Asia Nepal New members of Nepal’s National Assembly were sworn in following upper-house elections, where the Balendra Shah’s reformist Rastriya Swatantra Party won by a landslide, reshaping Nepal’s political landscape
Africa Cape Verde Ahead of Municipal Day, marked on 22 January, the city councillor of São Vicente announced plans to start a set of “structural works” including asphalt paving, stormwater drainage and the desilting of channels and dikes
Asia Kuwait Temperatures plunged below zero degrees Celsius in Salmi near the Saudi border and Boubyan Island, with the real feel at Salmi was -8°C Celsius as Kuwait experiences an especially cold spell in desert areas caused by northwesterly winds
Asia Azerbaijan Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency urged Meta to remove "a fabricated statement that does not reflect reality, created using deepfake technology and falsely attributed to the President"
Europe Andorra Andorran Laia Ateca was awarded for best production design at the 38th edition of the European Film Awards for the film Sirat, directed by Oliver Laxe, nominated for the 2026 Oscar
Africa Central African Republic On 19 January the National Authority for Elections of the Central African Republic published the official results of the elections held on 28 December 2025: incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadéra won a third term with 77,9% of the vote
Asia Japan A reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant was shut down as an alarm was triggered during control rod withdrawal operations five hours and 25 minutes after it was restarted - first one to resume operation since the 2011 Fukushima disaster
Europe Austria A supplementary protocol on bilateral border-co-operation was signed with Hungary; the text aligns with the post-pandemic Schengen Borders Code: joint patrols can be deployed on either side carrying out identity checks up to 10 km beyond the actual border
Africa Gambia Hope for Health Foundation has been launched; focusing on preventive care and supporting local health workers to serve communities more effectively and sustainably, it will guarantee better, sooner access to care especially in underprivileged environments
Europe Poland Łódź has been ranked the fourth most congested city in the world, with commuters using an average of 135 hours in rush-hour gridlock in 2025; fatalities fell by nearly 13% even as traffic volumes remained high and traffic conditions in many major Polish
Oceania Solomon Islands Addressing road safety, traffic authorities are enforcing long-standing road transport laws largely unimplemented for years, ordering drivers to comply and remove illegal under-glow and non-standard LED lights from motor vehicles and trailers
Europe United Kingdom New BBC strategic partnership with video platform YouTube will showcase “the best homegrown storytelling and news from across” the British broadcaster; BBC will “expand” its activities on YouTube, including tailor-made content for younger audiences
Asia Qatar Qatar condemned the initiation of demolitions in the complex of the UNRWA in occupied Jerusalem, operated by the Israeli occupation authorities; the official note reads it is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law
Asia Kazakhstan A controversial set of amendments into law banning “LGBT propaganda” has been signed; Kazakh and international rights activists say it will institutionalize discrimination against LGBT people and give authorities an additional tool to curb free speech