Asia Bahrain 128 competitors, 59 male and 69 female, took part in this year's Mutun competition; the event awards the three best in seven categories, each focusing on the memorization and comprehension of foundation texts related to Quranic sciences
Oceania Kiribati Former Kiribati president Anote Tong, a leading voice on climate change, says Australia's failure to secure its bid to host the next United Nations climate conference COP31 with Pacific nations is a missed opportunity in several ways
Asia Oman First integrated green methanol facility in Oman will be in Dhofar Governorate; a Public-Private Partnership will develop integrated production and supply of green methanol making the Sultanate a leading hub for supplying carbon-free fuel to ships
Europe Hungary Oscar-winning Director László Nemes Jeles has been shooting his new film at Budapest’s Nyugati Station; travellers were met with an unexpected setting as part of the station was transformed into wartime France
Europe Czech Republic The hepatitis A outbreak in Czechia is not abating; almost 3.000 cases of the disease have been recorded so far this year, which is twenty times more than 2024 and the highest figure in 30 years
America Dominican Republic El Seibo will soon inaugurate its new bullring; one of the strongest cultural symbols, its centuries-old bullfighting tradition is unique because the bulls are never harmed: bullfighters engage the animal in a display of agility and endurance
Africa Ghana 41st Farmers Day was celebrated across Ghana with a number of initiatives ranging from seed supply donations, private contributions from industry players to government, workshops, assessment on the state of waters and soil
Africa Lesotho Bishop of Lesotho, Anglican Reverend Dr Vincentia Kgabe, who ended her mandate on 30 November and now serves in Pretoria, has been accused of mismanaging and bringing the church into disrepute by a priest of the Church of Southern Africa- Lesotho chapter
Asia East Timor Fact-checking website verifikafaktus.tl has been launched as part of East Timor's efforts to curb misinformation on social media while promoting digital literacy and reliable information flow; the new portal will be a key tool to spot false contents
Europe Denmark A two-year project to get internationals involved with sports clubs will be launched by Danish Sports Federation with a dedicated person to coordinate the process; pilot initiatives will involve seven smaller federations opening up to new residents
Africa Morocco At a panel titled “50 Years After the Green March: The Moroccan Sahara, From Sovereignty to Development & Growth” former UN adviser and Morocco World News cofounder Samir Bennis described the 1975 Green March as a geopolitical turning point for the region
Europe Ireland The Greater Dublin Drainage project, seen as a key piece of infrastructure enabling house building and growth in the capital, is to move forward after a judicial review was settled; due to be completed this year, it will serve up to 500.000 people
Asia Iraq Iraq has become the champion in the Worldwide Mental Arithmetic Competition WAMAS—Dubai 2025, held in the UAE; students of the Iraqi team outperformed over 500 opponents from 27 countries
Europe Finland Over 700 students and staff at the University of Helsinki walked out of classes to protest academic cooperation with Israeli universities; similar demonstrations took place at universities in Tampere, Turku, Kuopio, Jyväskylä, Oulu and Rovaniemi