Asia Iraq Over 600 pilgrims were briefly hospitalised with respiratory problems after inhaling chlorine resulting of a leak at a water treatment station on the route between the two Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala
Europe Finland The Finnish Medicines Agency received 2.676 drug shortage notifications from pharmaceutical companies in 2024; most cases were resolved by replacing unavailable drugs with equivalent alternatives in pharmacies
Africa Togo The Togolese government bought back the headquarters of Union Togolaise de Banque and IB Bank to help stabilise these ailing banks, which hold 20% of the assets of Togo's banking sector
Asia Israel Israel's military chief Lt Gen Herzi Halevi has resigned, admitting in a letter that the Israel Defense Forces had "failed in its mission to protect the citizens of Israel" on 7 October 2023, when Hamas carried out the attack that triggered the Gaza war
Africa Tanzania An outbreak of Marburg virus disease was declared after one case was confirmed and 25 more suspected cases identified in the Kagera region of north-western Tanzania
America Dominican Republic As part of the 2025 patronal festival 'La Altagracia', a 'Rice, Sea and Land' dish for over 2.000 participants has been cooked in Pedernales to set a national record and celebrate Dominican gastronomy and cultural traditions
Africa Liberia The funeral of Prince Johnson, the former Liberian warlord who became an influential politician after the end of the civil war, who died in November at the age of 72, was attended by a huge crowd of thousands of people in a ceremony that lasted 5 days
America United States Attorneys general from 22 states sued President Trump to block an executive order declaring that children born to mothers legally but temporarily in the US, i.e. foreign students, or born to undocumented immigrants would no longer be treated as citizens
Asia Palestine Israeli security forces, backed by helicopters, raided the West Bank town of Jenin, killing at least eight Palestinians in what Prime Minister Netanyahu called a 'large-scale and significant military operation'
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested €213 million in 23 developing projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024, with a focus on green energy, sustainability, and transport connectivity projects with neighboring countries
Oceania Australia Tennis Australia has relied on animation to illustrate its Australian Open YouTube feed, replacing players with AI-powered animated avatars, a practice inaugurated in 2024
Africa Seychelles The Confucius Institute of the University of Seychelles hosted an afternoon celebration of the Chinese Spring Festival to welcome the lunar new year that will take place on January 29
America Cuba The Cuban government announced the gradual release of 553 prisoners in response to a direct appeal by Pope Francis in a decision tied to the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year 2025
Africa Comoros Hachim Saadi, one of the great voices of National Radio for more than 20 years, was buried in Ntsudjini in the presence of a large crowd who came to pay their respects