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
Europe North Macedonia Dozens of patients were treated on New Year's Eve in Skopje for injuries sustained from accidents, falls, fireworks, alcohol and firearms, but no traffic accidents were recorded in town probably thanks to the Safe City system
Asia Maldives The Maldives is facing a shortage of medicines, with many essential drugs unavailable and challenges in accessing doctors, so that even basic treatments can be difficult to obtain; public complaints about healthcare quality reflect structural problems
America Panama A Chinese monument at the Panama Canal has been demolished by local authorities amid Trump’s threats to retake control, prompting outrage from Panama’s government and calls for its immediate restoration
Oceania Fiji Random Fiji Police sweeps in hotspot areas across urban centres are address the growing number of beggars and street children proving food rations; the operation begun weeks ago is continuing during the festive season
Asia Iraq For the Baghdad Metro project and for the development of a new Iraq's investment portfolio international institutions such as the IFC and the European Investment Bank will be involved in collaboration with relevant Iraqi institutions
Africa Guinea-Bissau A power outage struck a large part of Malabo, affecting the city in the hours before New Year's Eve; it took some time to the electricity distribution company SEGESA to assess the cause and estimate time for its restoration
America Guatemala A bus accident on the Interamerican Road has left 15 people dead and at least 15 injured in Guatemala, prompting the government to declare a 3-day national mourning period amid ongoing concerns over road safety
America United States Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York in a private ceremony at an abandoned subway station before the public inauguration event outside City Hall; 34, a democratic socialist, he is the first Muslim and South Asian to govern US’s largest city
America Venezuela The US has carried out a CIA drone strike on a port in Venezuela to hit Tren de Aragua drug logistics, marking an escalation of pressure on Maduro, with no casualties
Oceania Palau Scholarship awards from the Palau National Scholarship Board are set to increase by 26% in 2026 after Congress approved a major budget boost, bringing more financial relief for tuition, books and living expenses
America Dominica Dominica State College is preparing to welcome 150 incoming students as it prepares for the January 2026 academic term; to facilitate integration into college life, the institution has scheduled a New Student Orientation on 12-14 January
Africa Ghana Nearly 3 million Ghanaians have used cryptocurrency as of end of 2025, prompting authorities to introduce phased licensing rules starting in 2026; a framework for safe cryptocurrency trading and Bitcoin adoption, formally legalised, will be set
Asia Brunei Within its pro-business initiative, the Brunei's Government has decided that fuel stations will be inspected twice a year starting 2026; the measure takes into consideration the industry's 6-years compliance and the rules of other ASEAN countries