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
Oceania New Zealand NZ doctors are increasingly finding themselves caring for patients who require medical help following gastric bypass and gastric sleeve procedures undergone abroad; medical tourism is posing new threats as post-op complications cases rise
Asia North Korea North Korea says it tested hypersonic missiles to deter enemies; Kim Jong Un personally oversaw test, as 'continuous' nuke development necessary after recent 'international events', he reportedly said condemning US action in Venezuela
Africa Nigeria The Calabar Carnival, a festival of music and dancing drawing around two million visitors from across Nigeria and abroad, saw this year the participation from the ECOWAS community as a sign of a new cooperation era
Asia Oman School performance evaluation results for the first semester of year 2025/2026 will be announced today; the evaluation process began in September 2025, covering 58 public and private schools
America Canada More leaks and further disruption are expected until Calgary's main water pipe is completely replaced, mayor says, after a rupture caused water shortages that led to calls for conservation with showers shorter than 3', essential flushing and water boiling
America Belize A protected area has been planned to safeguard Red Bank macaws, but community responses have been mixed due to concerns over local benefits and proposed measures like entrance fees and tour operator contributions
Asia Yemen 400 international tourists are stranded on Soqotra as the island's airport halted operations; flown in through UAE with the only regular flight to the island, are now affected by UAE withdrawal of its troops from Yemen under a deadline from Saudi Arabia
Africa Zimbabwe Police in Zimbabwe, with a sky-high number of road accidents per 100k residents, are now equipped with body cameras and breathalysers and push for a review of the driver licensing system with docking points for offenders and new driver training programs
Africa Kenya A 16-storey building collapsed in Nairobi, trapping an unknown number of people as the Red Cross manages on site operations; building collapses is a recurring, not fully addressed, problem in the city and authorities haven't commented on the cause yet
Asia Iran Protests have spread to 78 cities across 26 provinces in the second week of uninterrupted demonstration in Iran; experts highlight that war with Israel, a battered economy and the loss of allies have left the government at its weakest point in years
Africa Somalia Somaliland authorities rejected accusations that it agreed to host Israeli military facilities and resettle displaced Palestinians from Gaza in exchange for recognition by Israel, saying the claims are baseless and the step “purely diplomatic”
Asia Sri Lanka At the People’s Pinnacle 2025 Awards Night in Colombo, Lankadeepa newspaper was honoured as the Most Popular Newspaper of the Year, News 1st and Sirasa TV won multiple awards
Asia Tajikistan The list of public officials required to declare income and assets was extended in an anticorruption effort, including employees of the National Bank, staff of state-owned financial institutions, officials working in Tajik embassies or government missions