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 North Macedonia Dozens of patients were treated on New Year's Eve in Skopje for injuries sustained from accidents, falls, fireworks, alcohol and firearms, but no traffic accidents were recorded in town probably thanks to the Safe City system
Asia Maldives The Maldives is facing a shortage of medicines, with many essential drugs unavailable and challenges in accessing doctors, so that even basic treatments can be difficult to obtain; public complaints about healthcare quality reflect structural problems
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
America Guatemala A bus accident on the Interamerican Road has left 15 people dead and at least 15 injured in Guatemala, prompting the government to declare a 3-day national mourning period amid ongoing concerns over road safety
America Venezuela The US has carried out a CIA drone strike on a port in Venezuela to hit Tren de Aragua drug logistics, marking an escalation of pressure on Maduro, with no casualties
Asia Cyprus After 14 years, Cyprus has taken over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union yesterday 1 January; it will lead during a politically sensitive moment, and aims to shape the EU's role on the global stage
Asia Israel For Israeli tech firms 2025 has been a record year, with unprecedented gains even amid war; despite optimism, the future of many business will be outside Israel due to exodus of talent and taxes: the country would then loose its main economic driver
America United States Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York in a private ceremony at an abandoned subway station before the public inauguration event outside City Hall; 34, a democratic socialist, he is the first Muslim and South Asian to govern US’s largest city
Europe Iceland The Order of the Falcon, Iceland's highest national honor established in 1921 and awarded twice a year, has been confered on fourteen Icelanders on New Year’s Day; for the first time the Office of the President announced number of recipients in advance
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
America Panama A Chinese monument at the Panama Canal has been demolished by local authorities amid Trump’s threats to retake control, prompting outrage from Panama’s government and calls for its immediate restoration
America Dominica Dominica State College is preparing to welcome 150 incoming students as it prepares for the January 2026 academic term; to facilitate integration into college life, the institution has scheduled a New Student Orientation on 12-14 January
Africa Tanzania Serengeti is preparing to set a record by receiving over 600.000 tourists before June 2026, as latest figure from Park Management confirm 491.000 arrivals within mid-December; calving season will begin in February, with 500k newborn gnus expected