Africa Sierra Leone A ship departed from Freetown was intercepted and diverted to Canary Islands, in a crackdown on international drug trafficking; Spanish police found aboard 35-40 tonnes of cocaine in what has been called “record-breaking cocaine seizure in the Atlantic”
Europe Finland Non-biometric passports issued by the Russian Federation will no longer be accepted in Finland starting 1 June, with a few exceptions, foreign affairs ministry announced
Europe Bulgaria New interim government, led by Andrey Gyurov, announced general elections for 19 April, the eighth in Bulgaria since 2021; polls predict a strong showing by former President Rumen Radev’s as-yet-unnamed new party
Asia Lebanon Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel to avenge the death of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; in response, the Israeli military hit Hezbollah targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon, ending a shaky cease-fire, with 31 dead and over 3.000 people displaced
America Dominican Republic A new School of Hospitality and Tourism has been opened in Punta Cana with a strategic partnership between Meliá and the National Institute of Technical and Vocational Training; it will develop local talent, improve employability, enhance competitiveness
Asia Maldives An additional opportunity has been granted to become monitors and observers for the Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections and the public referendum, extending deadline for submitting application forms until 3:00 PM today
Oceania Marshall Islands Japan Ambassador Hirohisa Soma and International Organization for Migration office head Hilary Vanderwey signed an agreement earlier this week that sets in motion a two-year plan to strengthen Majuro and Wotje local food systems
Europe Croatia Croatia is officially free of landmines thirty-one years after the end of the Homeland War; the effort to clear all known minefields cost 208 lives, including those of 41 deminers, and around 1,2 billion euros
Asia Philippines The annual Bataan–Tarlac Freedom March has been held across 28 February and 1 March, commemorating the WWII Death March; Participants retraced key routes in Central Luzon to honor Filipino and American soldiers who endured the 1942 forced trek
Europe Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called an early general election for 24 March; many read the move as an occasione to reenforce her power in relation to the recent standoff with US President Donald Trump over his designs on the territory of Greenland
America Trinidad and Tobago Activist Nafeesa Mohammed is calling on PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar to meet with leaders of the Muslim community ahead of her upcoming meeting with US President Trump, following the Government’s withdrawal of support for Israel in its conflict with Iran
Asia Brunei 700 officers and staff of the Ministry of Development and of the Ministry of Religious Affairs participated in the Tedarus Al-Quran for Ramadhan 1447 Hijrah at Istana Nurul Iman male and female surau on 11th consecutive night of ceremony at the palace
Europe Andorra The iconic Àliga slope in El Tarter has hosted the Women’s Ski World Cup in Downhill and Super-G; welcoming the top speed specialists on the planet Andorra keeps raising its positioning as global sport destination
Europe Kosovo Former intelligence agency chief Driton Gashi was sentenced to four years and eight months’ prison following a retrial for his role in the highly controversial deportation of so-called ‘Gulenists’ to Turkey in 2018