuzana Caputova expressed just two wishes for the country for the year that has just begun: to build cohesion and cultivate humanity in order to overcome the health crisis as well as any future crisis
Europe Montenegro From January to October 2021, 144 fewer children were born than in 2020 and 1.815 more child deaths were recorded than in 2020, according to comparative data from the Statistics Office of Montenegro, MONSTAT
Europe Poland The nationalist government is reportedly trying to play down allegations that it improperly bought the Pegasus phone hacking software from an Israeli company to spy on its opponents
Europe Monaco The country's contribution to the developing world has doubled in less than a decade, with €22 million spent in 2020 to fund 90 partners across 150 projects, according to a new report by IMSEE, with support continuing despite the pandemic
Europe Kosovo Authorities have expelled a Russian diplomat from the country's UN mission over national security concerns, according to Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, but the UN said it had not been notified
Europe Portugal A social internet tariff has come into force in the country, i.e. €6,15 per month (VAT included) for low-income households; the Portuguese government estimates that it will cover 780.000 potential beneficiaries
Europe Netherlands Amsterdam's city council has bought nine buildings in the red-light district after negotiations lasting more than a year and they will be managed by a non-profit company in a bid to curb the rise of budget tourism in the oldest part of the capital
Europe Estonia The central government has allocated some 381 million euros to local governments to support the operation and maintenance of general education schools next year, and a new measure to be introduced is support for the culture backpack
Europe Vatican City To open the year, Pope Francis made a strong appeal during his homily during the holy Mass at the Vatican to stop violence against women, recalling that the "Church is both mother and woman"
Europe Liechtenstein Kathinka Von Deichmann, who qualified for Australian Open on Dec 24th, has successfully played first round in Bendigo tournament, part of 2022 ITF Women's World Tennis Tour
Europe Switzerland The Les Vernets d'Arve Foundation, which was founded in 1962 by Dr Renée Girod to rent low-cost flats to women in difficulty, recently inaugurated its fourth building, reaching 600 beneficiaries