Oceania Solomon Islands With newly improved roads in Auki, provincial police appealed to drivers in Malaita to use responsibility and greater care in driving; reckless driving had reportedly increased since works began, forcing to monitor underage drivers and speeding vehicles
Africa Benin The €1 million project 'Growing Benin's Organic Cotton Sector', dedicated to helping small cotton farmers switch to organic cotton cultivation, will enter phase II after increasing earnings and sustainability
Oceania Papua New Guinea A young woman has started an online business to help her parents pay for her tuition fee; the ‘boutique’ sells locally made, heritage-style garments and accessories and is going online to reach customers out of her physical range
America Antigua and Barbuda The Salvation Army launched its annual Christmas hamper distribution programme, with the aim of providing basic necessities to almost 1.000 families; 2024 was the first time this included Barbuda in 60 years
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The country has announced plans to purchase an Earth observation satellite using $20 million in funding from Sicomines, a strategic mining partnership between Chinese and Congolese investors
America Suriname The Emile de la Fuente Stadium hosted a successful sports day for hundreds of children with disabilities in Suriname; the event, which included games like football and netball, promoted social skills, teamwork, and inclusion for disabilities
Africa Algeria The MyGeocycle platform was launched in Algeria by Holcim Geocycle, a major step forward in solid waste management to digitise and optimise waste collection, transport and treatment
Europe Germany Amid workforce shortages, healthcare leaders hope Syrian doctors working in Germany will decide to stay; they return to motherland after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria would have a hard impact on the health system
Asia Yemen A senior Yemeni official stated that the country has a plan for confrontation with its adversaries, including the United States, vowing that more options for retaliatory attacks will open up as their aggression increases
Africa Somalia The European Council decided to extend the mandate of Operation Atalanta, the EU military training mission in Somalia and the civilian capacity-building mission, until 28 February 2027
Oceania Tuvalu Construction began on the subsea cable 'Tuvalu Vaka' (meaning Tuvalu's traditional canoe) developed by Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation, in collaboration with Google; announced in November, it is a branching unit of Google's planned Bulikula cable
Oceania Solomon Islands Solomon Islands National University will offer a new course on national security supported by the Australian Government to develop Solomon Islands' capacity to produce high-quality analytical texts and teaching on national security
America Uruguay Uruguay and South Korea are deepening their agricultural biotechnology partnership through a cooperation agreement, focusing on sustainable innovations such as drought-resistant soy and genetically modified crops, positioning Uruguay as a regional leader
Asia Oman Oman's first ecological park dedicated to baobab trees was established the Wilayat of Mirbat, in cooperation with an initiative undertaken by the Environment Conservation Society; 160 baobab trees have been planted so far