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 Eritrea Abune Baslios was enthroned as the sixth patriarch of the Eritrean Tewahedo Orthodox Church - followed by 3,3 million believers in the country - in a ceremony at the Re'ese Adbarat Kidist Mariam Church in Asmara
Europe Switzerland The country is set to ban international adoptions: a draft law proposal is to be handed in by the end of 2026; the move aims to prevent potential abuses, as an independent panel of experts found that even the strictest adoption laws can’t fully prevent it
Africa Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam spoke on the phone to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer; the leaders began by reflecting on their first months in office and discussed the relationship between the two countries, which they looked forward to expanding
Asia Myanmar The UN Secretary-General on Thursday said Myanmar’s military must relinquish power to allow a return to civilian rule through an inclusive democratic transition, as the country marks four years since the junta seized power
Africa Burkina Faso The first passport issued with the logo of the Alliance of Sahel States is the one of the president of Burkina Faso, general Ibrahim Traoré, who is also the youngest head of state in the world
Asia China A gigantic military compound is reportedly being built just outside Beijing; the construction site measures over four kilometres from side to side and will eventually be ten times the size of the Pentagon, becoming the largest command centre in the world
Asia Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had received an invitation to meet the US president at the White House on 4 February; he would be the first international leader to visit Trump in his second term
America Jamaica Before the end of the fiscal year 2024/25,work is scheduled to begin on 100 roads under the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network programme
Africa Niger Niger has met the criteria for the elimination of onchocerciasis, WHO confirmed, making it the fifth country globally and the first in Africa to be recognised for this great result
Europe Moldova Moldovan Prosecutor General Ion Munteanu filed a notification with Constitutional Court asking it to verify the constitutionality of the appointment procedure of the Chief Prosecutor of the Autonomous Territorial Unit Gagauzia and subordinate prosecutors
America Nicaragua Over 30 Poor Clare nuns were recently expelled from their convents in Nicaragua; the regime is continuing a series of actions against religious organizations after revoking their legal status in 2023
Europe Romania Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu topped History T.R.A.I. index in 2024: the former has the highest total score based on objective indicators such as traffic, air quality and property prices, and the latter on 13 subjective criteria assessed by city residents
America Paraguay Paraguay and Panama strengthened commercial ties through a business meeting hosted by Panama’s Chamber of Commerce, where Paraguayan President Santiago Peña highlighted his country’s competitive advantages and mutual interest in trade collaboration