Africa Seychelles Parents whose autistic children didn't meet medical assessment criteria for support in November 2024 - June 2026 will now be eligible for assistance under the Children Neurodivergent Disorder Needs Scheme CNDNS, introduced by government in July 2026
Europe Czech Republic A newly approved amendment to the Road Traffic Act brings stiffer penalties for the most serious offences, like speeding and drink driving, and young people will start driving a year earlier, from the age of 17, under the supervision of a parent
Asia Iraq On 8 January, the removal of barriers around Baghdad's green zone and the opening of the crossing began, as part of a plan to ease traffic congestion in the capital
Asia Israel Although thousands demonstrated against new government on 7 January with motto 'Together against fascism and apartheid', Minister of National Security ordered to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces, calling its display an act of 'terrorism'
Oceania Nauru Two refugees who were evacuated from Australia's Nauru detention centre before Christmas said they spent weeks in solitary confinement in a Brisbane hotel awaiting treatment
Europe Belgium Dutch and Belgian customs will continue their cooperation against drug smuggling in the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp in 2023
Europe Austria The conservatives, eager to win the upcoming local elections in the state of Lower Austria, want to further crack down on climate activists with harsher penalties, although legal experts consider such a move problematic
Africa Madagascar In 2022, the country earned $224,7 million in revenue from clove shipments, four times more than the $56 million earned a year earlier, setting an all-time record in the sector
Asia Turkey Leader of Turkish Medical Association and human rights activist Sebnem Korur Fincanci - jailed for 2 years and 8 months for terrorist propaganda - has been released from prison thanks to the sentence already served
Africa Uganda Uganda has declared an end to the Ebola virus outbreak, which emerged almost four months ago and claimed the lives of 55 people in the country
Africa Angola To speed up the fight against plastic waste, President Lourenço set up a working group to draw up a national plan to ban plastics
Africa Egypt One Egyptian family, the Sawiris family, tops the list of the five richest families in the Arab world according to Forbes magazine
Africa Tunisia After 1960, October 2022 was the second driest month in Tunisia, with a cumulative rainfall of 92,8 millimetres, only 9% of the October average; National Institute of Meteorology reported a rainfall deficit of 90%
Africa Ethiopia Ethio Telecom has restored telephone services in 27 towns and cities in Tigray that had been interrupted due to the civil war; the actions have been made possible by the peace agreement signed in November