Asia Sri Lanka An “Ehi Passiko” peace walk began in Dambulla, bringing together Buddhist monks and participants to promote peace and mindfulness; “Ehi Passiko,” meaning “come and see,” reflects a core Buddhist principle encouraging understanding through experience
Europe Estonia To contrast the city's off-season slump, Pärnu entrepreneurs have proposed building an indoor bathing facility downtown
Oceania Fiji Fiji Police Forces have imposed travel restrictions in the city of Nadi, severely affected by continuous rains
America Grenada Rosana John-Mitchell, a lawyer and passionate food blogger, has joined Michelle Hood-Julien, a US-based occupational therapist, to create a children's book that shines a spotlight on Grenada's rich culinary traditions
Africa Guinea Guinea's active forces, a bloc of political parties and civil society organisations, have announced a series of peaceful demonstrations that they intend to organise from 6 January 2025, calling for the establishment of a civil transition
Africa Djibouti The 75th anniversary of the Djibouti Franc was commemorated with a ceremony; the currency plays a key role in maintaining Djibouti's economic sovereignty and is one of the founding elements upon which the unity and national cohesion have been built
Europe Lithuania Lithuanian emigrants increasingly choose to return from abroad and settle in the country's less populated regions; the State Employment Service has created an interactive map with 50 indicators on housing, employment, education and other issues
Asia Kazakhstan Kazakhstani officials discussed the introduction of new digital technologies and artificial intelligence into everyday activities during a government meeting
Africa Madagascar Madagascar Airlines acquired a new ATR 72-500, part of its fleet renewal Phoenix 2030 Strategy
Africa Mauritius Deputy PM has hinted that negotiations with the UK over the Chagos Islands are being held up over the amount of money involved for the UK 99-year lease for Diego Garcia, home to a major UK-US military airbase as per the original October agreement
Asia Afghanistan According to the World Bank, the country is grappling with a severe food security crisis, with 11,6 million people - around 25% of the population - experiencing food insecurity
Asia Maldives Amendments to the Tobacco Control Act, which prohibit the import, sale, free distribution and use of vaping devices and electronic cigarettes in the Maldives, came into force on 15 December; already nine persons have been sanctioned
Europe Latvia The 77th long-awaited annual publication 'Latvian Statistical Yearbook, 2024' is now available free of charge in digital format in Latvian and English, published by the Central Statistical Office
Oceania Samoa Samoa started celebrating Christmas 13 days before the day itself; in these 13 days, government ministries and other congregations are invited to sing Christmas carols in their own style which are aired on TV