Last night in Magdeburg in eastern Germany, a car drove into a crowd of people at a Christmas market. Initially, it was not clear how many people were killed. It was assumed that up to 11 and dozens were injured. Today, the death toll is four, the daily Bild reported, citing local police. more

Today (21 December), the Sun will cross the winter solstice point, beginning the astronomical winter. Low temperatures, long nights and short days are associated with this time of year. It is also an opportunity to see interesting astronomical objects in the sky, relatively early in the evening.more

The heiress to a hotel fortune celebrates the passage of a law against systemic child abuse. Paris Hilton, who was herself a victim of abuse many years ago while in foster care, has repeatedly called on US authorities to introduce legislation to protect minors from abuse. more

Powiązany z gangiem 18-letni Mohammed M. został oskarżony wczoraj przez szwedzką prokuraturę o zastrzelenie w kwietniu w Sztokholmie 39-letniego Polaka Mikaela (Michała) na oczach jego 12-letniego syna.more

A cheque for 49 million euros was found on the street in Lecce, southern Italy, by a city official. He admitted that he got dizzy at the sight of so many zeros. He managed to find the owner of the cheque.more

Russia produces enough military equipment to equip an army equal to Germany's every 12 months. Europe needs to rearm, but countries either don't have the resources or don't want to cut spending on social programs. The Economist writes that a "coalition of the willing" may be the solution.more

Many Canadians want Canada to become America's 51st state, I think that's a great idea, President-elect Donald Trump announced yesterday morning. In doing so, he stated that the US was ‘subsidising’ Canada.more

In recent weeks, travel fans have been bombarded with various compilations and suggestions to help them plan next year's trips. Some publications come in the form of cautions. For example, those dreaming of a holiday in France should steer clear of the seaside town of Fos-sur-Mer. It is the ugliest town in France according to the daily ‘Telegraph’.more

Portuguese police have detained a Polish citizen suspected of mass production of various types of drugs, public radio RTP reported. Among the drugs confiscated were tens of kilograms of cannabis, ecstasy and LSD, as well as hallucinogenic mushrooms.more

The Electoral College officially elected Donald Trump as President of the United States yesterday. According to the results in the individual states, Trump received 312 votes, while Kamala Harris received 226 votes.more

European Union privacy watchdogs hit Facebook owner Meta with fines totaling €251 million on Monday after an investigation into a 2018 data breach on the social media platform that exposed millions of accounts. more

A high-speed rail train to Berlin set off from Paris on Monday, which will operate a new direct link between the French and German capitals. The train will run daily and the journey will take eight hours.more

In the assessment of the US services, the observed drone activity in and around New Jersey is hobby drones, commercial drones and police drones operating fully legally, announced US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. In doing so, he responded to allegations that authorities were hiding knowledge of ‘secret’ drones.more

The European Commission yesterday launched a procedure against Poland for failing to conduct mandatory alcohol testing of pilots and cabin crew at airports.more

A high-ranking general in the Russian armed forces and his assistant have been killed in an explosion in Moscow. Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, head of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence Forces (NBC), was leaving a residential block early on Tuesday when a device hidden in a scooter exploded, Russia's Investigative Committee said.more

EU countries have approved changes to EU regulations that are intended to make it harder for drivers who commit road offences in another member state to avoid liability. Countries are to strengthen cooperation in identifying perpetrators and collecting fines.more

EU member states have today approved a new regulation on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR). According to it, all packaging must be recyclable by 2030, and the sale of single-use cosmetics or spices packaged in plastic will be banned.more

Domestic violence against men is on the rise in Portugal, according to a report by the Portuguese Association for Support to Victims (APAV), which shows that the number of cases of this type of abuse is at a record high.more

In 2023, there were 1,567 serious rail accidents in the European Union, in which 841 people died; the most in Poland (159) - according to Eurostat data. In second place were Germany and Romania. The fewest fatalities were recorded in Luxembourg and Estonia - it was added.more

In Rome, a record was broken on the real estate market: 45 thousand euros per square meter for an apartment on Piazza di Spagna. It was sold very quickly. This, as analysts note, is more than the price in many exclusive locations in New York or Dubai.more

New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy yesterday called on Washington authorities to investigate suspicious drone activity detected near important facilities in their states. There are nearly a million registered drones in the US, according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official.more

The richest person in the world just hit an even higher milestone. Elon Musk’s net worth has reached $400 billion, according to Bloomberg, making him the first person ever to cross that mark. Behind his nearly $20 billion jump in wealth was a deal that shot up Musk’s rocket company SpaceX’s valuation to roughly $350 billion, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.more

Donald Trump's team has been in talks with the White House and Ukrainian representatives in recent days about ending the war, NBC News reported yesterday. However, the station reports that so far the new team has not presented a concrete plan.more

The new EU defence commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, yesterday called for faster armament in Europe. "To be honest, we are not sufficiently prepared for a possible attack," he admitted in an interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).more

Norway's parliament passed a new abortion law yesterday, extending the period in which a woman can decide to terminate her pregnancy from 12 to 18 weeks. The center-left coalition's bill was supported by the People's Party, the Conservatives, and some of the right.more