America Brazil The federal import tax on international purchases of up to US$ 50 made through e-commerce platforms like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress has been erased; experts say it is a strategic move in view of October's upcoming general elections
Europe Germany Director Ilker Catak, German with Turkish origins, won the Golden Bear in Berlin's film festival for his "Yellow Letters", a drama set in Turkey about creeping authoritarianism, in an event overshadowed by a row over politics in cinema
Europe Norway Cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo became the first athlete ever to win six gold medals and the first to win all six cross-country events in a single Winter Olympic Games
Oceania Solomon Islands Carrying out mining operations on Nendo Island is 'not feasible'; the comments follow geochemical sampling results which reportedly confirm there are no viable prospects for mining operations in Temotu Province, particularly on Nendo Island
Asia Tajikistan The first block train on new China to Tajikistan line departed Lanzhou with eight 40-foot containers with consumer goods and construction equipment; Traveling over 3.500 km it will cross Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan before reaching Dushanbe-2 railway station
Europe Ukraine Ukrainian officials will boycott the Paralympic Winter Games 2026 after the International Paralympic Committee allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flag
Asia Vietnam Precision farming technologies are being promoted: AI-driven crop monitoring, satellite /drone-based field mapping, IoT sensors for soil and irrigation management, and blockchain for traceability, high-tech greenhouses, biotech seeds, digital supply chain
Africa Egypt Recent constitutional court ruling clarifies legislative and executive authority over updating lists of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in line with constitutional principles and the rule of law, allowing revisions of schedules of anti-drug law
Asia Syria A landmark decision granted provincial governors broad authorities marking one of the most signifcant steps toward administrative decentralisation since 2011; the move will accelerate streamline project implementation, and reduce bureaucratic congestion
America Venezuela Venezuela should take prompt measures to reform key judicial and electoral institutions and repeal abusive laws, watchdog Human Rights Watch said, as authorities began releasing hundreds of political prisoners in a process of “national pacification”
Africa Togo The “Big Catch-Up” initiative, implemented with support from UNICEF, will step up efforts to restore childhood vaccination coverage weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, reintegrating into immunizing programs 40.000 unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children
Asia Thailand 70 tigers died at a private park in Chiang Mai, possibly for an outbreak of canine distemper virus; Officials are examining vaccination records, quarantine measures and disease-control protocols as lapses in biosecurity could contribute to mass fatalities
Oceania Marshall Islands The first HPV Screen and Treat services has been opened at the youth program clinic in Uliga: the key step in Marshall Islands’ goal to eliminate cervical cancer is a collaboration of Health and Human Services with Youth to Youth in Health and WUTMI
Africa Morocco 4.000 tons of frozen meat will be imported for the Royal Armed Forces through a tender covering 3.000 tons of frozen beef and 1.000 tons of frozen camel meat, to be delivered to FAR refrigerated warehouses in Agadir via 40-foot refrigerated containers