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
Asia Kuwait The country is considering the introduction of Value Added Tax as other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, have increased VAT rates to 15% and 10% respectively
Asia Kyrgyzstan The Kyrgyz Parliament's Committee on Budget, Economic and Fiscal Policy adopted at first reading amendments that will allow the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan to launch a pilot project on the prototype of the national digital currency 'digital som'
Europe Lithuania There is currently a shortage of around 3.000 nurses in Lithuania: if ignored, the shortage could soon become 5.000 nurses, experts have warned; 400 nurses are lost every year as about 600 leave the system and about 200 graduate and enter the system
Europe Portugal LusoSpace, a pioneering national company, will launch its first satellite, PoSat 2, via SpaceX, to join the ATON constellation, focused on mapping oceans with crucial data on maritime traffic, illegal activities, spills, and drifting icebergs
Europe Luxembourg A new bill approved by the government is intended to eliminate the current mandatory three-day reflection period before a pregnancy can be terminated
Africa Niger A woman of Austrian nationality has been kidnapped in Agadez, information confirmed by the Austrian Foreign Ministry; it is not yet known who are the perpetrators of the kidnapping, as it hasn't been claimed by any local group
Europe Netherlands The number of bankruptcies increased in 2024 compared to the previous year: according to Statistics Netherlands, almost 4.300 companies were declared bankrupt last year, an increase of 30% compared to 2023
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC banned the satellite news network al-Jazeera because it made and broadcasted an interview with the leader of a rebel group that recently took over territory in the east of the country
Asia Armenia Figures by EU source show a 400% increase in Armenia-EU air transport passenger flow since 2018; in the first 6 days of 2025, arrivals have registered a 19,4% increase on same days of 2024
Africa Rwanda Rwanda's Minister of Infrastructure, Jimmy Gasore, announced the government's plan to phase out non-electric motorbikes in Kigali, as part of its efforts to promote environmental sustainability
Oceania Samoa Ferry services between the islands resumed after halts due to bad weather that brought strong winds and high waves; many travellers between Upolu and Savaii were stranded for up to two days
Asia Oman Royal directives have been issued for names of national and main roads in Oman; His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik also addresses nation on his Accession Day 11 January, the day he assumed power in the Sultanate in 2020
America Saint Lucia The Taiwan Embassy is accepting applications for the 2025 MOFA and the 2025 Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund Scholarships that allow Saint Lucian students to pursue Undergraduate, Master’s, or Doctoral Degrees in Taiwan universities