Fukushima nuclear plant, a wastewater release plan, and Korean concerns
As the IAEA is about to give its conclusions on the safety of Japan's plan to release radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, concerns of Koreans have been growing.…
In Poland, a pro ice hockey player suspected of being a Russian spy
Poland has arrested a Russian professional ice hockey player. He is suspected of being a spy.…
In Colombia, the launch of a pilot program to assist migration procedures to the U.S.
In Colombia, the Movilidad Segura, a U.S.-led pilot program to facilitate the visa application process for the United States, opened. But the initiative is not for the Colombians.…
Germany needs to dispose of 755 million expired face masks bought during the COVID-19 pandemic
Germany gets rid of hundreds of millions of expired surgical and FFP2 masks that cannot be used or placed on the market anymore. They will most likely be incinerated.…
Spain the 2nd largest beer producer in Europe in 2022
Spain is now Europe's second-largest beer producer, behind Germany. The country is also a country where people drink beer, boosted by a rebound in the tourism sector in 2022.…
In Belgium, Lidl will soon stop offering free charging for electric vehicles
In Belgium, several large retailers offer free charging for their customers' electric vehicles. But Lidl, a pioneer in this incentive, will soon ask drivers to pay for the electricity.…
A New Zealand religious community convicted of child labor tries to keep its bank accounts open
Bank of New Zealand wants to close the accounts of Gloriavale, a Christian community convicted of child labor. But Gloriavale is fighting in Court to keep them open.…
In Israel, the government blames monopolies for the rising prices
In Israel, authorities want to crack down on companies with leading market positions, like Coca-Cola, which they blame for the rising prices in the country.…
Turkey Constitutional Court opens the door for refunding fines applied during anti-COVID-19 rules
Turkey Constitutional Court ruled that administrative fines applied to people violating measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic should be refundable. Authorities took most decisions without sufficient legal basis.…
Mexican President declared persona non grata in Peru by a Congress Commission
The Foreign Relations Commission of the Peruvian Congress declared the Mexican President persona non grata in Peru after he said Dina Boluarte was a usurper.…
The mystery around the purchase of useless ventilators by Hungary remains
Hungary bought thousands of useless ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic. But documents about a deal signed with a Malaysian company would have already been shredded by authorities.…
The Czech Republic asks for rent for land Russia was using for free
The Czech Republic canceled resolutions from the Soviet Union era that allowed Russia to use Czech land for free.…
The end of cash? Swiss Federal Council wants to secure its access with the constitution
The Federal Council of Switzerland wants to secure the accessibility of cash by including it in the constitution.…
Russian government requests to Google to remove content grew by 71% in 2022
The Russian government has been the most active in asking to remove content from Google for years. In 2022, the number of requests increased by 71 percent. But unlike what Google displays on its website, it mostly complied with takedown requests from Russian authorities.…
A dentist in Indonesia arrested for performing hundreds of illegal abortions
Abortion in Indonesia is authorized only in a few cases, and hundreds of thousands of women have an abortion clandestinely.…
Italian government wants to remove tax on high-powered combustion cars
The Italian government plans to remove a tax specific to cars with powerful thermal engines originally created to limit the use of polluting cars.…
In Uganda, the “embarrassing” death of a Minister of State
Uganda State Minister Charles Engola was shot dead last week by one of his guards. For President Yoweri Museveni, the event is "an embarrassment" for the army whose soldiers "turn into mercenaries" seeking to earn money with civil jobs.…
In Chile, the Republican Party gets the lead to replace a constitution it wants to keep
With the election to choose new advisers of the Constitutional Council, Chile's right-wing parties will have broad autonomy in drafting a new constitution. But the far-right Republican Party always wanted to keep the current one.…
A French indicted for murdering his Finnish girlfriend with a laptop charger in Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, a 25-year-old French man is indicted for the murder of his Finnish girlfriend. He is accused of killing her with a laptop cable last year and hiding her body in the apartment's wardrobe.…
South Africa backpedals after controversial comments about withdrawal from the International Criminal Court
As the president of Russia Vladimir Putin is expected to visit South Africa during a BRICS meeting in August, the government is embarassed to have to deal with the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.…
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak against the “anti-maths mindset”
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to improve the numeracy of the population by changing the "anti-maths mindset" with a plan to teach some form of maths to students between 16 and 18.…
New Zealand sends its last live cattle shipments to China before a ban is enforced
In New Zealand, farmers make their last live cattle exports by sea before the end of April as the government banned them for animal welfare.…
