Ireland

BACKA TOPOLA, Dec 20 (Tanjug) - Serbian football side TSC Backa Topola defeated Armenia's Noah Yerevan 4-3 at home in a UEFA Conference League Match Day 6 game on Thursday evening to secure a berth in the competition's knock-out stage.

Matheus Aias put the visitors in front in the 5th minute and Elder Fereira doubled the lead in the 15th minute.

The Selena Gomez ballad "Mi Camino," the Will Ferrell and Harper Steele road trip documentary "Will & Harper" and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's pulsating "Challengers" score are one step closer to an Oscar nomination.

Bulgaria continues to rank at the bottom of the European Union in terms of material well-being and GDP per capita for 2023, according to the latest data from Eurostat. The country's "actual individual consumption" (AIC) is 30% below the EU average, which is equivalent to 70% of the European average.

Bulgaria is showing significant progress towards meeting the criteria for joining the eurozone, according to recent data. November statistics from the National Statistical Institute reveal that monthly inflation stood at 0.6%, while annual inflation reached 2.1%. Despite a slight acceleration in annual inflation, the monthly inflation rate has grown more slowly compared to October.

The European qualification draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada, took place today at FIFA headquarters in Zurich. Bulgaria's national football team was drawn into Group E, alongside either Spain or the Netherlands, Turkey, and Georgia.

Some European Union countries have doubled down on their decision to rapidly halt asylum procedures for Syrian migrants in Europe, but said that it was too early to consider sending any of the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled since 2011 back home.

The Greek economy continues its growth trajectory, as the Economist’s annual ranking places Greece in third place globally alongside Denmark, up from first place last year.

Spain tops the list this year, with Ireland coming in second.

Sixteen EU countries have asked the European Commission to propose a new law in the coming months on taxing tobacco in the bloc to include new products such as electronic cigarettes - vapes - which are not covered under existing legislation.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking at the Greek Investment Conference in London, emphasized Greece's progress but noted it lags behind countries like Ireland and Portugal due to historical political challenges. 

The European Commission (EC) has initiated criminal proceedings against Bulgaria and 22 other EU member states for failing to fully implement critical cybersecurity regulations.