Africa Benin As part of the Vodun Days 2026 event in Ouidah, in Maro Square paintings of the Egungun are on display, depicting them dancing: the Vodun Days Artistic Direction has chosen to go beyond live performance adding an exhibition of paintings of the Egungun
America Guatemala Remittances from the US have boosted colorful housing and commerce in Guatemala, transforming towns like San Martín Sacatepéquez, with a 19,8% rise in 2025 possibly driven by migrant fears of Trump’s stricter deportation policies
Europe France A national plan to combat infertility will be launched soon, announced Health Minister before a National Assembly fact-finding mission on the declining birth rate; starting in 2026, French citizens aged 29 will receive a message on reproductive health
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Over 97 farmers and other stakeholder representatives operating in the Richmond area in Agricultural Region 1, participated in a stakeholder consultation on irrigation infrastructure development
America Cuba Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, grandson of Cuban general Raul Castro, has become a frequent visitor to Panama, using private planes for his travels; it has been confirmed that he has visited the country many times in recent years, at least ten in 2025
Oceania Australia At least 15 people have been killed and 27 are in hospitals after a shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, the country’s worst in 30 years; attackers targeting Jewish Australians were “driven” by extreme ideology, but “weren’t part of a wider cell”
Asia Sri Lanka Colombo Public Library celebrated its centenary: the institution is praised for rendering a dynamic role in the educational, cultural and information fields; dating back to 1925, it started with only a Lending Library and a Reading Room
Asia Taiwan The Museumbrary opened in Taichung, a 5.000-square-meter library-museum hybrid funded by a US$15 million municipal grant and private donations; targeting a 15% drop in youth readership, it expects 500.000 visitors in the first year with free admission
Europe France Following the vaccination of a herd of Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle in Haute-Garonne against lump-shaped dermatosis, the Minister of Agriculture defended her strategy in a crisis meeting and called for a "sanitary barrier" to be erected against the disease
Europe Switzerland Swiss public transport is undergoing a historic reorganisation: timetables changes, four-track extension on the Basel-Olten line will be operative, new night trains between Bern and Winterthur will run at weekends and Zurich's tram network will evolve
Africa Ethiopia Copper cables, plastic tubes and metal components have been looted along an under-construction road in Addis Ababa, running from Edna Mall to Haya Hulet; thefts have occurred in full view, according to eyewitnesses
America Paraguay The world's best World Rally Championship event in 2025 was hosted in Paraguay, the FIA recognized, highlighting its ability to organize top-tier international motorsport competitions
Asia China China’s top leadership convened in Beijing from 10 to 11 December for the Central Economic Work Conference to determine the country’s economic direction for 2026, the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan
America Suriname A national soil monitoring system, in collaboration with FAO and the Green Climate Fund, will support climate-smart agriculture aiming to combat land degradation and secure food supply amid growing urbanization and climate change impacts