Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina A second programme loan for health sector development policies worth $75 million has been approved by the World Bank Board of Directors to support the implementation of policies to improve the financial stability of healthcare institutions
Europe Belgium In 2024, 411.021 counterfeit articles were seized in Belgium, almost double the previous year's total of 217.053, announced the Ministry of Economic Affairs
Europe Switzerland The country is set to ban international adoptions: a draft law proposal is to be handed in by the end of 2026; the move aims to prevent potential abuses, as an independent panel of experts found that even the strictest adoption laws can’t fully prevent it
Europe Ukraine The historic buildings at the centre of Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, a UNESCO World Heritage site, were damaged by Russian missiles that also injured seven people, in what President Zelenskyy calls “a deliberate strike”
Europe Romania Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu topped History T.R.A.I. index in 2024: the former has the highest total score based on objective indicators such as traffic, air quality and property prices, and the latter on 13 subjective criteria assessed by city residents
Europe Poland The annual number of births in Poland once again reached an all-time low, according to the state agency Statistics Poland; 2024 marked the 12th consecutive year in which deaths exceeded births
Europe North Macedonia North Macedonian social media users are calling for a boycott of local markets today 31 January 2025, in protest against rising prices; similar boycotts have been organized in Croatia
Europe Netherlands The increase in wages resulted in over €616 billion savings in 2024, an increase of €24,2 billion over the previous year, Nederlandsche Bank reported
Europe Moldova Moldovan Prosecutor General Ion Munteanu filed a notification with Constitutional Court asking it to verify the constitutionality of the appointment procedure of the Chief Prosecutor of the Autonomous Territorial Unit Gagauzia and subordinate prosecutors
Europe Portugal Portugal’s average net salary saw a 9,6% rise in 2024, reaching 1.142 euros, the largest increase in a decade; the rise was fueled by a 22% jump in the salaries of the Armed Forces, the strong rise in public sector wages, solid gains for farmers
Europe Austria According to data from Austrian Wine Marketing Board, the wine exports in 2024 are expected to decrease from the previous year's record figures; for the first 9 months of 2024, export sales registered -5,1% in value to €175,3 million
Europe France Mayotte, an overseas territory in the Southern Indian Ocean, saw a back-to-school in very difficult and precarious conditions after the archipelago was hit by a violent tropical cyclone in December 2024 and then by storm Dikeledi earlier this January
Europe Spain The World Monuments Fund has chosen the city of Zaragoza as one of 25 locations around the world for which it will raise funds; the ruins of ancient Belchite are a Spanish Civil War memorial site, neglected in subsequent decades