Africa Cape Verde Cape Verde has entered the world's Top 30 in governance indices: the latest World Economics assessment for 2026 gave it an A rating and a score of 74, being the only African country with this distinction, thus sitting in first place on the continent
America United States US Hockey Team won a historic gold medal at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime; Jack Hughes’ goal gave the team its first victory since the 1980 Lake Placid Games
Europe Norway Cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo became the first athlete ever to win six gold medals and the first to win all six cross-country events in a single Winter Olympic Games
Africa Togo The “Big Catch-Up” initiative, implemented with support from UNICEF, will step up efforts to restore childhood vaccination coverage weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, reintegrating into immunizing programs 40.000 unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children
Asia Vietnam Precision farming technologies are being promoted: AI-driven crop monitoring, satellite /drone-based field mapping, IoT sensors for soil and irrigation management, and blockchain for traceability, high-tech greenhouses, biotech seeds, digital supply chain
Oceania Solomon Islands Carrying out mining operations on Nendo Island is 'not feasible'; the comments follow geochemical sampling results which reportedly confirm there are no viable prospects for mining operations in Temotu Province, particularly on Nendo Island
Asia Tajikistan The first block train on new China to Tajikistan line departed Lanzhou with eight 40-foot containers with consumer goods and construction equipment; Traveling over 3.500 km it will cross Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan before reaching Dushanbe-2 railway station
Asia Syria A landmark decision granted provincial governors broad authorities marking one of the most signifcant steps toward administrative decentralisation since 2011; the move will accelerate streamline project implementation, and reduce bureaucratic congestion
Africa Egypt Recent constitutional court ruling clarifies legislative and executive authority over updating lists of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in line with constitutional principles and the rule of law, allowing revisions of schedules of anti-drug law
Europe Ukraine Ukrainian officials will boycott the Paralympic Winter Games 2026 after the International Paralympic Committee allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flag
Asia Thailand 70 tigers died at a private park in Chiang Mai, possibly for an outbreak of canine distemper virus; Officials are examining vaccination records, quarantine measures and disease-control protocols as lapses in biosecurity could contribute to mass fatalities
Africa Tanzania 60 to 80% of the population relies on traditional medicine for primary healthcare needs, latest Performance Audit Report on the Regulation of Traditional and Alternative Medicine shows; Dar es Salaam has become a distribution hub for traditional remedies
Europe Moldova Moldovan MPs will travel to Kyiv on 24 February where a documentary film will commemorate the victims of war; in the evening the Parliament building will be illuminated with a thematic display
Oceania Marshall Islands The first HPV Screen and Treat services has been opened at the youth program clinic in Uliga: the key step in Marshall Islands’ goal to eliminate cervical cancer is a collaboration of Health and Human Services with Youth to Youth in Health and WUTMI