In January this year the number of people applying for asylum and international protection in the EU for the first time has increased - the EU statistical office (Eurostat) reported. The most asylum applications were submitted by Syrians, Afghans, Turks and Venezuelans, who most often chose Germany, Spain, Italy and France.more

Olympic swimming competitions on the Seine River are still in question due to water contamination, despite the fact that €1.4 billion has already been invested to clean up the river. Members of the French capital's Arc en Seine Kayak Club fished out plastic and organic rubbish from the Seine during a rafting trip.more

The Spanish National Police (Policia Nacional) has detained a Polish national wanted in Alicante, in the east of the country, in connection with large-scale drug trafficking. The man was wanted under a European arrest warrant.more

With the US House of Representatives passing the Ukraine aid bill on Saturday, disaster has been averted, but a lot of practical and political problems remain, wrote the UK weekly 'The Economist'.more

This year's March was the warmest month on record in terms of ocean water temperature - according to a report by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), which examines, among others, the phenomenon of climate warming.more

The American Space Agency NASA was ordered to develop lunar time - a system of measuring time relating to the Moon. This is because time passes faster on the Moon than on Earth - only by microseconds, which nevertheless matter in new technologies.more

Tens of thousands of people are protesting across the Canary Islands to call for an urgent rethink of the Spanish archipelago’s tourism strategy and a freeze on visitor numbers, arguing that the decades-old model has made life unaffordable and environmentally unsustainable for residents.more

In Venice, a system for booking visits to the city will soon be launched and a fee of 5 euros will be introduced for entry to the historic center on selected days from April 25 to July 14, and only for those tourists who do not stay there overnight. It is the first city in the world to carry out this experiment.more

The UK Foreign Office has issued a terrorism warning in South Africa for British citizens and foreigners who are staying or planning to travel to this country, News24 reported.more

In a study that looked at 30 cities around the world, Athens turned out to be the most pleasant-smelling, slightly ahead of Paris and Zurich. Many factors were taken into account when creating the ranking - from cleanliness to the number of flower shops, bakeries and perfumeries.more

"The situation on the Ukrainian front is critical, and the coming weeks may decide the fate of the war," said Prime Minister Donald Tusk after the informal summit of the European Council. He added that the summit conclusions included a provision obliging the EU to take action to ensure the safety of the Ukrainian sky.more

The Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office, together with Polish security structures, detained a Pole who cooperated with Russian military intelligence and offered help in organizing an attack on the President of Ukraine, reports the Ukrainian website.more

An Israeli missile has hit Iran, US officials have told the BBC's partner station CBS News. Blasts were heard in the central province of Isfahan, although it is not clear what was targeted.more

A total of 2,613,962 kroner (approximately PLN 973,000) was raised during the week for the 12-year-old son of a Polish man murdered in Stockholm, reported the initiators of the two fundraisers, well-known Swedes Mustafa Panshiri and Hanif Bali.more

A new hotel can only be built if the old one is closed down, the Amsterdam authorities have decided. The city has tightened its tourism policy in order to reduce overcrowding, which is a nuisance to residents.more

Cocaine could only be available in pharmacies, Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema declared on Tuesday, quoted by AFP. Regulating the sale of cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy), she said, is the only way to combat the illegal trade in these substances.more

Prime Minister Donald Tusk was among the 100 most influential people chosen by the "Time" weekly. A laudation in honour of the Polish politician was written by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who highlighted his merits in the fight against populism.more

The degree to which EU countries are getting money from the €800 billion Recovery Fund varies. There are countries that have received most of their pot like Italy, which has received more than €100 billion in grants and loans. Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands, on the other hand, have not yet received a single euro.more

The island of Tragonisi in the Aegean Sea has been put up for sale in Greece. The uninhabited island can be bought for €50 million, the Greek Reporter portal reported.more

With the European Parliament election approaching, a growing number of EU citizens say they plan to vote, according to a survey raising expectations about the usually low turnout. But EU citizens in the UK are less likely to say they willparticipate, based on a separate research carried out last year.more

The district court in Huddinge near Stockholm yesterday arrested a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old for two weeks in connection with the murder of a 39-year-old Pole. The prosecutor's office accuses the teenagers of hiding the person who fired the gun.more

Within 10 years, apartment rents in Brandenburg and Berlin have almost doubled. Residents of Munich, Frankfurt and the capital currently have to pay the most for rent - according to data from the Empirica research institute.more

Dubai airport had to divert flights because the United Arab Emirates received as much rain in one day as the country can expect in an average of 18 months. Tuesday's storms with downpours and hail created a "historical meteorological event," the WAM news agency reported.more

A ban on smoking tobacco and all types of cigarettes - including electronic cigarettes - outdoors at a distance of less than 5 meters from other people has been introduced in Turin. According to the new regulation, you can only smoke closer together if you first obtain permission from others present.more

The district court in Huddinge near Stockholm today arrested a 17-year-old for two weeks in connection with the murder of a 39-year-old Pole. The prosecutor's office accuses the teenager of "concealing a crime."more