31 December 2021 Skopje – About 260,000 elementary and high school students on Friday go on a winter break until Jan. 19. According to the Education Ministry’s teaching schedule, they will resume classes in the second semester of the academic 2021-22 year on Jan. 20. Skopje – The two largest cities in Luxembourg and Lithuania, Esch-sur-Alzette and Kaunas, as well as Serbia’s Novi Sad, will be the European Capitals of Culture in 2022. Madrid – Portugal has followed Spain’s example and reduced the coronavirus quarantine period from 10 to seven days, the Portuguese health authority DGS announced on Thursday. Islamabad – A roadside bomb targeted a meeting of a religious party’s student wing in south-western Pakistan, killing four people and wounding more than a dozen, officials said on Friday. Moscow – US President Joe Biden demanded a de-escalation of tensions with Ukraine in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. London – Leicester City’s injury problems continue to worsen after striker Jamie Vardy was ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring problem.