Europe Norway Following ongoing reduction of sealife in the Oslo Fjord, extensive bans on fishing in three key areas will come into force from January 1. Critics and fishing firms claim farming, development and other sources of pollution should be addressed first
Africa Equatorial Guinea The First Lady and President of the Democratic Party's Specialised Women's Organisation met with women market coordinators in Malabo as part of a series of initiatives undertaken to strengthen and enhance the role of women in economic development
America Dominican Republic The Modern Revolutionary Party celebrated its 10th anniversary on Saturday with President Luis Abinader leading the commemoration by appealing for unity and the priority of ideas over individualism
Africa Chad As a fundamental step in the process of establishing the new institutions, the President of the Republic summoned the elected deputies of the Fourth Legislature of the National Assembly for their inauguration
Asia Azerbaijan The best athletes of 2024 have been announced by Ministry of Youth and Sports: the best female athlete prize was awarded to archer Yaylagul Ramazanova, competing pregnant in 2024 Olympics, and the title of best male athlete to judoka Hidayat Heydarov
Asia India Chinese fast fashion app Shein has been relaunched in India five years after being banned from Delhi, thanks to a deal with Indian company Reliance Retail
Europe France The country will double its defence budget in the near future, President Emmanuel Macron announced, urging EU leaders to increase military spending
America Antigua and Barbuda Dozens of young people added their voices to the chorus of rejection of gender-based violence in Antigua and Barbuda, calling for action and change during the conference "Change Starts Here: Youth Against Gender-Based Violence"
Europe Croatia Croatia's first satellite, CroCube, launched on 21 December 2024, successfully captured and transmitted its first images of Croatia from space
Europe Estonia Inequality between the skills of different generations is growing faster in Estonia than in other OECD countries, increasing the risk of marginalisation among the least qualified adults
Africa Sao Tome and Principe Dozens of tourists gathered to watch over 400 baby sea turtles being released into the sea at Vila Maria beach on the island of São Tomé; the release is overseen as an initiative of the Tatô programme, an international NGO based locally
Europe Kosovo Extremism in Kosovo remains limited, but conditions for its spread persist, according to a report by the Pristina-based think tank Sbunker
Oceania Fiji Efforts are underway to further strengthen and promote kava exports to the US and the entire North American region; new import tariffs introduced or planned by President Trump are a pending variable
Europe Iceland Iceland Foods is reintroducing plastic trays in response to consumer dissatisfaction with vacuum-packed minced meat; vacuum-sealed packages were designed to contain 50% less plastic and reduce the retailer's annual consumption by 35 tonnes