Asia Uzbekistan Senate approved an amendment allowing inmates to reduce their prison sentences by three days for each approved book they read and demonstrate comprehension of; The law, excluding life-sentenced prisoners, may benefit over 13.500 convicts annually
Europe Czech Republic The Czech Lower House approved a series of amendments to the Lex Ukraine Act; one of the controversial points of the bill was its aim to make it more difficult for Russians to obtain Czech citizenship
Europe Estonia To contrast the city's off-season slump, Pärnu entrepreneurs have proposed building an indoor bathing facility downtown
Africa Djibouti The 75th anniversary of the Djibouti Franc was commemorated with a ceremony; the currency plays a key role in maintaining Djibouti's economic sovereignty and is one of the founding elements upon which the unity and national cohesion have been built
Africa Guinea Guinea's active forces, a bloc of political parties and civil society organisations, have announced a series of peaceful demonstrations that they intend to organise from 6 January 2025, calling for the establishment of a civil transition
Europe Denmark 15,7% of Danes aged between 16 and 64 receive public assistance, the lowest number since 1977, according to an analysis by the Business Council of the Danish Labour Movement
Africa Eswatini Eswatini is taking concrete steps to prepare its first public radiotherapy centre to allow cancer patients to be treated in the country, according to a team of international experts appointed by the IAEA, WHO and IARC
Oceania Fiji Fiji Police Forces have imposed travel restrictions in the city of Nadi, severely affected by continuous rains
Europe Belgium From the historic Bouglione family, with their time-honoured big top shows, to avant-garde performances from international artists, Belgium hosts a flourishing community of circus schools and festivals in the festive season and a thriving circus culture
Europe Croatia The Central State Office for Croatians Abroad will award 2.000 scholarships, 500 more than the previous year, for the academic year 2024/2025 to students of Croatian origin living abroad
Africa Cameroon At a centre for unarmed and demobilised fighters in the Far North region of Cameroon, former Boko Haram fighters receive new skills to help them lead productive lives as civilians
Europe Greece The government aims to strengthen national defence and address the shortage of military housing with new initiatives to be completed by 2030, while an anti-aircraft and anti-drone defence system should be operational by autumn 2026
Africa Comoros A workshop to talk about harassment, abuse and sexual assault has been organised in Fomboni by WHO Representative Office of the Comoros with NGOs, media, associations and institutions responsible for the protection of human rights
Europe Finland Fingrid, state-owned company operating the electricity grid in Finland, said that the transmission of electricity between Finland and Estonia via the Estlink 2 link is currently interrupted due to a fault of unknown origin for the time being