Africa eSwatini 11 000 jobs have been added in 2023-25; though it may appear as a positive development for Eswatini’s economy, economists fear that Eswatini’s labour market is expanding in low-productivity jobs rather than sectors building long-term economic security
Africa Togo Togo's Agricultural Transformation Agency launched a recruitment campaign for 55 new agents, including managers, technicians, engineers and drivers; ATA has supported over 6.000 farmers in its first two years, implementing pilot programmes in 60 cantons
Asia Syria Spain raised the flag of its embassy in Damascus, marking the return of its diplomatic presence more than a decade after the suspension of operations; many Western states are re-establishing contacts with the country after Assad's fall
Europe Spain Gastronomy contributed €374 billion to the Spanish economy in 2023, generating 27% of the gross domestic product in 2023 and providing 7,2 million full-time jobs, representing 37% of the country's entire labour market
Africa Lesotho Major Bokang Melato, Defence Force Youth Development Programme coordinator, urged the government to invest in the armed forces to ensure the nation's progress
Asia Cambodia The first 2025 human death from avian influenza H5N1 was reported; 28 years old, the man from Kampong Cham province lived in an area with ongoing poultry outbreaks and had been involved in raising and feeding chicken
Africa Mauritius Mauritius has been named the world's best honeymoon destination in TripAdvisor's prestigious Travelers' Choice Awards 2025, surpassing renowned romantic destinations such as the Maldives and Indonesia's Bali
Asia Malaysia Kedah state will mandate the inclusion of Jawi script on all billboards, effective immediately, to preserve the traditional Malay-Arabic script, reflecting the state’s cultural heritage; businesses must incorporate Jawi alongside existing scripts
Africa Liberia The Minister of Finance and Development Planning described the World Bank as 'Liberia's largest multilateral partner', emphasising its key role in post-conflict recovery and ongoing development efforts
Asia Vietnam Sa Đéc’s Flower Festival in Đồng Tháp province celebrates its heritage with displays of flowers, ornamental plants, and local goods; open until January 21, the festival strengthens its identity as the “City of Flowers"
Asia Laos A coffee processing station in Mokvat, built with support from Korea International Cooperation Agency and Wonders International, processes 900kg-1 ton of cherries/hour and boosts the coffee value chain by enabling farmers to produce higher-value products
Asia Singapore App stores must implement age verification by March 31 to block under-18 users from adult content, like dating platform; the decision comes amid growing global concerns over online safety, pushing stricter measures to protect minors from harmful content
Asia South Korea SK’s space program, part of the Lunar Codex, is sending 11 traditional sijo poems, including Kim Dal-ho’s “Dream of a Meteor” and Koo Choong-hoe’s “To the Moon,” to the moon via Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, set to reach the Mare Crisium in March
Africa Mali The junta began seizing gold stocks from the Loulo-Gounkoto mine operated by the Canadian company Barrick Gold, in the face of promises of fairer distribution of the proceeds of the lucrative mining industry with more pressure on foreign companies