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
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
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
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 Malta The Nationalist Party at the opposition unveiled a package of 12 legislative Bills to fight corruption and mafia-style crimes that will include the creation of a special inquiring magistrate to focus solely on corruption by public officers
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
Asia Cyprus Authorities confiscated in a Limassol warehouse 975 kilos of loose tobacco, 749.520 cigarettes and 81.400 heated cigarettes, all duty-free
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
Asia Georgia Poet Rezo Amashukeli died at the age of 85; he was awarded the Order of Merit in 1996, he was Laureate of the Galaktion Tabidze Prize (1982) and the Georgian Communist Union Prize (1968)
Europe Kosovo Police intensified raids against recently outlawed crypto-mining over the weekend, confiscating more than 350 items of equipment
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
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
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