Europe Serbia Chinese and Russian companies have contributed in drafting Serbia’s mining regulations, now adopted by Parliament, raising concerns among non-governmental organizations, citizens and experts that say the practice could hide concessions
Africa Ivory Coast The trial of 45 people charged in connection with a 2020 attack on a military checkpoint resumed in Ivory Coast's Anti-Terrorism Court; 14 soldiers were killed at Kafolo, bordering Burkina Faso, weeks after security forces destroyed a jihadist base in BF
Africa Ethiopia Thousands of Orthodox Christians dressed in white celebrated Christmas Eve in Addis Ababa’s Meskel Square on 6 January with a candlelight ceremony followed by an all-night church service, as they follow the Julian calendar 13 days later than Gregorian one
Africa Tunisia Former director of French NGO Terre d’Asile and several colleagues, imprisoned for over 20 months for “facilitating illegal entry and residence” of migrants, have been released; lawyers of the detainees argue they joined a government approved programme
Europe Czech Republic Over 40 swimmers, three of them wearing a crown, took part in Prague's traditional Three Kings Swim: boats carried participants to the centre of the Vltava River for a swim back to the shore, with water around 2°C and air temperatures falling to -5°C
Europe Netherlands Over 2.500 flight have been cancelled - nearly 600 yesterday - and 70% of scheduled flights could be cancelled today, Eurocontrol said, as de-icing operations at Schiphol Airport are affected by consecutive days of winter weather and slow supply of liquid
Oceania Vanuatu The island of Motalava in TORBA Province shipped a 5-tons copra cargo, the first one after a 15-year hiatus; recipient is Future Fund Company in Espiritu Santo and the operation follows a rise in local and global prices
America Antigua and Barbuda Following news articles about Antigua Airways, the airline’s MD issued a press statement clarifying that promoting Africa-Caribbean links responds to cultural ties and new economic needs, citing Nigeria, that has become a key business and trade partner
Europe Latvia The wedge clam, or Atlantic rangia has been named the mollusc of the year 2026; the choice of a non-native species aims to drawing attention to alien and invasive species in the Baltic Sea, according to the Latvian Malacological Society
Africa Morocco Tourism sector peaked in 2025 as Morocco welcomed 19,8 million tourists, +14% on 2024 according to official figures; tourism is worth around 7% of GDP, supports thousands of jobs, generates crucial income in foreign currency and contributes to stability
Europe Ukraine Another 26 motor vehicles seized from drunk drivers and other criminal offenders in Latvia will be received free of charge, destined to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, medical institutions, local municipalities and organizations supporting Ukrainian society
Asia Iran Protests have spread to 78 cities across 26 provinces in the second week of uninterrupted demonstration in Iran; experts highlight that war with Israel, a battered economy and the loss of allies have left the government at its weakest point in years
Africa Nigeria The Calabar Carnival, a festival of music and dancing drawing around two million visitors from across Nigeria and abroad, saw this year the participation from the ECOWAS community as a sign of a new cooperation era
Africa Kenya A 16-storey building collapsed in Nairobi, trapping an unknown number of people as the Red Cross manages on site operations; building collapses is a recurring, not fully addressed, problem in the city and authorities haven't commented on the cause yet