Demography

With 1,787 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, Bulgaria has the highest mortality rate in the EU in 2020, reported the European Union's statistical agency Eurostat.

Bulgaria is followed by Romania (1,622), Hungary (1,513), Lithuania (1,482) and Latvia (1,445).

The UK government's proposed asylum law is "very worrying", the UN refugee agency has warned.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative in the United Kingdom, Vicky Tennant, commented to the BBC that the measure would violate international law and was not necessary to stop Channel crossings.

In the 1800s, archaeologists began reconstructing the deep history of Europe from the bones of ancient hunter-gatherers and the iconic art they left behind, like cave paintings, fertility figurines and "lion-man" statues.

Over the past decade, geneticists have added a new dimension to that history by extracting DNA from teeth and bones.

Employment is crucial for integration of refugees into society, but a debate hosted by a Slovenian charity on 2 February heard that Ukrainian refugees come across many obstacles as they try to find a job in the country even as companies struggle with staff shortages.

More than 2,300 irregular migrants were caught between Jan. 20 and Jan. 26, the Directorate of Migration Management of the Interior Ministry has announced.

"Our fight against irregular migration continues. Between Jan. 20 and 26, a total of 2,322 were apprehended," the directorate stated in a social media post.

Nearly 3,000 irregular migrants were also deported, it noted.

Greece is the only country among 81 states that is expected to have reduced spending on its aging population by 2060, which shows that the social security reform during the fiscal streamlining decade will bear fruit in the long run. On its own, however, it is not enough.

The new executive director of European Union border agency Frontex pledged Thursday to ensure that illegal pushbacks of migrants trying to reach Europe wouldn't take place under his watch.

More than 2,200 irregular migrants were caught and over 1,000 were deported between Jan. 6 and 12, the Directorate of Migration Management has announced.

"Between Jan. 6 and 12, 2,269 irregular migrants were caught, and 2,321 irregular migrants were deported. The deportation proceedings of 19,968 foreigners continue," the directorate tweeted.

The controversial trial of 24 aid workers who helped dozens of migrants and asylum seekers land safely on the shores of Lesvos at the peak of the refugee crisis is set to begin on the eastern Aegean island on Tuesday.

Nearly 2,000 irregular migrants were caught and over 1,000 were deported between Jan. 1 and 5, the Directorate of Migration Management has announced.