Africa Uganda Uber has ended its operations in Uganda after having been a commodity in the local urban transport for over a decade; the exit takes immediate effect and follows extensive review of Uber's business priorities across Africa
Africa Mauritania The country is exploring its renewable energy potential; according to the United Nations Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the country's location makes it ideal for solar and wind energy
Asia Sri Lanka The Ministry of Environment has hired 136 new environmental officers who will be assigned to the district secretariats to assist in the work carried out by the Ministry, the Central Environment Authority and the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau
Africa Republic of the Congo The Lisungi project has supported 147.389 poor Congolese families through cash transfers; in addition, 5.000 young people in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire have been selected to acquire new skills for employability
Asia Armenia Yerevan draws the attention of the international community, reporting that Baku has repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic by ignoring the ceasefire in the border area
Europe Norway For the second year in a row, Christmas shopping increased: Norwegians spent almost 130 billion Norwegian kroner (US$ 14 billion) on Christmas shopping in November and December 2021
Africa Nigeria The World Bank expects the country's growth to strengthen by 2,5% in 2022 and 2,8% in 2023, in the face of global growth expected to decelerate markedly from current 5,5%
Asia Japan The new age limit to be admitted - accompanied by parent or guardian - at hot springs and sento (public baths) in the areas reserved for the opposite sex, is now six; until 2021, children up to 9, regardless of gender, could go with either parents
Europe Hungary Kiskunság National Park has reported the rare sighting of two pink flamingos in its reserve, making it only the sixteenth sighting of the species in the country since 1910
Africa Rwanda Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga, 34, is the first woman selected by the Referees' Commission of the African Football Confederation to referee the African Cup of Nations
Asia Vietnam The Can Gio forest, which was destroyed in the Vietnam War by the herbicide known as 'Agent Orange' and has rebuilt to be the green lung of Ho Chi Minh City, is now threatened by a US$ 9 billion building project
Europe Iceland ICE-SAR (Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue) teams were called out 1.196 times in 2021 and the biggest cases were related to the Fagradalsfjall eruption, from March 19 to Sept 18; the average between 2005 and 2020 is 1.082 calls per year
Europe Kosovo Police intensified raids against recently outlawed crypto-mining over the weekend, confiscating more than 350 items of equipment
Europe Albania The Prosecution of Tirana said four people had been arrested in connection with the massive leaks of people’s data that have raised questions about public security in the country