Russia is increasingly enlisting soldiers with disabilities and chronic illnesses in combat, a move Ukrainian officials say shows the Kremlin’s growing reliance on any human resources to wage war in eastern Ukraine.more
The British heir to the throne arrived in Brazil to participate in the COP-30 international conference on the protection of the Amazon rainforest. During the event, Prince William proposed the creation of a broad platform for cooperation between conservation organizations.more
After nearly 24 hours of negotiations, EU environment ministers agreed to reduce the Union's greenhouse gas emissions by 90 per cent by 2040. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic voted against the proposal, while Belgium and Bulgaria abstained. The entry into force of ETS2 has been delayed by one year.more
Nearly 45 per cent of first-year pupils in Vienna do not speak German, according to the authorities in the Austrian capital. Seven years ago, the figure was just over 30 per cent. According to the Vienna City Council, one of the reasons for this situation is the influx of migrants who do not speak German.more
Three million asylum applications were submitted in OECD countries in 2024, the highest number ever, according to the International Migration Outlook 2025 report published on Monday. In Poland, the number of applications rose by 87 per cent last year compared to 2023.more
The head of Germany's central bank, Joachim Nagel, has spoken out in favour of raising the retirement age. In his opinion, this is necessary to maintain prosperity in European countries with ageing populations.more
From 1 January, the Swedish government will significantly increase the amount of money available to migrants who decide to leave the country voluntarily. However, at least a quarter of Swedish municipalities have already refused to cooperate in the campaign to encourage this.more
Volunteers in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone have discovered packs of dogs with bright blue fur, Daily Mail reports. According to researchers, the animals appear healthy and active despite their unusual coloration.more
In Sweden, dozens of people are mistakenly declared dead each year, either through a hoax or a mistake. One such person recently lost a lawsuit seeking compensation from the state for losses caused by administrative death.more
In Hong Kong, where real estate prices are among the highest in the world, budget-conscious buyers can find apartments with discounts of up to 34 percent - provided the property has a reputation for being haunted or is associated with a violent death, CNN reported.more
Space debris in Earth's orbit is a growing problem. The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that it will introduce a new metric in its annual reports to assess the state of the orbital environment in this regard.more
40,000 people born in 2007 will be able to travel around Europe for free for a month. The European Commission will once again make a pool of tickets available for free travel as part of the DiscoverEU programme to mark the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Schengen area this year.more
A dolphin has swum into the Venetian lagoon, refusing to leave, and is performing a spectacular show by leaping into the water to the delight of tourists. But scientists and some Venetians are concerned about the swimming mammal's safety and are mobilizing to relocate it to the open sea.more
The United States expects greater involvement from the United Kingdom in protecting Europe and Ukraine, according to Laurena Speranza, an expert at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, quoted on Friday by the UK Defence Journal website.more
The US has cancelled the planned summit between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest after Moscow sent a note to Washington reiterating its tough stance on Ukraine, the 'Financial Times' reported today, citing sources close to the matter.more
General Gwyn Jenkins, commander of the Royal Navy, announced in Thursday's Forsvarets Forum that the two navies will form a joint fleet of thirteen frigates to protect the northern Atlantic. Eight vessels will be supplied by the British and five by the Norwegians.more
Five new suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewels from the Louvre in Paris, prosecutor Laure Beccuau said today on RTL radio, adding that the stolen items have still not been found.more
Yesterday afternoon, users of the Microsoft Azure cloud platform experienced problems accessing key services, including Office 365, OneDrive and Minecraft. The outage was global and affected thousands of people. more
Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced yesterday that tests had been carried out on the Poseidon nuclear torpedo. He also commented on the design of the Burevestnik missile.more
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Wednesday it has arrested a foreign military instructor who tried to spy on behalf of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
The SBU said the accused is a European national without specifying his nationality.more
Powerful Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica yesterday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. Winds gusting to nearly 300 km/h (180 mph) downed trees and downed power lines, but there are no reports of casualties. According to the NHC, it is one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic.more
Poland ranked 32nd in this year's Rule of Law Index, compiled by the Washington-based World Justice Project. Poland was among the minority of countries whose scores improved. Russia saw the largest decline.more
Unless serious reforms are implemented, the German economy will face further declines, warned Clemens Fuest, head of the Institute for Economic Research (IFO). He described the current economic situation in Germany as dramatic.more
If Russian tanks were to enter Poland and Lithuania, the modernised Via Baltica motorway would play a key role in protecting NATO countries, according to ‘The Telegraph’. The E67 route, over 1,600 km long, runs from Warsaw to Tallinn.more
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres admitted during a meeting of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva that we will not be able to limit global warming in the coming years to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. He emphasized that exceeding this threshold "is inevitable."more
