Asia Georgia The EU annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World noted “severely curtailed” human rights in Georgia, reduced bilateral political contacts and dialogue between Brussels and Tbilisi amid “significant democratic backsliding”
Africa Ethiopia Last week, more than 4.500 people were arrested in the state of Amhara, officially to protect citizens; opposition parties and media report that Addis Ababa also targeted activists and independent journalists
Asia Indonesia Although the country, the world's top palm oil producer, has officially allowed exports to resume after a three-week halt, companies are facing regulatory hurdles slowing the process of getting their shipments out
Europe Belgium The minimum age to vote in European elections has been lowered to sixteen for all European citizens resident in the country; the law, proposed in 2021, has now been approved by parliament
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo African Union President Macky Sall has called for "calm and dialogue" between the DRC and Rwanda after both sides accused the other of supporting rebel groups operating along their shared border, saying he is "gravely concerned"
Europe Austria Conservative Chancellor Nehammer rejected calls by President Alexander Van der Bellen - of the Greens, running for re-election - to make naturalisation easier, stating that there will be no softening on citizenship
Europe Germany Porsche Athlete Sebastian Steudtner now officially holds the world record in big-wave surfing; his ride of a 26,21 metres (86 feet) in Nazaré on October 29, 2020 has now been recognized and awarded by the World Surf League and by Guinness World Records
Africa Uganda Amid growing discontent over economic situation and rising cost of living, President Museveni declared that his government won't intervene to ease the burden on the nation, as government subsidies or removing taxes on imports would crash the economy
Asia Lebanon Lebanese consumers smoke an average of 1.955 cigarettes per year, highest rate in the region followed by Kuwait and Libya, according to the 7th edition of the Tobacco Atlas report, an anti-smoking initiative published by the American Cancer Society
America Cuba Human rights activists have reported that two of the authors of the denunciation song Patria y vida are on trial in Havana and face between 7 and 10 years in prison
Africa Morocco Transparency Maroc, an anti-corruption association, described the new draft law wanted by the Minister of Justice as a way of preventing civil society organisations from lodging complaints against suspicions of waste and misappropriation of public funds
Asia Syria Ahmed Saleh Ibrahim, president of the Syrian Farmers' Union, predicted that the country will produce between 1 and 1,2 million tonnes of wheat this season; the estimate only covers agricultural land cultivated in areas under government control
America Suriname Widespread flooding has isolated communities, devastated crops and shuttered schools and businesses; the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency is currently focusing all of its resources to aid these communities
America United States Oxford high school in Detroit, once a theatre of mass shooting, has been testing an artificial intelligence-based gun detection software that, combined with surveillance cameras and professional monitoring, can alert authorities within seconds