Oceania New Zealand 'Our Freshwater 2026' report highlights worsening quality of groundwater, rivers and lakes, with increasing levels of nitrates, E.coli above legal limit, and nearly half of New Zealand's river network unsafe for swimming due to faecal contamination
Europe Finland The Service Union United announced a new strike in the retail sector, which will affect 41 companies and around 20.000 workers between 20 and 21 March, involving major retailers like Ikea, Gigantti, Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, Clas Ohlson and Musti ja Mirri
Asia Kuwait The coldest day in sixty years was recorded due to an intense cold wave that brought the temperature to -8°C in Mutriba and -6°C in Salmi
Africa Liberia In an effort to strengthen the role of women in the fisheries sector, the Liberia Sustainable Management of Fisheries Project launched a Women Empowerment Grant to support more than 1.400 fishmongers in four coastal counties
Africa Guinea-Bissau A mission of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, left the country saying the president had threatened to expel it, after being invited to reach a 'political consensus' on how to conduct elections this year
Europe Austria On 3 March President Van der Bellen swore in a new Austrian Federal Government formed by the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the NEOS led by Federal Chancellor Stocker (ÖVP), in the first ever three-party coalition
Asia Cyprus Cypriots flocked to the countryside to celebrate Green Monday, a public holiday rooted in both religious and cultural traditions that marks the start of Lent with fasting foods and outdoor festivities, picnics, games and kite-flying
Africa Republic of the Congo Government officials from Brazzaville and Antananarivo, Madagascar, met for a reforestation operation, planting 3.000 trees, on the occasion of African Environment Day celebrated on 3 March
Europe Czech Republic The Mánes Gallery in Prague is hosting an exhibition with over 100 paintings by Plzeň-born artist Jiří Kovařík, considered one of the most controversial Czech painters of the 20th century
Asia Kyrgyzstan 146 hectares of pastureland have been converted for the construction of residential buildings in Chon-Alai district, Osh region; the District Chief stated that it is not the authorities who will build the houses but the local residents themselves
Africa Morocco King Mohammed VI urged Moroccans "to refrain from performing the rite of sacrifice" during this year's Eid al-Adha, due to prolonged drought that decimated livestock and increased the price of meat
America Jamaica A call for a resilient regulatory framework to ensure the security of sensitive data and the overall integrity of the tourism sector came from Dr Yonique Campbell, expert at UWI, who also said the State should ensure the best and most effective measures
Europe Latvia The victory of the animated film Flow by director Gints Zilbalodis as Best Animated Film brought the first Oscar award for the country
America Dominica Education Minister Octavia Alfred implored students to avoid the use of alcohol during this year's Carnival celebrations