Asia Vietnam Technology will help authorities locate and repatriate the remains of war martyrs, the soldiers who died in the Vietnam War; Deputy PM ordered the use of DNA testing, digital archives and mapping to identify remains and return them to families
Oceania Marshall Islands Families, friends and supporters recently gathered to witness the latest successful graduation of the Waan Aelon vocational training programme in Majel
Europe Russia The first prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine in 2025 took place: 25 Ukrainian civilians and military personnel and 25 Russian soldiers were freed
Asia Singapore App stores must implement age verification by March 31 to block under-18 users from adult content, like dating platform; the decision comes amid growing global concerns over online safety, pushing stricter measures to protect minors from harmful content
Asia Cambodia The first 2025 human death from avian influenza H5N1 was reported; 28 years old, the man from Kampong Cham province lived in an area with ongoing poultry outbreaks and had been involved in raising and feeding chicken
Africa Liberia The Minister of Finance and Development Planning described the World Bank as 'Liberia's largest multilateral partner', emphasising its key role in post-conflict recovery and ongoing development efforts
Asia Turkey The Istanbul Transport Coordination Centre approved a 35% increase in fares for public transport, taxis, school buses and employee shuttles
Africa Lesotho Major Bokang Melato, Defence Force Youth Development Programme coordinator, urged the government to invest in the armed forces to ensure the nation's progress
Africa Mauritius Mauritius has been named the world's best honeymoon destination in TripAdvisor's prestigious Travelers' Choice Awards 2025, surpassing renowned romantic destinations such as the Maldives and Indonesia's Bali
Asia South Korea SK’s space program, part of the Lunar Codex, is sending 11 traditional sijo poems, including Kim Dal-ho’s “Dream of a Meteor” and Koo Choong-hoe’s “To the Moon,” to the moon via Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, set to reach the Mare Crisium in March
Africa Sierra Leone After a second case of mpox was confirmed, the Minister of Health announced the decision to declare a state of health emergency
Europe Liechtenstein The new grid usage tariff model, effective from 1 January 2025, is already attracting criticism, with grid usage tariffs being described as 'a punishment' for owners of photovoltaic systems
Africa Kenya The Kenya-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement CEPA, newly signed, is the first agreement of its kind signed by the UAE with a mainland African country and marks a historic milestone in the economic relations between the two nations
America Trinidad and Tobago As the dry season officially started on 14 January, Water and Sewerage Authority has reminded the public to be conservative in using water, saying it is crucial for citizens to adopt sustainable practices to ensure a reliable supply of pipe-borne water