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
Asia Palestine Members of the clergy participated in the Christmas procession outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, and people paraded through the streets of the city at the rhythm of drums to begin the first festive Christmas after two years
Asia Yemen The International Committee of the Red Cross has welcomed the preliminary agreement reached between Yemen’s warring parties to release detainees held in connection with the conflict, while announcing its readiness to support and facilitate the process
Europe Luxembourg Grand Duke Guillaume urges solidarity in his first Christmas address, paying tribute to Ukrainians, volunteers and frontline workers, calling for compassion amid rising living costs and global instability
Asia Armenia For the first time, a shipment of grain has been sent to Armenia by rail from Russia’s Volgograd region - and via Azerbaijan; others will follow, for a total of 2.000 tons of produce
Africa Guinea Following decreasing international financing, the fight against HIV in Guinea is rethinking funding mechanisms; REGAP+ and MSF organized a conference-debate on resilience strategies for HIV programs in Africa at Gamal Abdel Nasser University in Conakry
Africa Benin Constitutional reform has been promulgated after its validation by Benin’s Constitutional Court; the revision extends presidential term from 5 to 7 years and establishes a bicameral system by creating a Senate
Africa Malawi The Department of Disaster Management Affairs DoDMA increased efforts to save thousands of vulnerable families from hunger, launching the Lean Season Response Programme in Mzimba, Nkhata Bay and Kasungu as Malawi grapples with a deepening food crisis
Europe Liechtenstein The Vaduz School Children's Council held its first meeting of the school year: commitment and responsibility of the youngest inhabitants of the capital were described as impressive
Asia Turkmenistan Turkmenistan and Spain have discussed closer cooperation to address desertification in Central Asia, including the possible creation of a regional center focused on land degradation; the talks took place in Ashgabat following UN hints to such initiative
Oceania Vanuatu Over 1.000 members of the Vanuatu Teachers Union, who have been on strike for the past 18 months, will return to the classroom following the signing of a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the government
Europe Netherlands Dutch farmers are disappointed over the fact that they will not receive a new exemption from EU manure regulations; the request was denied after the Netherlands benefited for years from a special exemption on the amount of manure farmers could apply
Africa Algeria Children’s Parliament was officially established for the first time at the People’s National Assembly session, marking a vital political moment as Algeria will see its first-ever election of a Children’s Parliament speaker through secret individual ballot
America Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association has expressed approval behind the Government prompt and proactive engagement with officials of the United States on the recent travel restriction for Dominica visa holders