Europe Spain A political and cultural dispute erupted over Basque regional government's formal request to host Pablo Picasso’s anti-war painting Guernica for 9 months; 2027 marks 90th anniversary of the first Basque government and of the bombing of the town Guernica
America Brazil Brazil recorded its hottest year ever in 2024, with an average temperature of 25,02°C (77,04°F), surpassing 2023's record, as climate change drives increased disasters like droughts and floods, according to Brazil's weather agency
America Antigua and Barbuda Customs and Excise Division and Port Authority have reported record-breaking revenues in year 2024, signaling robust economic growth in the country; Port Authority achieved unprecedented figures, driven by higher volumes of imports and exports
Africa Republic of the Congo Heavy rains caused the Bichida River to break its banks as waters rose very quickly; the surrounding fields, saturated with water, turned into a huge lake and the Mbinda-Mayoko road, a stretch of 25 km, became difficult
Asia Qatar With major political events occurring in the Middle East, Qatar, a regional diplomatic heavyweight, saw a year 2024 full of political events: from mediation efforts in conflicts to the reopening of its embassy in Damasco following restored ties with Syria
America Saint Lucia The Saint Lucia’s Substance Abuse Advisory Council has encouraged citizens to include in their New Year resolutions sustained practices that protect health and become part of a lifestyle, taking distance from harmful habits
Europe Slovakia The return rate of beverage containers in Slovakia remains consistently above 90% according to the administrator of the deposit return system
Europe North Macedonia Sashko Nasev, ambassador at the North Macedonian embassy to China, won the Global Fred Award for his contributions on international stages in the field of cultural outreach and education
Oceania Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. signed into law RPPL 11-40, a comprehensive amendment to the government wage structure, which introduces a 10% across-the-board wage increase for all public and contract employees which will be in force from 1 October 2025
Europe United Kingdom London Zoo is about to carry out the census of its over 20.000 individuals from 698 species of animals; the annual survey is expected to take about a week and results will be shared with zoos around the world to help manage global conservation programmes
Africa Togo Sokodé, 350 km north of the capital, will host the 2nd edition of the International Horse Festival from 8 to 10 January 2025 to celebrate the rich equestrian tradition of the Tchaoudjo prefecture with almost 500 riders from Togo and neighbouring countries
Oceania Australia The 50th anniversary of Hobart’s Tasman Bridge disaster, that cost the life of 12 people, was commemorated in the weekend; the bridge was lit in bright white and at 9:27 pm, for 30 minutes, the area of impact of MV Lake Illawarra changed to a dark blue
Asia Oman The second phase of the plastic bag ban in the Sultanate of Oman has begun on 1 January 2025; Environment Authority said this phase will focus on tightening restrictions on the use of single-use plastic bags
Africa Namibia NamPost and Telecom Namibia will become independent government-owned companies by February, as the complete transfer of all properties of the Namibia Post and Telecom Holdings Limited to other stakeholders will be finalised by this month of January 2025