Oceania Papua New Guinea Machetes and axes are now banned in public, following a court order that also prohibits building roadblocks in an area of Enga province were tribal fights plague the life of communities; the judge cited fundamental constitutional rights to issue the ban
Oceania Tonga A new category 5 aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicle ARFF was handed over to the Lupepau'u International Airport in Vava'u to enhance emergency response and aviation safety
Europe Switzerland Swiss cancelled hundreds of summer flight due to shortage of pilots and offered flight attendants financial incentives for voluntary resignation; currently though it added links on route like New Delhi following the situation in the Middle East
Asia Yemen Thousands of residents of Al-Dhalea Governorate protested in a rally under the slogan Steadfastness, Resilience, and Defiance, voicing support for the Southern Transitional Council and reaffirming "the right of the South to self-determination"
Asia Turkmenistan A call for applications for creative competition ‘Flight of the Horse: Strength and Grace has been announced; the Interstate Television Film Competition of the CIS countries aims to strengthen cultural and humanitarian ties through cinema
Africa Zimbabwe Journalist Loughty Dube, head of the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe, has been elected as the first chairperson of the Southern African Press Councils; the newly formed body supports regional efforts for media accountability and press freedom
Africa Sudan A drone hit a hospital in East Darfur, killing 64 people and wounding 89, in the latest episode of strikes on health facilities in Sudan; WHO says the ongoing war is can be considered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world
Europe Malta Two years after legal standards were introduced, pet groomers still operate without a professional licence or mandatory training as the Veterinary Surgeons’ Council hasn't yet specified qualification criteria required to trigger the actual licensing
Africa Egypt Egypt aims to generate over €10 billion in fashion exports by 2031 according to AECE data; Egyptian apparel exports grew 11% year-on-year in January, with a boom to EU countries, reaching €114,4 million in the opening of 2026 (+26%)
Africa Mauritius Rodrigues island, suffering from a chronic water deficit, recorded over 100 mm of rain in less than 12 hours - with a record 124,2 mm in Plaine-Corail, and was heavily flooded forcing national airline Air Mauritius to cancel inter-island flights
Africa Libya Arctic Metagaz, Russian gas tanker ferrying 700 tonnes of fuel and LNG from Russia to Egypt that was drifting in the Mediterranean after suffering a series of explosions weeks ago, will be towed to a Libyan port, said state-owned oil company
Asia Myanmar MNDAA forces have seized the strategic town of Kutkai in northern Shan State from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army; The takeover highlights rivalry among ethnic armed organizations competing for influence within the anti-junta alliance groups
Europe Latvia The number of particularly serious crimes increased by 19% last year, mainly due to large-scale financial crimes, as well as violent crimes against minors; one of the priorities for 2026 is to ensure quality in the implementation of criminal proceedings
Asia Kuwait An overhead power transmission line that had been damaged by falling debris from intercepted drones has been fully restored and brought back into service at dawn on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr by teams working despite the holiday