GIRAFFE CALF: The public will be able to choose the name of Planckendael Zoo’s latest addition
Credit: Planckendael Zoo
Belgium: Happy event AFTER a gestation period of 15 months, a giraffe calf was born at Planckendael Zoo as first time mother Valeye initially “looked on in surprise,” according to zookeeper Jolien who was present. He also said that members of public would soon be able to vote on a name for the new arrival via the zoo’s Instagram.
Denmark: Rat run RATS that feasted on last summer’s large quantities of fallen fruit are now multiplying in Aalborg where the public were reminded that they are legally required to report any sighting of a rat to the local authorities. These in turn are expected to eliminate rats from the sewers, drains and waste land they inhabit.
Space mission DENMARK now belongs to Nato’s Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS) programme which shares space surveillance intelligence. Defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen described Nato as the world’s strongest defence alliance and said it was in Denmark’s interest to be closely aligned with its allies.
Norway: Flying high OSLO’S Gardermoen airport was named Europe’s best in the category serving between 25 and 40 million passengers each year. Airports Council International Europe praised Gardermoen for its punctuality and operational procedures as well as its baggage system, snow removal methods and efforts to reduce emissions.
Mystery graves A BURIAL ground for children aged from three to six years old that was discovered in 2023 in Fredrikstad was used constantly between 800 and 200BC. Infant mortality would have been high at that time but archaeologists admitted they were mystified by the ancient circles of carefully-placed stones that marked each grave.
Italy: Real value TRANSPORT minister Matteo Salvini confirmed that Milan’s Malpensa Airport would be named after the former prime minister and media billionaire, Silvio Berlusconi. Milan’s centre-left and leftwing parties criticised the choice but Salvini declared that nobody on the left “is worth a tenth of what Berlusconi was worth.”
Fairer fares TAKING a taxi in Rome will now cost a minimum of €9, city hall announced, as it prepared to issue 1,000 new licences. Transport councillor Eugenio Patane explained that low minimum tariffs discouraged cabbies from accepting short journeys, which resulted in especially long queues at railway and bus stations.
Germany: Fire probe Once emergency workers had secured the scene, police began investigating the origin of an explosion and an extensive fire at a hostel for asylum seekers in Buchholz in der Nordheide. Twenty people including first responder officers were injured in the blaze while later reports revealed that a woman had lost her life.
Hauwei veto ESSENTIAL components from Huawei and ZTE will be barred from the country’s 5G core networks by the end of 2026, Interior minister Nancy Faeser said. The move follows on from weeks of negotiations resulting in future agreements with Germany s 5G operators, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica.
Netherlands: Stay-at-home TWENTY-FIVE per cent of Netherlands residents did not go away on holiday in 2023, a CBS national statistics agency survey found. Most of the 45-65 age group explained that they simply preferred staying at home, although 38 per cent of low earners told CBS that they had to choose staycations for economic reasons.
Troll ops THE US Justice Department revealed that the Netherlands’ AIVD and MIVD intelligence services have assisted in removing hundreds of bogus social media profiles set up by Russia to spread disinformation. The operation involved seizing two domain names and investigating AI-generated accounts.
France: Bruni charged CARLA BRUNI, wife of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, is the subject of a formal investigation after concealing evidence of witness tampering linked to alleged campaign financing in 2007 by the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. She is currently barred from contacting others linked to the prosecution, apart from her husband.
Picture perfect THE French authorities rebutted accusations of carrying out social cleansing by removing the homeless before the start of the Olympic Games on July 26, saying there had been no increase in evictions. Non-profit making associations countered with figures showing they had risen compared with previous years.
Finland: Cold feet ITV Studios Finland has begun production of a Finnish version of Cold Feet, the UK comedy-drama series which was aired on television for five seasons between 1997 and 2003, with a reboot 13 years later. Finland’s version, which debuts in 2026, will follow much the same pattern as its British predecessor.
Work ethic A SURVEY by Finnish Lotteries discovered that 29 per cent of those who were employed on winning at least €500,000 continued in the same job, although half eventually left to enjoy their financial freedom. Many of the 32 per cent who were not working when they won were senior citizens, the report found.
Ireland: Play on A 1961 Fender Stratocaster guitar that belonged to singer-songwriter Rory Gallagher who died in 1995, will be sold later this year, his brother Donal announced. Rory acquired the Stratocaster, probably one of Ireland’s first, for £100 (€118.80) in 1963 when he was only 15, Donal told the RTE broadcaster.
Nightmare over DUBAI dropped the charges against Tori Towey, whose passport was impounded after she was accused of attempted suicide and drinking alcohol following an alleged attack in her own home. Glad to be home in Roscommon thanks to the intervention of the Irish government, Tori said Ireland was an amazing country.
Portugal: Smashed avo EUROPEAN Environment Agency, GEOTA, warned that the Murta reservoir in Alcacer do Sal would be at serious risk of drying up if a large-scale avocado-growing project was allowed to go ahead. GEOTA described the location as a “biodiversity hotspot” providing “countless birds and mammals” with water.
Property ladder THE government has calculated that exemption from the IMT property transfer tax and stamp duty for under-35s buying a home for the first time will cost €25 million after the concession comes into effect on August 1. This will rise to €50 million in 2025, Finance minister Mirand Sarmento announced on July 10.
Sweden: Space invader TRELLEBORG is trying out a new strategy in its battle against Japanese knotweed which is prevalent in southern Sweden. As elsewhere, the presence of the invasive plant can reduce the value of a property and the town hall is experimenting with buried 300-degree heat cartridges designed to wipe out the plant.
Old beliefs THOSE practising the Asa religion which venerates the Old Norse gods, giants and ancestors, could soon have their own burial ground in Molkom after applying for unconsecrated ground to the Swedish Church. Pending regional permission, the Church always allocates a graveyard to any religion that requests one.
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Originally from the UK, Linda is based in Valenca and is a reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering local news. Got a news story you want to share?
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