Europe

The Czech army plans to create a territorial defense battalion in every region within ten years, with new bases for logistics and air defense; the military, downsizing in the 1990s and 2000s, will grow by several new garrisons, in a reverse trend

36 potential victims of human traffic, mostly women trafficked for prostitution, were offered appropriate assistance after the police conducted a search checking on 250 people in a coordinated operation with Europol, Frontex and Interpol in 43 countries

Rules for pay gender gap reporting expanded or will be required to more Irish businesses in 2025: employers with 50 or more staff will now have to share their pay gap, in a bid to make workplaces fairer for everyone

Christiane Meyer-Stoll has been appointed as the new director of Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, effective 1 January 2026; she has been with the museum since its foundation in 2000, initially as a curator and later as a member of the Executive Board since 2006

Changing the system of service pensions, said Prime Minister Evika Silina, is necessary to restore equality with other recipients of retirement pensions; the retirement pension age was raised some time ago, but the age for service pensions hasn't

A new maternity hotel opened in Groningen and one is due to begin operations in Hoorn; mothers stay with their newborns under professional supervision instead of receiving postnatal care at home amid a growing shortage of postnatal caregivers

Construction at the Rūdninkai military training area, a €125 million contract, is 6 months ahead of schedule; Lithuanian defence officials are speeding up operations on the campus that will house part of a German brigade deployed to the country by 2027

The construction of new river bridges in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica is deemed by Kosovo Serb party as a political stunt aimed at putting ‘fresh pressure’ on the Serb community

Andorra Digital, up to now integrated in the Andorra Research and Innovation Foundation, will be transformed into a public company; with its own legal status it will be able to pursue the digitalization of the country more efficiently

111.520 travelers from 38 countries included in the visa-waiver program have been welcomed in Belarus since 1 January 2025; most travelers came from neighboring countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Poland

Public was shocked at the official press release saying Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska entity, thus subject of an arrest warrant, had voluntarily appeared before the Prosecutor’s Office as a suspect "for attack on constitutional order"

Fifty-two thousand petals fell in St Paul's Cathedral during an official service to remember those who died in the July 7 terrorist attacks in London 20 years ago