Croatia

Grigoris Polychronidis made a strong start in the BC3 boccia category at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. The “gold” Paralympian from London, with ramp operator Katerina Patroni, won 5-2 against French competitor Gilles Menard (with ramp operator Christophe Menard) in his first match of the 4th qualifying group.

Bulgaria has the lowest excise tax on cigarettes in the European Union, with a rate of just 1.92 euros per pack of 20 cigarettes. This contrasts sharply with Ireland, where the highest excise duty is imposed at 9.92 euros per pack, followed by the Netherlands at 7.66 euros and France at 7.45 euros.

"Hey mate!" a cyclist called to us in an Australian accent as he pedaled by on the rocky dirt road that serves as the main street of the village of Theth deep in Albania's Dinaric Alps. Along with my friend and travel companion, Dave, I had not seen another bikepacker in four days.

Greek startups have attracted €170 million in funding from investors in the first half of 2024, second only to the Czech Republic among Central and Eastern European countries, according to online tech media The Recursive.

The European Commission has announced the start of production for 12 new Canadair DHC 515 firefighting aircraft, which will form the permanent European forest firefighting fleet (rescEU). These aircraft will be permanently stationed in Greece, Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

The European Commission confirmed on Thursday that the production of 12 new DHC 515 firefighting aircraft, an improved version of the Canadair 415, is under way.

Beijing on Wednesday launched a probe into EU subsidies of some dairy products imported into China, the day after the bloc said it planned to impose five-year import duties of up to 36 percent on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).

Bulgaria has emerged as a standout in Europe for having the lowest mortgage rates, according to a recent study by Deloitte. In 2023, Bulgarian mortgage rates were remarkably low, averaging just 2.58 percent. This rate is significantly lower than those in other European countries, with Poles paying an average of 8.08%, Romanians 7.70%, and Hungarians 7.40%.

Croatia will reintroduce compulsory military service starting January 1, 2025, with a service period lasting two months, as announced by Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anušić. This decision marks a return to conscription, which had been suspended since 2008 when the country shifted to a volunteer-based system.

Many in the Balkans region have long mistrusted artificial cooling methods. In some areas, away from the tourist hot spots, people even avoid chilled drinks and ice cream for fear of catching a cold.