Asia Bahrain 394.000 visitors have been registered in state-run heritage sites in January-August 2026, with the Bahrain Fort accounting for 246.409, nearly two thirds of the total, and foreign visitors prevailed with the presence of 187.567 people
Africa Uganda Several million Ugandan students have returned to school after nearly two years of government-imposed closure as a pandemic containment measure
Africa Kenya A nationwide blackout affected all 54million citizens after a high-voltage energy pylon fell over; state-run Kenya Power, the sole energy distributor in the country, restored power in highly populated areas within a couple of hours
Africa Ivory Coast The National Union of Gas Distributors has announced an indefinite strike to protest against the difficulties the sector has been experiencing for several years. including the lack of maintenance of butane gas distribution infrastructure
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
Africa Benin Voodoo worshippers gathered in the country to pay homage to deities during the annual Vodoo Festival in Ouidah; most of the worshippers on the beach where the rituals take place are women
Africa Ethiopia UN humanitarian agencies suspended operations in northwestern Tigray in consequence of the recent airstrike that left dozens of casualties at a refugee camp; the Ethiopian government did not comment on the news
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
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
Africa Somalia The final phase of parliamentary elections has been set and will be held on 25 February as political leaders finally reached an agreement: tensions between government and opposition delayed the elections for over a year
Asia Cambodia Magawa, the hero rat who sniffed out landmines, dies at the age of eight; Magawa was the most successful rat trained by Belgian charity Apopo to warn human handlers about landmines so they could be safely removed
America Dominican Republic The Central Bank closed 2021 with net international reserves (RIN) of more than US$13 billion, a historical level that allows it to guarantee the relative stability of the exchange rate
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnians and Herzegovinians in the UK, Italy, Sweden, Belgium and 14 other countries organised protests in favour of maintaining peace and stability in the country, urging the EU to react against those who question its survival as a nation