Suitcases exchanged in airport, Brazil seeks to free two women suspected of trafficking cocaine in Germany
Brazil seeks to free Jeanne Paolini and Kátyna Baía, two Brazilian women suspected of international drug trafficking and jailed in Germany for a month now. Brazilian federal police think they are victims with their suitcases exchanged with two bags containing 40kg of cocaine at a São Paulo airport unbeknown to them.…
In Malaysia, a married couple wants to annul their marriage, but a Court refuses
In Malaysia, a couple filed a joint petition for annulling their marriage, arguing they didn't consummate it. But the High Court of Kuala Lumpur dismissed the request viewed as a "shortcut for divorce."…
The Bank of Latvia wants to reduce the circulation of one and two-cent euro coins
The Bank of Latvia wants to reduce the use of euro coins of one and two cents. Dozens of tons of coins are being lost by the population every year.…
In Australia, a rugby club criticized for a jersey with U.S. Army images
The Wests Tigers, an Australian professional rugby league team, wanted to pay tribute to the Australian Army with a jersey designed specifically for Anzac Day, except that it used images of the U.S. Army. The club will redesign the jersey.…
15 years in the making, Belgium approves an action plan against harms of abusive use of alcohol
Fifteen years after Belgian authorities started discussing it, a plan to reduce the harms related to abusive consumption of alcohol in the next two years has been finally validated. It includes 75 actions. People under 18 cannot buy spirits anymore.…
In the Czech Republic, restaurants see school cafeterias as unwanted competition
School cafeterias in the Czech Republic can sell meals to customers other than pupils and school staff. But restaurants find the competition unfair, considering schools' public subsidies and low prices.…
Release of Winnie the Pooh horror movie suddenly canceled in Hong Kong and Macau
The horror movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey will not be released in Hong Kong and Macau's movie theaters. Hong Kong movie theaters suddenly decided not to show the movie.…
Norway finally says no to undersea cable connecting with Scotland for transporting renewable energy
The government of Norway decided to reject NorthConnect's license application to build a cable between Norway and Scotland which would have strengthened the exchange of electricity across the North Sea. Norway prefers to cancel this renewable energy export project to keep it for its population.…
Portugal launched an online automatic residence permit for Portuguese speakers
A new online procedure opened in Portugal to speed up the process of the thousands of residence permit requests still pending approval. But the website's server can be overloaded by high traffic at times.…
French citizenship comes up in Serbia in a political argument over patriotism
The French citizenship of a Serbian politician has been exposed by the prime minister of Serbia Ana Brnabić in an argument to defend criticism of nationalist Serbian politicians in light of a normalization agreement with Kosovo. An ultranationalist claimed Ms. Brnabić was Croatian as a way to undermine her legitimacy and patriotism.…
South Korea seeks to improve ties with Japan with a plan for compensating victims of forced labor
South Korea released a plan to compensate Korean victims of forced labor under Japanese occupation. By not seeking reparation from the Japanese companies, relations between the two countries are expected to improve amid concerns about regional security with North Korea.…
Brazil announced tax on crude oil exports to mitigate the sensitive issue of ending fuel tax exemptions domestically
The government of Brazil announced a tax on crude oil exports as it aims to compensate for taxes of fuel waived by Jair Bolsonaro last year that are only partially applied again. The matter is politically sensitive.…
U.S. fast food chain Wendy’s actively searching for expanding in Australia
The U.S. fast food chain Wendy's wants to expand in Australia, but the fight for market shares may be tough.…
Taiwan wants to offer money to foreign tourists visiting the island
Taiwan plans to offer money to 500,000 foreign tourists visiting the island as a way to boost international tourism.…
Ordered trains too wide for tunnels in Spain
Spain ordered new trains for the provinces of Cantabria and Asturias but they would have been too wide for some old tunnels. The head of Renfe and the secretary of State for Transport stepped down as a consequence of the mistake.…
Number of European Parliament member declarations attending paid-for events skyrocketed
The number of declarations from members of the European Parliament disclosing events paid for by third parties has never been so high in three and a half years since the Qatargate broke out in December.…
Northern Ireland organ donation law blocked by political stalemate, sent to UK Parliament
An organ donation law in Northern Ireland set to make all people potential organ donors and inspired by Dáithí Mac Gabhann, a 6-year-old waiting for a heart transplant, is blocked by a local political stalemate over Northern Ireland protocol.…
South Korea’s Ministry of Education changes college funding criteria to curb the ‘invasion of liberal arts’
The ministry of Culture of South Korea relased new criteria to grant funds to high education facilities as an attempt to curb the 'invasion of liberal arts'. The high school exam acting as the entry test in top universities favors science students.…