America Honduras President Xiomara Castro formally denounced right-wing disinformation campaigns amid protests, defending her government’s progress since 2022 in reducing poverty and inequality in Honduras after 12 years of narco-linked rule
Europe Switzerland Drivers will be allowed to use self-driving technology on Swiss motorways and let go of their steering wheel starting 1 March 2025; following the decree recently adopted by Federal Council, they must be ready to take control at any time
Africa Equatorial Guinea After recording an increase in defaults by the owners of social housing, a commission will be set up to visit homes and ascertain that the occupants of the homes are the true owners; the government is also considering to start with evictions
Asia Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's Cinnamon Development Department has unveiled a plan to boost its annual cinnamon export revenues, with the aim of doubling the current earnings of US$250 million to 500 million
Europe Montenegro Montenegro is holding three days of mourning after a gunman killed 12 people, including two children, in the city of Cetinje – the worst mass shooting in the country’s history; the perpetrator of the murders committed suicide
Africa Egypt Egypt's population grew by 1,4 million in 2024 to 107.205.591, an increase of 1,3%, according to data provided by the demographic watch of the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics
Europe Serbia Like their parents challenging Milosevic’s regime in the 1990s, university students have taken to the streets to change what they see as the corruption, secrecy and deception endemic in the Serbian government; younger pupils have now joined protests
Africa Botswana A total of 98 children were born on 1 January 2025, more than doubling last year's 46 children; the figure is seen as a good omen after President Duma Boko recently announced new programmes to encourage citizens to generate more children
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina The Sevdalinka, an ancient Bosnia and Herzegovina love song form often referred to as 'Balkan Blues', has been included in the UNESCO National Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory
America United States Bourbon Street in New Orleans reopened a day after an Army veteran drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers killing at least 14 people; investigators confirmed he was inspired by ISIS but acting alone and with no foreign powers involvement
Asia India The removal of 337 tonnes of toxic waste left in a factory in Bhopal, where the worst industrial disaster ever occurred in 1984, has been completed; the disaster had killed several thousand people and caused serious health problems for many more
Europe Bulgaria In the historic town of Koprivshtitsa, 591 songbirds of a protected species died due to stress caused by fireworks on New Year's Eve, environmentalists from 'Green Balkans' reported
Asia Israel Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant resigned from the Knesset, the country's parliament, over his opposition to the law on exemption from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews, which has existed since the founding of the state of Israel
Europe Austria The liberal party NEOS announced the abandonment of negotiations to form a coalition government together with the centre-right People's Party and the centre-left Social Democratic Party; in September the extreme right failed to form a coalition government