Africa Somalia New EU VISA restrictions make it more difficult for Somalis to travel to the bloc; the recently approved measures intensify an ongoing dispute with Mogadishu over the return of Somalis living irregularly in the EU
Asia Myanmar The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Yangon Branch launched the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System for cross-border transactions in Myanmar and China
Europe Romania The Romanian team won the Balkan Computer Olympiad held in Slovenia, taking first place in the individual and team rankings, both in terms of medals and cumulative scores
America Saint Lucia Routine surveillance has detected an increase in individuals presenting flu symptoms in Saint Lucia, with children under five years of age among those most affected by peak respiratory illnesses
Africa Chad 50.000 people fleeing the crisis in Sudan have been camping on the border with Chad for months, without any assistance or basic services; 70% are women and children and their numbers are set to increase as the conflict that broke out in April continues
America Ecuador Ecuador has scheduled power cuts due to a severe drought affecting hydroelectric plants, with daily outages of four hours in some regions and three hours on the coast, aiming to last until mid-December
Africa Niger The economic consequences of the coup, in a country whose budget is heavily dependent on international aid, are already severe: sanctions decided by partners, such as the European Union, France, Germany or Luxembourg, are depriving Niger of $375 million
Europe Belgium Although the energy crisis is over, some 40.000 eligible Belgians are still waiting for last year's basic support package; the federal government spent more than €2 billion on two energy premium packages for the winter 2022-2023
Africa Uganda Uganda has criticised the US decision to exclude it, along with other African countries, from access to a duty-free trade programme arguing that is "intended to punish African countries that oppose the imposition of the West's cultural values"
Europe Netherlands Rotterdam households are the least wealthy, while in Bloemendaal, Noord-Holland, households are the richest, according to Statistics Netherlands; average family in Rotterdam has assets of €11.800, almost 12 times less than the national average of €135.100
Europe Sweden Swedish people are no longer convinced that they were right to refuse to join the euro in 2003, when they chose to keep the krona in a referendum, with many regretting that choice because "the national currency is penalising the country"
Asia Jordan At yesterday's news conference in Amman, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, alongside with Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Egypt’s Foreign Minister, has called for “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza to protect civilians and allow foreigners to leave
America Colombia Authorities will launch a comprehensive management plan to control the population of hippos introduced to the country by the late drug lord Pablo Escobar; by sterilising them, the state plans to stop their negative impact on the local ecosystem
America Jamaica Japan awarded a JMD15 million grant (€30.000) to purchase an ambulance for the Falmouth Public General Hospital in Trelawny