Africa Uganda Uber has ended its operations in Uganda after having been a commodity in the local urban transport for over a decade; the exit takes immediate effect and follows extensive review of Uber's business priorities across Africa
America Belize In Belize's Valley of Peace, students built an eco-friendly Christmas tree in four days using repurposed plastic bottles, with the annual tree lighting event symbolising the importance of recycling and reducing single-use plastic in the festive season
Europe Iceland Damage to homes and infrastructure in Grindavík could amount to 10 billion Icelandic kroner ($71,4 million), according to Iceland's director of natural catastrophe insurance
Europe Finland In an important environmental action, more than 1.500 Finnish artists joined in a petition calling for greater protection of forests
Asia Singapore Departure of first Singapore-born panda cub to China to participate in conservation programme has been postponed to January 2024; last public appearance at Pavilion Capital Giant Panda Forest in the River Wonders park is scheduled for today 13 December
Europe Hungary The subsidiaries of Gloster Infocommunications, Gloster-Minero IT and FF Next Technologies, have signed a cooperation agreement with the German Red Cross to develop special software for electronic data recording of bone marrow and stem cell donors
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The spread of monkeypox, which has killed nearly 600 people, mostly children, in DRC this yea, leaves the WHO 'very concerned'; the country reported over 13.000 cases in 2023, where the last peak in 2020 was less than half
America Bolivia The Cholitas climbers, indigenous Aymara women from Bolivia known for their remarkable physical endurance and distinctive traditional attire, are currently training to climb Mount Everest
Asia Myanmar Opium cultivation in the Golden Triangle has expanded significantly over the past year, with Myanmar experiencing the largest increase due to ongoing civil unrest
Africa Ghana The anti-homosexual bill will be passed before the Christmas holidays, said the Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament, Alban Bagbin; the bill envisages a 10-year prison sentence for Lgbtq+ supporters and three years for people who identify as homosexuals
Oceania New Zealand Efforts to restore New Zealand's endangered flightless parrot, the kākāpō, include relocating the species to predator-free reserves
Asia North Korea A delegation of Russian Far East officials has arrived in Pyongyang, according to North Korean state media, on a visit that is expected to include bilateral talks on topics ranging from revitalising tourism to joint construction projects
America Haiti A video released on social media shows water has started to flow in the canal that Haitians are building between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, causing excitement mixed with concern, as the canal has not yet been completed
Europe Ireland A closure order has been issued for Pizza Max in Oldcastle after food inspectors found evidence of people living and sleeping in its food preparation area, uncovering mattresses, bedding, medicines, clothes and personal food