Asia China The World Humanoid Robot Games, world's first Olympic-style event, took place in Beijing in a venue built for 2022 Olympics; in the opening ceremony robots danced and played music and 500 androids competed in 26 sports, from 400m sprint to table tennis
Asia Maldives The Maldives Immigration, referring to the Henley Passport Index, announced that the Maldivian passport was again ranked as the strongest in South Asia
Oceania Fiji 9.646 births were registered in Estonia last year, 1.075 fewer than in 2023, according to the demography department of the Ministry of the Interior
Asia Kuwait The country is considering the introduction of Value Added Tax as other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, have increased VAT rates to 15% and 10% respectively
Europe Netherlands The number of bankruptcies increased in 2024 compared to the previous year: according to Statistics Netherlands, almost 4.300 companies were declared bankrupt last year, an increase of 30% compared to 2023
Asia Kyrgyzstan The Kyrgyz Parliament's Committee on Budget, Economic and Fiscal Policy adopted at first reading amendments that will allow the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan to launch a pilot project on the prototype of the national digital currency 'digital som'
Africa Angola Angolan writer Atanagildo Paulo, with his work 'A Morte da Dor' (The Death of Pain), will represent Africa in Latin America's biggest literary competition the World Book Review Award, in the category of best book of chronicles and short stories 2024
Africa Mauritania Mauritania signed a $27 million agreement with the US to improve resilience of the energy sector and climate adaptation, providing debt-free grants to develop projects
Africa Niger A woman of Austrian nationality has been kidnapped in Agadez, information confirmed by the Austrian Foreign Ministry; it is not yet known who are the perpetrators of the kidnapping, as it hasn't been claimed by any local group
Europe Lithuania There is currently a shortage of around 3.000 nurses in Lithuania: if ignored, the shortage could soon become 5.000 nurses, experts have warned; 400 nurses are lost every year as about 600 leave the system and about 200 graduate and enter the system
Europe Iceland Fermented shark, an Icelandic delicacy, may become increasingly difficult to find due to a number of factors, including declining interest in the industry and rising costs
Europe Portugal LusoSpace, a pioneering national company, will launch its first satellite, PoSat 2, via SpaceX, to join the ATON constellation, focused on mapping oceans with crucial data on maritime traffic, illegal activities, spills, and drifting icebergs
Africa Nigeria The nation's prolonged insecurity poses a serious threat to achieving the sustainable development goals of zero hunger in the country by 2030: USD 4,9 billion per year would be needed to do so
Asia Qatar The Warif Academy has been launched: it is the first government academy of its kind for students with multiple disabilities in Qatar, upon initiative of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, in cooperation with the Qatar Foundation