Flowers have been grown beside the main road into a village to encourage drivers to slow down when they pass by.

Newnton Parish Council first planted flowers along the roadside during the pandemic to help improve biodiversity.

As well as attracting more wildlife, it noticed motorists slowed down when they passed the flowers.

Resident Sue Wykes said: “Anything we can do to slow the traffic down in the village is going to be beneficial for the community.”

Newnton Parish Council has implemented various methods over the years to deter speeding through the village in Wiltshire.

As a small council it receives limited funds from the government.

Michael Norton, a local resident, said the flowers are “such a riot of colour that people couldn’t help but slow down and have a look”

A crowdfunding campaign has raised almost £8,000 for traffic-calming measures.

The money will be used to fund a three-year care program for the wild flowers.

A sign that flashes and records data when people are breaking the 30mph (48kmph) speed limit was also installed by the council.

According to the data, 90% of motorists drive above the speed limit.

Hailed as one of the biggest moments in Croatian history, a long-awaited bridge has opened that links southern coastal areas to the rest of the country.

Until now, Croatians had to cross land belonging to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The 2.4km Peljesac bridge was built by China but largely funded by the European Union.

Celebrations took place throughout the day, with 250 runners crossing the bridge and small boats with Croatian flags sailing beneath the six pylons.

Residents also took the opportunity to walk along the initial stretch of the bridge before the day culminated in a glittering firework display.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered a video message at the ceremony. His Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenkovic declared “tonight, we are uniting Croatia!” and described the bridge as a necessity, not a luxury.

During the opening ceremony, a Croatian-made electric hypercar called the Rimac Nevera made the first official crossing.

The EU agreed to fund 85% of the bridge, to the tune of €357m (£300m), using cohesion funds for what it said would improve significantly the everyday lives of Croatians. It also funded access roads, tunnels and other infrastructure.

When the former Yugoslavia broke up and Croatia became independent in 1991, the new borders meant that two parts of the Croatian coastline were split by a 9km-long section of Bosnian coastline known as the Neum corridor.

Bosnia’s right to coastal access dates back to 1699, when Neum was ceded by Dubrovnik – in modern-day Croatia – to what was then the Ottoman Empire.

The National Library of Latvia, sometimes referred to as Castle of Light, is a cultural institution that has an important role in the development of the information society while providing internet access, and it is located in the capital city of the Republic of Latvia, Riga.

Since the institution was formed officially on 29 August 1919, there are several buildings around the city within which this institution is spread, however, the newest addition was built in 2014.

Enriching the Riga’s skyline, the NLL building was specifically built-in order to give home to every notable literature work in one place, due to the fact that previously they were dispersed around the city.

With the continuous expansion of the library’s material, the plans for the construction began in 2008 in accordance to the design of important the Latvian-American architect, Gunnar Birkerts.

Creating this huge architectural masterpiece is definitely one of the greatest cultural projects which the tiny Baltic nation took, and when it was officially opened in 2014, it continues still today to be the dominant landmark within the city.

The unique building that has almost triangular shape, gives quite the futuristic design, and when seen from certain parts of the river’s banks, at the highest point it looks like it has a three-pointed crown, that can be used as a symbol for the three provinces of Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale.

With 13 floors and 68 meters (223 feet) above the Daugava River, this huge library offers many unique books and other sources of texts, like all newspapers of the entire Baltic Region that were issued through the century, however, most significant is the amazing vistas towards Riga’s Old Town and Tornakalns neighborhood.

With some 480 employees, today the National Library of Latvia is the location of different events, like conferences and conventions, and it shall continue to be the location which will be hosting other different, yet very important events.

All in all, a futuristic beacon that mesmerizes not just every architect, but also all those who are coming to visit the small nation that is tucked in the Baltic region.