Europe Russia President Putin, when asked if he would change his decision to invade Ukraine in any way, replied that he would have to decide 'before' doing so
Europe France The court of Avignon sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison for aggravated rape of his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot over ten years; "I fought for my children and grandchildren; I fought for all victims of violence," said the woman
Europe Serbia From 2025, public transport in Belgrade will be completely free of charge, said the mayor, Aleksandar Šapić, who called it 'the biggest public transport reform' with the aim of solving the traffic problem
Europe Ireland PM Harris says Israel's decision to close its embassy in Dublin is 'deeply regrettable' and a sign of the 'diplomacy of distraction', adding Ireland will continue to engage diplomatically, but keep affirming its position on the war in Gaza
Europe Portugal Wolf presence decreased over the last two decades notwithstanding efforts of conservation that failed to reach their goals: latest census shows the area of presence in Portugal was reduced by 20% and the number of packs decreased by 8% to 58
Europe Germany Amid workforce shortages, healthcare leaders hope Syrian doctors working in Germany will decide to stay; they return to motherland after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria would have a hard impact on the health system
Europe Netherlands Resident Netherlands citizens - now around 18 million - will be 19 million in 2037 and 20 million in 2058, according to new Statistics Netherlands forecasts
Europe Vatican City A new led illumination of the 140 Saint Statues on the Colonnade of St Peter's Square, 14 Water Houses for free drinking water and an app to locate the city's water sources are some of the initiatives to be launched for the upcoming Jubilee of Hope
Europe San Marino Fitch improved San Marino's rating from BB to BB+; the Secretary of State for Finance and Budget didn't agree, affirming that San Marino's economic outlook is even more positive
Europe Spain A new pilot project was implemented in the port of Algeciras to strengthen controls on agricultural imports from third countries, particularly Morocco, in response to the demands of Spanish farmers who protested earlier this year
Europe North Macedonia The government has approved a second loan of €500 million from Hungary, which will be used to repay a Eurobond issued by the previous government in 2018, due to mature on 25 January 2025
Europe Montenegro EPCG, Montenegro's largest electric utility, is planning to launch a large-scale tender for battery energy storage by the end of 2024 for the supply of 300 MWh of battery systems
Europe Serbia MAN Truck&Bus stopped taking tyres from Chinese Linglong’s Serbian plant after reports alleging the exploitation and possible trafficking of Vietnamese and Indian workers; the company’s ultimate owner, Volkswagen, said it's trying to “clarify the facts”