‘Price speculation’ in Portugal: some supermarkets charge customers more than the price displayed
More than 4% of supermarkets inspected in Portugal in recent months charged products to customers more than the price displayed on shelves.…
Natural gas consumption in the Netherlands in 2022 at its lowest in 50 years
Natural gas consumption in the Netherlands decreased by 22% in 2022 compared to 2021 and reached its lowest point in 50 years. Lower consumption in households and gas-intensive industries mainly explains the figures.…
Moldova Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita resigned
Moldova Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita announced her resignation on February 10. President Maia Sandu appointed the secretary general of the Supreme Security Council Dorin Recean as the candidate to become the new prime minister.…
H&M Sweden publishes job postings with 0 working hours amid staff restructuring
H&M Sweden restructures its workforce organization and wants to reduce the working hours of hundreds of store employees. Meanwhile, it also hires a few of them with no minimum working hours defined in their contracts.…
Pakistan restores access to Wikipedia after a ban for ‘sacrilegious’ content
Pakistan Prime Minister ordered the restoration of access to Wikipedia in the country after it was blocked for a few days because it included "sacrilegious" content.…
Denmark grants its first licenses to store carbon deep under the North Sea
Denmark granted its first licenses for carbon capture and storage in the Danish part of the North Sea. The country expects to trap 13 million tons of carbon dioxide underground per year from 2030 with these licenses.…
Japan government plans to raise the age of consent from 13 to 16
In Japan, a bill is being worked on to substantially amend the penal code related to sex crimes. The age of consent for sexual intercourse could be raised from 13 to 16 years old.…
‘Ndrangheta Italian fugitive arrested after 16 years on the run, worked as a pizzaiolo in France
Edgardo Greco, an Italian fugitive linked to the ‘Ndrangheta has been arrested in France after 16 years on the run. He worked as a pizzaiolo in a restaurant.…
Hong Kong to offer more than 500,000 free flight tickets with ‘Hello Hong Kong’ promotional campaign
Hong Kong hopes to bring 1.5 million visitors to the city by giving away more than 500,000 flight tickets to oversea travelers.…
For the first time in Switzerland, few selected people can legally buy cannabis for recreational use
As part of the scientific pilot program Weed Care, a few people in Switzerland can buy cannabis for recreational use legally for the first time.…
Missing, smuggled, pricey: onions in the Philippines, a symbol of the country’s inflation
Price of onions in the Philippines has soared in light of the shortage. Meanwhile, authorities fight smuggling and have approved an urgent import of tons of onions just weeks before the new local harvest season.…
Mexican National Guard required to record arrests but not to notify the police, the Supreme Court rules
The National Guard of Mexico, the army group with national police functions, needs to register the arrests they make, but don't need to notify the police about them the Supreme Court rules. Human rights defenders criticize the military opacity.…
Portugal housing price in 2022 saw its sharpest increase in 30 years
Portugal housing prices grew almost 19 percent in 2022, the sharpest increase in 30 years. Housing prices even doubled between 2016 and 2022 in Portugal.…
German Constitutional Court invalidates 2018 law that increased state funding for political parties by 15%
The Constitutional Court of Germany ruled that the 15% increase of overall state funding for political parties and decided by politicians in 2018 was unconstitutional.…
Sint Maarten plans to totally eradicate vervet monkeys. Will it fail?
Sint Maarten will cull vervet monkeys, a species considered invasive on the island that the country shares with France. But it’s unsure whether the method will prove effective.…
Indian startup GoMechanic lets go 70% of workforce after having inflated revenue
And audit of Indian automobile after-sales service startup GoMechanic revealed the company cooked the books. It now needs downsizing among its 1,000 employees and restructuring its business.…
Guatemala Attorney General’s office wants to arrest the Colombian Minister of Defense
Guatemala Attorney General's office seeks the arrest of its former head along with Iván Velásquez Gómez, the current minister of Defense of Colombia. The Special Prosecutor against Impunity accuses the minister of being connected to the Odebrecht corruption scandal.…
Shakira mentions brands in her new song Music Sessions #53. Marketers use the opportunity to connect with audience
The new song Music Sessions #53 released by Shakira, in which she criticizes her husband Gerard Piqué, became an instant success. And marketers have been already using the lyrics as a way to connect with their audience.…
Advancing speculation on fuel prices, Italian government imposes display of national average prices at gas stations
To limit fuel price increases at gas stations, the government of Italy imposes managers to display national average prices in order to improve transparency. The government considers recent price hikes are due to speculation.…
More deaths than births in 2022 in the Netherlands: A first since at least 1900
There were probably more deaths than births in the Netherlands for the first time in 2022 since at least 1900. However, population hasn't grown that fast since after WWII.…
With the new Netanyahu government, number mobility reform of kosher lines in Israel will be abandoned
With the new government of Israel, a reform opening up the kosher phone market allowing to switch operators without changing the phone number will be abandoned.…
In South Korea, Prada did not hire any disabled workers in 10 years
