Oceania Palau A historic $15 million financing agreement has been signed with Saudi Arabia, marking a shift in how Palua's National Development Bank will now operate, as the loan will be directly invested into building affordable housing
Africa Eritrea Authorities called on the international community to urge Ethiopia respect Eritrea's sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding EDF forces were deployed inside its border right after peace was signed in 2022 and are not intruding in Ethiopia's land
Europe Belgium Authorities will start cooperating more closely to better share information in the fight against radicalization and extremism among minors: the number of minors involved in terrorist activities is on the rise and many at risk of radicalization are minors
Europe Croatia A nationwide teachers' strike was held, affecting around 1.000 schools and universities; unions have announced that 93,54% of the affiliated schools have joined the strike
Africa Sao Tome and Principe 41.000 visitors entered the country in 2024, setting a new record of arrivals; the figure includes tourists and Portugal is the foreign country with most travelers
Europe Andorra 29,5% of the adult population consumes some product containing nicotine, and cigarettes are the most widely used product, according to a study conducted by the Odec computing centre for Philip Morris
Asia Indonesia 2.000 more judges are needed in the Supreme Court to solve a growing shortage caused by retirements and vacancies; Chief Justice Syarifuddin urges the government to accelerate recruitment to ensure efficiency and timely case resolutions across the country
Africa Lesotho The Revenue Services Lesotho has suspended 10 employees pending investigations into allegations of dishonesty and misconduct; all Customs Inspectors, they are accused of engaging in dishonest activities at their respective duty stations
Europe Poland Poland and Baltic states may be leaving the 1997 Ottawa treaty banning antipersonnel land mines, citing security reasons at the borders they share with Russia
Asia Oman To create 45.000 job opportunities - including 11.000 for training and qualification, 10.000 in government establishments and 24.000 in the private sector - is one of the goals of the operational plan for 2025
Europe Albania Over 175.000 military bunkers were built during Albania’s communist-era; though many were blown up, thousands remain: used for agricultural storage, wineries, resource for experimental artists, they are now becoming a tourist attraction
Europe North Macedonia In Kočani, where 59 people died in a fire at a discotheque over the weekend, protesters gathered downtown with placards reading 'we are dying from corruption'; about 20 people were arrested, including government officials and the nightclub's manager
Africa Burundi Burundi introduced the life-saving malaria vaccine in the routine immunization program under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and with the support of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, the WHO and Dalberg
Oceania Samoa Power outages and power rationing in several districts of Upolu prompted the hiring of generators to power drilling operations, ensuring the continuity of water supply in the affected areas