Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated yesterday that he has always had a good, pragmatic but also trusting relationship with President Donald Trump. He added that he was ready to engage in talks with the US and reiterated Trump's view that there would be no war if he were in the White House in 2022.more

Dutch police have arrested a Polish citizen - one of Europe's most wanted fugitives, Europol reported yesterday. The arrest was made in cooperation with Polish services, based on a tip sent via the EU Most Wanted website.more

Two-thirds of people with long Covid struggle with reduced physical performance and perform worse on cognitive tests for a year or more after infection, according to a study published in PLOS Medicine.more

After an Afghan knife attack on a kindergarten group left two dead, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the country was working to deport more criminals to Afghanistan. The minister also said the Dublin system was not working properly.more

Starting in September, Nepalese authorities are raising the fees for climbing the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, by more than 36 per cent, Reuters reported on Wednesday. A permit during the most popular time of the year will cost $15,000 and $3,750 during the least popular.more

EU records showed that the number of victims of human trafficking in the EU has increased by at least 41 per cent in recent years, although the figures may be a significant underestimate as many victims are unlikely to have been identified, the European Commission said on Tuesday.more

Two people, including a two-year-old child, were killed and two seriously injured in a knife attack in a park in Aschaffenburg (Bavaria), the German daily Bild reported yesterday. Police have detained a suspected man of Afghan origin who injured a kindergarten group.more

Poles were among the most satisfied with life in the EU countries, according to data for 2023 published by Eurostat.more

President Donald Trump's announced withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is dangerous for both the US and other countries, assessed Professor Robert Ostergard of the University of Nevada. In his view, the decision could contribute to weakening and delaying the global response to the next pandemic.more

The world's billionaires are increasing their wealth at an accelerating rate, using their monopolistic influence in politics and the economy, the international aid organisation Oxfam assessed yesterday. It warned of a ‘new aristocracy’ and an ‘oligarchy’ of the richest.more

In 2024, 259 rockets were launched worldwide to carry satellites into orbit, a record. Private company SpaceX is responsible for more than half of all launches.more

Spain is planning to impose a tax of up to 100% on the value of properties bought by non-residents from countries outside the EU, such as the UK. Announcing the move, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the "unprecedented" measure was necessary to meet the country's housing emergency.more

There will be 6.7 million commercial flights (charter and other special flights) in the European Union in 2024, 5.8 per cent more than in 2023. - Eurostat reported on Monday. Despite the increase, the number of flights is still below pre-pandemic levels (7.0 million in 2019).more

Twelve major digital platforms, including US-based X, Facebook and Instagram and China's TikTok, have voluntarily agreed to new, tougher rules to combat hate speech, the European Commission announced today. Among other things, the giants are to respond to most reported posts within 24 hours.more

Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski opened the new premises of the Polish embassy in Berlin on Friday on the representative avenue Unter den Linden, near the Brandenburg Gate. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the new embassy building is not an ordinary building, but a symbol of Polish-German relations.more

Blue Monday, supposedly the most depressing day of the year, which falls on the third Monday of January, does not exist, reminds psychologist Dr. Magdalena Nowicka from SWPS University. It was a marketing ploy and was designated without the use of reliable scientific methodology.more

China recorded a third consecutive year of negative population growth despite a slight increase in the number of births, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). At the end of 2024, China's population stood at 1.408 billion.more

TikTok has gone offline in the US, hours before a new law banning the platform was due to come into effect. A message appearing on the app for US users said a law banning TikTok had been enacted, meaning "you can't use TikTok for now".more

"Big boy", or Atrax christenseni - this is the name of a new species of highly venomous spider, which has been classified by scientists from Flinders University in Australia, the Australian Museum and the Leibnitz Institute in Germany.more

Kosovo remains the poorest country in the Balkans with the highest unemployment rate in the region, according to the findings of the World Bank, presented by Kosovo television RTV21.more

A company in northern Italy that announced it was looking for five welders was approached exclusively by women. They were accepted and are very pleased with the working conditions, local daily Corriere del Veneto reported.more

The World Bank has lowered its economic growth forecasts for Poland in 2025 to 3.4 percent and in 2026 to 3.2 percent, according to a World Bank report published yesterday. Developing economies will end the year with the weakest growth prospects in the 21st century, it added.more

Irish budget airline Ryanair said yesterday it would cut flights to seven Spanish airports this summer, citing “excessive fees” charged by the operator.more

David Lynch, one of the most famous and original American directors, has died. He passed away a few days before his birthday - next Monday he would have turned 79.more

Ukraine's State Border Service reported that in 2024, the country's citizens crossed the country's borders 30.11 million times, and 2 per cent of travellers (around half a million people) have not returned to their homeland, Ukraine's Opendatabot reported on Wednesday.more