Oceania Marshall Islands The Marshallese Christmas is celebrated with Jepta, or 'group', dancing and signing competitions, Wojke - a handmade container filled with small gifts and Biit Dancing - an energetic, modern church dancing, often loud and with amplified music
Europe Greece The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at National Technical University of Athens will use AI to identify students at risk of exceeding graduation timelines; analyzing 30 years of data it will intercept anomalies and alert academic advisors
Asia Japan Portable power banks catching fire in Japan have more than doubled between 2020 and 2024; public and private sectors have begun strengthening safety measures and efforts to raise public awareness amid a series of incidents in public spaces this year
Asia Cyprus Police has called to make football violence ‘a thing of the past’, implementing security inside and outside the stadium and neighbouring areas and inviting teams to tone down the rhetoric; measures are taken after recent episodes of inconsiderate behavior
America Grenada Food and Nutrition Council has warned parents to rise alert during festivities as many Christmas must-haves in Grenadian households contain alcohol, like black cake and sorrel; GFNC cautions that consumption at child age can increase risk of dependency
America Antigua and Barbuda Annual Christmas Barrel Initiative has begun and will run to 15 January 2026: households can import personal-use essentials at reduced cost during the peak shipping period; the concession applies to clothing, food items and toiletries, not electronics
America Cuba Havana authorities have measured in cubic meters the volume of garbage in the streets, with people hoping they would collect it, as data was used for a study to "plan better" that would involve support from the private sector
Europe Austria A roundtable on humanitarian consequences of nuclear testing was held in Vienna; community leaders, researchers and practitioners discussed what steps can secure justice for affected communities in line with Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Africa Mauritania Foundation stone for the development of the Taazour lakes in Tevragh Zeina and Tarhil has been laid; the project will transform the two lakes into modern tourist hubs of rest and recreation, improving Nouakchott's quality of life with a major urban change
Africa Kenya Mara Sports Festival will bring together over 15.000 young athletes and 19 sporting disciplines at the Ulinzi Sports Complex and Nyayo Stadium from December 6 to 11; themed “Forging Champions, Building Futures”, the event involves schools and communities
Asia Kyrgyzstan 36,90% turnout was registered in snap elections in 30 districts nationwide, each electing three members to the Jogorku Kenesh, at least one woman, for a total of 90 deputies entering parliament; 26.066 citizens voted at polling stations abroad
Europe Monaco Netflix will release Murder in Monaco on 17 December, a documentary on one of the most high-profile criminal cases in the Principality’s history: the death of billionaire banker Edmond Safra on 3 December 1999 in his apartment's fire
Asia Mongolia Despite long-standing bans on smoking and sales near schools, smoking rates remain high: excise taxes will be raised through 2030 to curb youth use and fund school health programs, rules on e-cigarettes expanded as Mongolia tightens Tobacco Control Law
Asia Malaysia Sabah, a resource-rich Malaysian state on northern Borneo, is heading to elections; Its strategic location, diverse population and vital natural assets make it crucial for national stability, drawing the country's attention