Asia Bangladesh Recent studies demonstrated that microplastics are present in water, sediments, fish, salt, soft drinks, milk, edible oil and more products in Bangladesh, underscoring the growing concern that these pollutants are transferred to humans through food
Europe Slovakia The Climate Act, which for the first time officially enshrines in legislation the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, was presented by the Slovak Ministry of the Environment on Monday
Asia Yemen The Kuwait-based Rahma International Charity completed Idris 3 Model School, which will benefit some 500 children of displaced families in southern Yemen’s Lahj governorate, as part of the eight-year ‘Kuwait is Beside You’ campaign
Asia Cambodia Mine clearance experts from the Mine-Free Cambodia 2025 Foundation are preparing to carry out operations in various provinces after plans were approved by the national authorities to use Cambodian-trained mine-sniffing dogs
Europe Andorra The new compensation system for public passenger transport companies will come into operation on 1 February, with an expected public saving of €1 million
Asia Japan PM Kishida stated that the country is going through a critical moment for national security, pledging to double military spending to USD 332 billion within the next five years to contain China and North Korea
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The authorities have declared 1 February a public holiday in the capital Kinshasa, a decision aimed at allowing Catholic citizens to attend a mass presided over by Pope Francis at Ndolo airport
Asia India Applying a 2021 law 'allowing information to be restricted in case of emergency', Ministry of Communications recently banned sharing of excerpts from documentary India: the Modi question, on his rise in power and role in the Gujarat riots in 2002
Europe Finland 2 pandas that China loaned to Finland 5 years ago could have a major impact on trade relations if Helsinki does not find the funds to maintain them, since the pandemic has dashed all hopes of the expensive animals becoming lucrative tourist attractions
Africa Namibia The number of rhinos poached in Namibia last year was the highest ever recorded in the country and almost double than previous year: a total of 87 rhinos were killed in 2022 compared to 45 in 2021, according to government figures
Europe Netherlands The government needs to be more transparent about how the billions of euro in funds allocated to combating climate change will be used, states the Court of Auditors in a letter to the parliament
Europe Austria Austria, with Hungary, decided not to send weapons to Ukraine to avoid further escalation, said Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner and her Hungarian counterpart Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky
Africa Morocco Cultivating, producing, processing and exporting cannabis for medical purposes will now also be possible in Morocco, which is taking starting steps in this industry with the first ten authorisations for production, processing and marketing
Africa Nigeria At the end of March, the country will begin its first national census in 17 years; Nigeria's estimated population exceeds 200 million; the UN expects it to double by 2050, that would make Nigeria the third most populous country in the world