Africa Cape Verde Cape Verde has entered the world's Top 30 in governance indices: the latest World Economics assessment for 2026 gave it an A rating and a score of 74, being the only African country with this distinction, thus sitting in first place on the continent
Europe Portugal The construction of a 120 million Euros desalination plant in Sines, on one of the country’s busiest shipping routes and a major European container port, has been announced; it will start in 2027 and is expected to be completed by 2031
Europe Iceland A snowstorm in Reykjavík transformed in thick ice ridges on main roads as traffic pressed the snow before it could be removed; nearby municipalities were less affected
Europe Russia Halloween was a day of costumes, candy and all things spooky even in Russia, as Muscovites celebrated like fellow trick-or-treaters around the world, notwithstanding Halloween being irritant for politicians, pro-Kremlin activists and the Orthodox Church
Europe Austria The program of New Year's Concert 2026 at the Vienna Musikverein has been announced: it includes five premieres, including two pieces by female composers and Yannick Nézet-Séguin from Canada will conduct the concert for the first time
Africa Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election, securing another term in office amid days of unrest across the country that caused at least 700 deaths, with local and foreign transparency concerns
Europe Vatican City Recalling the words of Pope Leo XIV during a video call with astronaut Buzz Aldrin earlier this year, the Holy See has taken a definite position on space-based weaponry saying it poses ‘genuine and grave’ threat
Asia Indonesia Danantara, Indonesia’s new state-backed fund, aims to turn the nation from a raw-material exporter into a high-tech producer by consolidating state assets and investing in innovation to build world competitive firms and cut reliance on foreign technology
Asia Qatar The National Archives of Qatar is taking part in the International Council on Archives Congress in Barcelona, Spain: institutions, specialists and experts from around the world will discuss the future of document preservation and digital archiving
Europe Liechtenstein How to increase the percentage of women in leadership positions was the focus of the Business Day for Women; speaker Leonie Gehler underlined that “Women and leadership are a ‘perfect match’” that should be promoted
Africa Seychelles The UN office in Seychelles marked its 80th anniversary with a youth engagement event that brought together young entrepreneurs, environmental advocates, students, and change makers from the Seychelles National Youth Assembly
Asia Pakistan Punjab’s government faces backlash for allegedly manipulating air quality data by shutting down monitors during peak smog hours in Lahore; Officials cite “technical issues,” but experts say it’s an attempt to mask severe pollution levels
America Bahamas Assessments and cleanup were underway in areas of the southern and central Bahamas after Hurricane Melissa swept through the country, uprooting trees, tearing down utility poles and damaging some roofs; most residents were relieved they dodged the worst
Europe Albania A group of IT experts proposed an AI ‘candidate’ for the upcoming Tirana mayoral election, she will be called called TirANA (Tirana Algorithmic Neural Assistant); Albania’s government had appointed an AI-generated digital assistant as a ‘minister’