Asia Afghanistan Approximately 18.000 carats of emeralds, worth 1,1 million USD, have been sold since the beginning of year 1404, or 20 March 2025, in five rounds of bidding for Panjshir area emeralds and new emerald mine sites were discovered in Pariyan district
Asia Jordan An Indian man, victim of a job scam promising work in Jordan, was shot dead by Jordanian security forces while trying to illegally cross into Israel; reports of Indians falling for employment scams have become increasingly common
America Brazil Oil exploration near the Amazon has received support by President Lula, who argued it can fund green energy projects; widespread environmental concerns and criticism fears it could undermines Brazil’s role as a climate leader ahead of hosting COP30
Africa Cape Verde The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme successfully implemented a pilot project in Cape Verde, with the aim of strengthening training methods through advanced game analysis tools and training
Africa Central African Republic The UN Secretary-General strongly condemned the killing of a Tunisian peacekeeper of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic while conducting a long-range patrol to protect civilians
Africa Gabon All administrative officials are urged to submit their asset declarations before 20 February to strengthen transparency and fight corruption within the institutions, an initiative of the National Commission for Combating Corruption and Illicit Enrichment
Europe Vatican City The Vatican has made official the appointment of Sr. Raffaella Petrini as President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State and of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State: it is the first time that these posts are held by a woman
Asia Indonesia The Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency reported that around 5.300 Riau Islanders were trafficked to Cambodia, forced to work in online scams and gambling operations; many were lured by fake job offers and now face abuse and exploitation
Asia Malaysia Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli has criticized the negative perceptions of vernacular schools —public schools that teach in Mandarin or Tamil — emphasizing their role in education; He urges Malaysians to move beyond racial issues and focus on unity
America Cuba Non-essential educational and work activities have been suspended for two days in order to save electricity; the measure was announced by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in consequence of the current energy situation
Africa Comoros National Education Minister Bacar Mvoulana visited the construction sites of the Domoni and Mutsamudu schools, as well as the university centre and Entp in Patsi, part of the Profi project to renovate and expand six schools and universities
America Chile UNESCO is leading efforts in Chile to promote sports for inclusion and sustainability, as the country is preparing to host the 2027 Special Olympics World Games, reinforcing its commitment to social transformation through sports
America Bolivia Plan to exploit Bolivia's lithium with Chinese and Russian firms is sparking protests, as citizens are demanding contract annulments over environmental concerns, water use, and low royalties, forcing government officials to suspend the project
Africa Guinea A ship of COSCO Shipping, Chinese state-owned company providing forwarding and logistics services, for the first time docked at the container terminal of the autonomous port of Conakry