With strikes announced for tomorrow against the government's pension reform, French public transport will face major disruption that day, Transport Minister Clement Beaune warned yesterday.more

New Yorkers have now not seen snow in the city for 326 days. The last time was on 9 March last year. They haven't had to wait that long for snow in 50 years.more

Thousands of teaching positions are currently unfilled in Germany, lessons are being cancelled, pupils' results are falling. The German Teachers' Union even speaks of "the biggest teacher shortage in 50 years" - reports the daily 'Rheinische Post'.more

US Army Air Force four-star general Mike Minihan warned in a memorandum sent to officers on Friday that war between China and the US could occur as early as 2025. The US military officer points out that at that time both the US and Taiwan will be in an election year, which China could take advantage of and use the moment of distraction to crack down on the island.more

South Koreans are resorting to creative ways to cope with the large increase in gas prices. Some are turning down the heating in their homes and sleeping in tents pitched on beds, the Korea Times reported.more

The diplomatic ministries of Sweden, Denmark and Norway yesterday appealed to their citizens staying in Turkey to exercise caution and avoid gatherings. The warning has to do with the tense atmosphere following the burning of copies of the Koran at demonstrations in Stockholm and Copenhagen.more

UV devices for drying and curing nail polish may be a bigger public health problem than previously thought. Researchers from the University of California (USA) tested these devices and found that their use leads to the death of healthy cells or to potentially carcinogenic mutations.more

Despite Russia's heavy losses in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is preparing for a new offensive that could start as early as February or March, Bloomberg reports, citing sources in the Russian authorities. He adds that in the long term, Russia is preparing for a long-term conflict.more

Seven people have been shot dead at a synagogue in East Jerusalem, the most killed in an attack of this kind for years. At least three more people were injured. The incident happened in the city's Neve Yaakov neighbourhood at about 20:15 local time (18:15 GMT).more

About 150 foreigners have been euthanised in Belgium in the last six years. Most of the patients came from France and were over 50 years old. They mostly suffered from a progressive neurological disease, such as multiple sclerosis or ALS, or were in the terminal stage of cancer, the Belgian agency reported.more

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is approaching Earth. It will be best visible in European skies on February 2. "If we are planning observation, a good solution will be to buy binoculars on a tripod, and ideally, a small telescope" - advises Przemysław Rudź from the Polish Cosmic Agency.more

It may soon be illegal in the Netherlands to own dogs with flattened snouts or cats with lamellar ears. The Minister for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Food, Piet Adema, has announced a ban on owning and advertising animal breeds that have been created through modification. more

Belgium's most widely read newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws used the phrase 'Polish concentration camp' in an article on its website yesterday in reference to Auschwitz-Birkenau. "Scandalous" - reacted the Polish embassy in Belgium.more

Canadian companies, institutions and schools have special rules for reporting harassment, the media reports on subsequent investigations, but statisticians warn that the numbers known to police are severely underestimated.more

The Canadian Electronic Intelligence Service is preparing recommendations on the Chinese app TikTok and warning users not to allow installed apps to access private data.more

Greece has the oldest passenger car fleet in the European Union, exceeding the EU average by five years, according to the report 'Vehicles in use. Europe 2023' published by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).more

UNESCO, the UN organisation for culture, art and science - announced yesterday that it has included the historic centre of Odessa, located in southern Ukraine, on its list of endangered World Heritage sites. The city has been repeatedly bombed since the beginning of the Russian invasion.more

More than 20 million people in areas ranging from parts of the South and Midwest to the North East of the US were covered by a winter storm warning yesterday. More than 124,000 people were without electricity. The day before, a tornado had ravaged the area near Houston.more

One person was killed and four injured in attacks with sharp white weapons last night at two churches in Algeciras near Cadiz, southern Spain. The attack was terrorist in nature and was most likely carried out by a radicalised Islamic 'lone wolf', police sources cited by the ABC news portal said today.more

A completely free shop for people in financial difficulties has been set up in the Dutch capital, the NU portal reported. In order to shop there, however, shoppers must agree to the help of a special advisor to enable them to get their household budget in order.more

Will we have to travel to high mountains or the desert to see the Great Bear or Orion? The glow created by artificial lighting over cities and increasingly smaller towns is making the stars invisible. Recent studies show that this phenomenon is proceeding at a galloping pace.more

The decision of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to support Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks marks a watershed moment in the West's assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, the Brussels news portal Politico assessed today.more

23 percent Dutch people under 40 do not believe in the Holocaust or believe that the narrative about it is greatly exaggerated, according to the latest research commissioned by the Claims Conference.more

In 2022, Frontex detected over 330,000 illegal arrivals to European Union countries, an increase of 100,000 compared to 2021, said EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson. According to the Euractiv portal, the European Commission and Sweden, which holds the EU presidency, will launch a campaign to stop the wave of immigration.more

Ford plans to cut 3,200 jobs across Europe and relocate some to the United States. The IG Metall trade union claims that the largest number of redundancies will be from Germany. IG Metall also threatened protests "if the future of workers is not secured"more