EUROPE

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Pope Francis has been discharged from the Gemelli hospital in Rome after offering a blessing from his window, his first public appearance since being admitted on February 14. Doctors say the 88-year-old pontiff will require at least two months of rest at the Vatican to recover fully.

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The dark world of organized crime resurfaced in brutal fashion this week as Jean-Pierre Maldera, a notorious former mafia figure, was gunned down in broad daylight on a French motorway. Maldera, once a key player in the "Italo-Grenoblois" criminal syndicate, met his end in a hail of bullets, reportedly from military-grade weapons such as a Kalashnikov rifle.

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For the eighth consecutive year, Finland has been named the world's happiest country, with experts attributing the achievement to access to nature and a robust welfare system. The Scandinavian nation topped the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report, leading a pack of Nordic countries. In a notable shift, Latin America's Costa Rica and Mexico both entered the top 10, while the UK and US slipped down the list, with the US reaching its lowest-ever ranking at 24th.

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Northvolt, a Swedish electric car battery maker once hailed as a cornerstone of Europe's efforts to rival Asia and the United States in battery cell production, has filed for bankruptcy in Sweden. The company, founded in 2016, struggled with debt, slow demand, and production delays, ultimately failing to secure the necessary financing to continue operations. The setback follows BMW's cancellation of a €2 billion ($2.2 billion) order in May 2024.