South Korean ministry of Labor every year publishes a list of companies that fail to meet legal requirements for hiring people with disabilities. International companies are not absent: Three of the five largest companies with the lowest employment rate of disabled people are foreign companies. Zara is the largest company operating in Korea with no disabled worker, Prada has not hired a singled person with disabilities for 10 years.…
Quebec leader wants that only economic immigrants who can speak French come by 2026
Quebec nationalist Prime Minister François Legault wants the Canadian province only welcome economic immigrants who speak French in the future. But the ambition has already been mitigated by economic reality.…
Portuguese seniors’ life expectancy decreased again, provisional results show. It determines pension age for 2024
Life expectancy at age 65 in Portugal declined for the second consecutive three-year period. This will determine the pension age for 2024 in the country.…
Ruling political party of Slovenia, Freedom Movement, decided to leave Twitter
The leading political party of Slovenia, Freedom Movement, left Twitter saying they realized they didn't need to use the platform when their account was locked. It also considers Twitter is used too much to deepen polarization and hate speech.…
Mpox: new name for monkeypox recommended by WHO to avoid stigma and racist comments
Mpox will be the new name used instead of monkeypox by the World Health Organization to avoid stigma and racist comments.…
Extension of COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in Greece deemed unconstitutional due to lack of reassessment
The Council of State of Greece considers the extension of the suspension for healthcare workers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 is unconstitutional because it lacks reassessment based on scientific epidemiological data.…
Ireland and France sign a deal to directly connect Irish electricity to European mainland power grid
With the Celtic interconnector, Ireland will be connected to mainland Europe's power grid for the first time, allowing Ireland and France to import and export electricity when needed.…
Controversial statue of German colonial officer in Namibia’s capital Windhoek removed
A controversial statue of German officer Curt von Francois erected 57 years ago to celebrate him as the founder of Namibia's capital, Windhoek, has been removed. The fact he actually founded the city when Namibia was a German colony is challenged.…
During official defense visit, South Korea President wears for the first time sunglasses received as gift from U.S. President Biden
Yoon Suk Yeol wore sunglasses offered by the United States President Joe Biden when he came to Seoul back in May. Mr Yoon was on an official visit to the defense industry as he plans to boost exports.…
Colombia President ready to expropriate private properties to relocate families affected by harsh winter and heavy rains
The president of Colombia instructed the use of a law that enables acquisition and expropriation of private properties in order to relocate families because of the intense rainfall caused by El Niña that lead to the declaration of a state of national disaster.…
Halfway through its plan for ‘regenerative tourism’, Hawaii can get more revenue from tourism despite fewer tourists
Popular touristic destination for its wildlife and natural landscape, Hawaii promotes a form of "regenerative tourism" which so far still is compatible with revenue growth. But it doesn't mean the State wants to reduce tourist activity for the sake of nature conservation.…
Colombian porn actress seized Constitutional Court after deletion of Instagram account
The Colombian porn actress Esperanza Gómez seized the Constitutional Court of Colombia because Instagram shut down her account while she claims her posts didn't infringe the platform's rules.…
Why the Greek minister of Foreign Affairs didn’t want to get off the plane in Tripoli
Nikos Dendias, the Greek minister of Foreign Affairs decided to stay on the plane in Tripoli because he didn't want to meet the minister of Foreign Affairs of Libyan interim government who came at the airport.…
U.S. Department of Transport ordered six airline companies to refund $622m to passengers
The U.S. Department of Transport ordered five foreign airlines and one American carrier to refund 622 million dollars to passengers who had a flight canceled or significantly delayed. The airline companies have also been fined for the delays.…
Convicted former Malaysia PM can claim back seized Richard Mille watches, Hermès handbags and jewelry after High Court ruling
The former prime minister of Malaysia Najib Razak, convicted in the 1MDB corruption case, can claim back the thousands of seized jewelry pieces, watches and handbags as the prosecution failed to prove they came from illegal activities, according to a Malaysian court.…
In Ireland, Heineken increases wholesale prices of draft beers to pub owners
Heineken Ireland will sell kegs of draft beers at a substantially higher price starting December, which could lead to an price increase of about 25 cents per pint for the customer.…
Ghana law student on hold to become a lawyer. Her YouTube channel doesn’t please everyone
YouTuber and Ghanaian law student Elorm Ababio is on hold to become a lawyer after a petition was filed against her because of the videos she shares online.…
Mexico richest man Carlos Slim foresees a “buoyant Mexico” in the future
Carlos Slim, Mexico's richest man, gave a speech in which he shared his optimism, foreseeing a 'buoyant Mexico' with the opportunity to attract industries relocating to Mexico from China.…
How Australia Police hope to solve a murder from 1982 with new sketch made from suspect’s DNA
In Australia, the police of Queensland launched a new appeal for information about a cold case from 1982 with the help of DNA phenotyping that produced a digital facial image of the suspect.…