German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to soothe fears over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline on Saturday, on a farewell visit to Poland during which she also struck a conciliatory tone on Warsaw's conflict with the European Union over judicial reforms, news wires reported. "I have made clear that it is our concern that Ukraine remains a transit country for Russian gas," Merkel told reporters at a news conference with Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw.

Hundreds of thousands of separatists marched through Barcelona on Saturday in a renewed call for Catalonian independence, days ahead of new talks between the regional administration and the Spanish central government, dpa reported. Some 400,000 people turned out, according to the separatist citizens' movement Catalan National Assembly (ANC), which made the call for the rally on Catalonia's national holiday, known as Diada.

The front-runner in the race to be the next German chancellor isn't enjoying his lead because of his attributes, but more because voters see his opponents as significantly worse, new survey results show as dpa reported. According to the YouGov survey, 51% of candidates said Social Democrat (SPD) Olaf Scholz enjoys higher poll numbers than a month ago primarily because of the perceived weaknesses of Green Party candidate Annalena Baerbock and Armin Laschet, the centre-right choice.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Poland on Saturday, part of a goodbye tour of Europe for the continent's longest serving leader, risks being overshadowed by tensions over a gas pipeline and questions over her legacy in central Europe, Reuters reported. Having grown up in East Germany near the Polish border, Merkel, 67, was seen by some observers as a chancellor who could relate to the post-communist states of central Europe. However, on her farewell visit to the capital of emerging Europe's largest economy, her determination to complete the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Russia has soured relations.

Poland’s Senate voted on Thursday to reject a media bill seen as targeting a US-owned television network’s ability to keep broadcasting independent news that is often critical of the right-wing government, AP reports.

With no masks in sight, buzzing offices and concerts drawing tens of thousands, Denmark on Friday ditches vaccine passports in nightclubs, ending its last Covid-19 curb, AFP reported. The vaccine passports were introduced in March 2021 when Copenhagen slowly started easing restrictions. They were abolished at all venues on 1 September, except in nightclubs, where they will be no longer necessary from Friday.

The Italian government of PM Mario Draghi on Thursday announced it would tighten requirements for proof of vaccination in the education and care sectors, news wires reported. Anyone entering schools or universities, including parents and non-teaching staff, will from 10 October have to provide a "green pass," which shows proof of vaccination, recovery from or a negative test for Covid-19.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the outcome of Germany's election remains wide open, even as her party continues to struggle with falling ratings, dpa reported. "We are in the middle of the election campaign. I sense that there is also a real fight going on," Merkel said at a press conference on the sidelines of a meeting of the European People's Party (EPP) in Berlin.

Migrants in Denmark will be told to complete 37 hours' work a week in order to receive welfare benefits, the government said on Wednesday, AFP reported. Migration and integration have become key issues for voters in Denmark, which boasts some of Europe's toughest immigration policies. The Danish government, which has set a target of zero asylum applications, said the plan was designed to help migrants assimilate into society.

France will offer free birth control to all women up to age 25 starting next year, the health minister announced Thursday, AP reports.