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
Europe Albania Despite political tensions sparked by corruption cases involving high profile personalities, the new chief of anti-graft prosecution in Albania announces a tough approach to guarantee that “no one is above the law”
Oceania Samoa Young girls are increasingly turning to prostitution to buy meth, as the narcotic has taken a grip over the young; light on the new social plague has been shed by the team leader of Addiction Services with the Salvation Army
Europe Finland Tax and price changes that came into force in 2026 affecting consumers, income taxation and social support include a rise in prices of tobacco, nicotine products, and alcohol, while minor relief is expected in food, fuel and medical costs
Africa Central African Republic Voting proceeded as planned in Central African Republic’s first-ever combined presidential, legislative, regional and municipal elections; ballot counting is complete, with results expected for 5 January, according to the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA
Europe Sweden According to Ticket – the largest private travel agency in the Nordics – the US is the only top-ten country where travel bookings are declining for 2026, -21% on 2025; figures could change ahead of this summer's planned World Cup in the country
Asia Saudi Arabia Binding “Rules and standards for naming public facilities" have been issued; introducing unified standards, governance frameworks, clear religious and administrative restrictions they will come into force 120 days from publication on Umm Al-Qura Gazette
Europe Norway Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 52, who in 2018 made public she’d been diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, may need to undergo a lung transplant, for which the national hospital is preparing
Africa Seychelles The new director general of the Seychelles Intelligence Services, Sabry Khan, was sworn in in a ceremony presided by President Herminie following Khan's oath of allegiance and the signing of the official instrument of appointment
Europe United Kingdom UK's Stock Exchange index FTSE 100 on the first trading session of 2026 ended higher than the 10.000 points mark for the first time, on a wave of optimism driven by AI boom lifting sentiment and global markets
America Uruguay Wildfires have ravaged over 2.000 hectares in Uruguay amid extreme heat and drought, prompting a large-scale emergency response involving military helicopters and local authorities to contain the flames
America Paraguay Paraguay has condemned China’s large-scale live-fire military drills near Taiwan, calling them a threat to Indo-Pacific stability and expressing solidarity with the Taiwanese people
America Nicaragua The National Assembly has approved the creation of the International Mangrove Center in Nicaragua to restore coastal ecosystems, enhance environmental cooperation, and support climate resilience through research and sustainable management
Africa Guinea-Bissau A power outage struck a large part of Malabo, affecting the city in the hours before New Year's Eve; it took some time to the electricity distribution company SEGESA to assess the cause and estimate time for its restoration