America Venezuela Flight connections with the Dutch island of Aruba, less than 30km off Venezuela's coat, will be resumed for the first time since 2019; Maduro had suspended them after humanitarian aid was flown in, judging the move as international interference
America Dominica Six Caribbean Island Developing States are among the top ten world SIDS, with public debt greater than their GDP; based on 2020 data, Dominica ranks in fourth place
America Colombia The country has signed an agreement with Ecuador to join forces so they can protect their shared border from organised crime and drug dealing, which includes shared personnel training, combining of certain border laws, and joint border control
America Uruguay A new heat wave has struck the country, causing a record energy consumption higher than ever in its history; local environmentalists are alarmed both for the rise in temperature and for energy consumption
America Nicaragua The country has been openly warned by its former ally Taiwan that if President Daniel Ortega does not step down from his ongoing regime, then it won’t resume ties with the country anywhere in the near future
Africa Malawi Malawi is waiving visa requirements for 16 selected countries including United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany in a bid to boost its tourism industry that dropped by 80% in consequence of the pandemic
America El Salvador As of today authorities have arrested over 2% of the country’s adult population: the UN has warned that El Salvador should control the number of arrests it has been executing
Europe Austria The government's new circular economy strategy, focusing on higher recycling rates in 2030, is expected to significantly reduce resource use in Austria by 2050
Oceania New Zealand The government on 15 December updated prices and volumes of Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) allowances for 2023 to levels significantly lower than those recommended by the national climate agency
Asia Thailand The temple of Chak Daeng, south of Bangkok, asks its worshippers to leave plastic and glass bottles, milk cartons, paper and other used items to be sorted and processed into polymer fibres to produce a thread and weave it
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ever since Opposition MP Daniel Cummings leaked information that he claimed was taken from the 2018 Poverty Assessment Report, this report has been at the centre of controversy between the government and the opposition
Asia Myanmar The governments of Myanmar and Japan have signed a memorandum of understanding and loan agreements to obtain an ODA loan of about $1,1 billion for the implementation of development projects, including the Yangon Urban Development
Asia Afghanistan Some 79% of Afghan households reported severe water shortages, which means it is difficult to access clean and safe water, according to a UNICEF survey
Europe Germany One small hospital closes every month in Germany; politicians say the health care system can't afford to keep all them all open, while critics underline the need and the right of quality care in the countryside too