Europe Spain A massive counterfeit perfume factory has been dismantled; the plant produced tens of thousands of liters of counterfeit fragrances, imitations of around fifty luxury brands, to be marketed to the rest of Europe via France
Africa Zimbabwe Police in Zimbabwe, with a sky-high number of road accidents per 100k residents, are now equipped with body cameras and breathalysers and push for a review of the driver licensing system with docking points for offenders and new driver training programs
Oceania New Zealand NZ doctors are increasingly finding themselves caring for patients who require medical help following gastric bypass and gastric sleeve procedures undergone abroad; medical tourism is posing new threats as post-op complications cases rise
Asia Iran Protests have spread to 78 cities across 26 provinces in the second week of uninterrupted demonstration in Iran; experts highlight that war with Israel, a battered economy and the loss of allies have left the government at its weakest point in years
America Canada More leaks and further disruption are expected until Calgary's main water pipe is completely replaced, mayor says, after a rupture caused water shortages that led to calls for conservation with showers shorter than 3', essential flushing and water boiling
Europe Croatia National ferry operator Jadrolinija announced expanded routes and stronger island connectivity for 2026, particularly for Split, Zadar and Brač; Jadrolinija transported around 3,5 million vehicles and 12,2 million passengers in 2025
Africa Somalia Somaliland authorities rejected accusations that it agreed to host Israeli military facilities and resettle displaced Palestinians from Gaza in exchange for recognition by Israel, saying the claims are baseless and the step “purely diplomatic”
Asia Sri Lanka At the People’s Pinnacle 2025 Awards Night in Colombo, Lankadeepa newspaper was honoured as the Most Popular Newspaper of the Year, News 1st and Sirasa TV won multiple awards
Asia Oman School performance evaluation results for the first semester of year 2025/2026 will be announced today; the evaluation process began in September 2025, covering 58 public and private schools
Africa Nigeria The Calabar Carnival, a festival of music and dancing drawing around two million visitors from across Nigeria and abroad, saw this year the participation from the ECOWAS community as a sign of a new cooperation era
Africa Kenya A 16-storey building collapsed in Nairobi, trapping an unknown number of people as the Red Cross manages on site operations; building collapses is a recurring, not fully addressed, problem in the city and authorities haven't commented on the cause yet
Asia Yemen 400 international tourists are stranded on Soqotra as the island's airport halted operations; flown in through UAE with the only regular flight to the island, are now affected by UAE withdrawal of its troops from Yemen under a deadline from Saudi Arabia
Europe Monaco In his New Year’s message, Prince Albert II highlighted the human dimension of 2025 Monaco's achievements, as the country showed its strength in unity, wishing 2026 would enable the spreading of Monegasque model of progress and common good
Europe Slovakia Construction in Slovakia opens 2026 under pressure from inflation and investment decline; experts have outlined the impact of rising costs and uncertain automotive demand, underlining that diversification is essential for sustainable growth