America Mexico The idea of US military bombings on Mexican soil against cartels has been firmly rejected by Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, insisting on respect for sovereignty and saying cooperation on drug issues must not involve unilateral US actions
Asia Palestine Gaza's population decreased by 6% since the start of Israel's war, reports Anadolu Agency citing official data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Asia Syria Ahmed al Sharaa, the leader of the insurgents who overthrew the regime of Bashar al Assad, said it could take up to four years to carry out a full population census before new elections are held in the country
Africa Senegal The Senegalese government announced the adoption of specific criteria for the allocation of funds to support former prisoners and other victims of demonstrations between 1 February 2021 and 25 February 2024
Africa Madagascar 800 turtles, probably intended for clandestine export, were seized in Majunga, in the north-west of the country; the seized turtles belong to the endemic Madagascar star tortoise species, which is protected and classified as critically endangered
Asia Afghanistan A decree prohibiting the construction of windows in new buildings that overlook other people's homes and spaces where women might be has been issued
Africa South Africa Nominations for Mail&Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans 2025 are open; at its 20th edition, the initiative celebrates the achievements of young people in 19 categories including agriculture, arts-entertainment, finance, health, justice, sport, technology
Europe Romania In connection to full accession to the Schengen area, Romania will close over 30 checkpoints on its borders with Hungary and Bulgaria following last vote of EU Justice and Home Affairs Council that ruled the abolition of land controls as of 1 January 2025
Africa Zambia Mining operations at the Kagem emerald mine will be suspended from today 1 January 2025 due to the disrupted dynamics in the emerald market, which have been triggered by an oversupply of Zambian emeralds at discounted prices during the latter half of 2024
Asia Taiwan Free single-use toiletries are banned in hotels from today 1 January 2025, for obvious environmental reasons; the move is expected to impact over 14.000 hotel operators on top of the relative supply chain
Oceania Kiribati Like every year, Kiribati has been the first country to celebrate New Year's Eve; neighbouring island of Baker, separated by a stretch of sea of just 1179 km, will be the last
Europe Spain The census revealed that 1.038.671 people born in the Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas now reside in the Madrid region; only 25 years ago, they were 81.552
Africa Uganda The foundation stone of what will become the most important temple of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa was consecrated in the city of Kiboga; the Russian Orthodox Church is seeing a rapid expansion in Uganda
Asia China Sales of electric vehicles in China are set to overtake those of conventional cars for the first time in 2025, with sales of electric vehicles expected to rise 20% this year to over 12 million units, more than double the 5,9 million of 2022