Asia Georgia The EU annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World noted “severely curtailed” human rights in Georgia, reduced bilateral political contacts and dialogue between Brussels and Tbilisi amid “significant democratic backsliding”
Asia North Korea North Korean state media first covered US President Donald Trump's election victory and inauguration on Wednesday morning, after Trump broke precedent by calling the DPRK a nuclear power a few hours after his inauguration
Asia Pakistan The Reko Diq mine, located in Chagai, Balochistan, will begin gold and copper production by 2028 under Barrick Gold’s leadership; with major investments planned, the project aims to boost exports, though local refining capacity remains a challenge
America United States Attorneys general from 22 states sued President Trump to block an executive order declaring that children born to mothers legally but temporarily in the US, i.e. foreign students, or born to undocumented immigrants would no longer be treated as citizens
America Dominican Republic As part of the 2025 patronal festival 'La Altagracia', a 'Rice, Sea and Land' dish for over 2.000 participants has been cooked in Pedernales to set a national record and celebrate Dominican gastronomy and cultural traditions
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo Amnesty International has accused both the M23 rebels in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the country's army of using explosive weapons in densely populated areas, insisting that an end must be put to this situation
Africa Botswana The country has 2nd highest cost of living in Africa after Ethiopia, according to Business Insider Africa considering affordability of essential goods and services like housing, transportation, food, health care and education in the cost of living index
Europe Denmark The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of trade union FOA in a case against the Danish Labour Market Insurance and the Appeals Board, a decision that could lead to damages of up to DKK 2,5 billion (€335.059.000) for around 25.000 workers in flexible jobs
Africa Liberia The funeral of Prince Johnson, the former Liberian warlord who became an influential politician after the end of the civil war, who died in November at the age of 72, was attended by a huge crowd of thousands of people in a ceremony that lasted 5 days
Asia Cyprus Citizens over the age of 18 will be able to apply for a new national electronic identity card as of 27 January; the issuance of the first 100.000 eIDs will be subsidised by the government: 30.000 of them given out for free and 70.000 available for €15
America Dominica Dominica is now mentioned in the BBC list of 25 places to visit in 2025 with a special focus on sustainable travel
Africa Togo The Togolese government bought back the headquarters of Union Togolaise de Banque and IB Bank to help stabilise these ailing banks, which hold 20% of the assets of Togo's banking sector
Europe Estonia Enefit Green and AFRY signed a contract to provide Front-End Engineering Design services for the 1.000-megawatt Liivi Bay offshore wind farm in Estonia, which could cover half of Estonia's current electricity consumption
Asia Syria An arrest warrant against ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad on suspicion of complicity in war crimes has been issued by two French examining magistrates; it's the second such move ever by French judicial authorities