Asia Philippines An Air Quality Index has been issued amid temporary haze from Indonesian forest fires; The Health Department advised residents to wear masks, limit outdoor activities, and remain indoor if possible
Europe Ireland At 3pm today the Catholic Bishops will undertake a pilgrimage to Knock where they will concelebrate Mass for all those who died in Ireland during the pandemic and their families and offer prayers of thanksgiving for all those who selflessly sacrificed
Europe Bulgaria Early parliamentary elections take place today; according to a recent poll by Exacta Research Group, Boiko Borissov's GERB-UDF electoral coalition has the largest share of support among those planning to vote, with a projection of 23,8%
Asia Sri Lanka The special dengue eradication program has ended yesterday: it aimed at preventing the situation from escalating to an epidemic phase in the context of increasing cases
Europe Andorra The country formally endorsed the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action during a meeting at the Glasgow COP26; the text aims at accelerating inclusive climate policies and actions focused on children and youth at the national and global level
America Costa Rica President Carlos Alvarado released an official statement announcing that Costa Rica won’t be recognizing the Nicaraguan elections, and asking the neighbouring state to be open for dialogue in order to restore democracy
America Barbados The country will soon have legislation to allow for the creation of a free zone on the island, given the need for more foreign direct investment in a range of industries and sectors of the economy
Asia North Korea Leader Kim Jong Un has not made a new appearance in state media for over a month, marking the longest period of absence from public activities since 2014 and coming amid an uptick in reports of health issues
Europe Greece Turkey's President Erdogan has filed a lawsuit against the Greek newspaper 'Dimokratia' and its editor; it is the first time a foreign head of state has turned against a Greek newspaper and reasons are apparently political
America Peru To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Peru and China, the government formally stated that China has become Peru’s top trading partner and investor
Asia Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged UNESCO to declare distance learning and online education as a global public good
Africa Guinea-Bissau The Chinese construction company Jiangsu Tiangsu Grupo has delivered, among other things, 300 desks and chairs and 300 backpacks in the donation made to the "Escola Amizade Guinè-Bissau China" school, also built with the help of the Chinese company
Europe Estonia New Year's Eve events will probably end an hour earlier this 31 December due to newly introduced restrictions that close events and venues at 11pm; for the Minister of Health and Labour there is no reason to hope that the restrictions will be relaxed
Asia Kazakhstan 90 people have died since 2006 at ArcelorMittal Temirtau mines, with accident rates in all divisions rising over the past 10 years; urgent action is needed across the country to overcome the emergency