EUROPE

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Following the death of a man mauled by a brown bear in Central Slovakia, the Slovak cabinet has approved a controversial plan to kill around a quarter of the country's brown bear population. Prime Minister Robert Fico's government, citing the danger to humans, announced the decision to cull 350 of the estimated 1,300 bears after a cabinet meeting.

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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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Eurozone inflation eased further in March, according to official data released Tuesday, potentially giving policy makers some breathing room despite concerns about the impact of US trade tariffs. The EU's Eurostat agency reported that inflation in the single currency area slowed to 2.2 percent, driven by a moderation in energy prices and services sector costs. The rate is nearing the European Central Bank's (ECB) target of 2 percent, down from 2.3 percent in February.

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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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A coal mine explosion in Spain's Asturias region on Monday resulted in five fatalities and serious injuries to four other workers, marking the nation's deadliest mining accident in decades. Local emergency services reported that two other workers at the Cerredo mine in Degana, located about 450 kilometers (280 miles) northwest of Madrid, escaped the blast unharmed.