Asia South Korea Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison, charged with leading an insurrection as he imposed martial law for a few tumultuous hours on 3 December 2024; some argue it is a sign of a healthy democracy
Europe Slovakia GymBeam, Slovakia’s biggest fitness brand, built a regional e-commerce empire from Košice; now, after attracting investors for €110 million, is moving its headquarters to Austria
Oceania Nauru 80 Nauruan students in Fiji participated in the 38th quarterly meeting of the Intergenerational Trust Fund held in Suva, Fiji; the NTF was established in 2015 to contribute to the long-term budgetary self-reliance of the Republic of Nauru until 2035
Africa South Africa As beaches in Durban closed yesterday, one of the busiest beach days of the festive season, it took the police two hours to actually remove people from the surf; swimming after 6pm is prohibited by municipal laws as lifeguard shifts end
Asia Saudi Arabia Schools in Eastern Province and Hafr Al-Batin governorate have switched to distance learning via the Madrasati platform yesterday, following reports from the National Center for Meteorology of rainfall in the region and snowfall in Tabuk area
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia’s parliament opened way to building a disposal facility for radioactive waste from the Krsko Nuclear Power Plant in Slovenia and from domestic hospitals and industry in Cerkezovac, only 3km away from the border with BiH and the Una National Park
Africa Niger Niger will host 10th edition of African Exhibition of Invention and Innovative Enterprise SAIIT in 2026; the designation was voted at the 65th board session of the OAPI African Intellectual Property Organization, on entrepreneurship and innovative economy
Europe United Kingdom The number of flu cases in the UK reached a record high for this time of year: they rose by 55% last week, with an average of 2.660 patients per day ending up in hospital
Europe Finland The Director General of Finland’s Social Insurance Institution Kela has taken extended medical leave until the end of May 2026 after being diagnosed with a serious illness while on a work trip to Brussels
America Antigua and Barbuda The Supervisor of Elections at the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission, has been appointed as Chief of Mission for the CARICOM Election Observation Mission to Saint Lucia, bringing the country to a leading role in regional election oversight
Africa Madagascar The new urban train officially departed Soarano station on Monday 15 December at 7:30 a.m. with guests on board and opened to the public yesterday, with the first departure from Soarano to Ambohimanambola starting with two daily round trips for commuters
Asia Iraq The first European commercial flight landed in Baghdad after a suspension of over 35 years, a recognition of sustained efforts to upgrade operational, technical, and security requirements at Iraqi airports in line with international aviation standards
Oceania Samoa Aviation safety in Samoa and across the Pacific has improved with a new Automated Weather Observing Station AWOS at Fagali’i Airport; supported by continuous StarLink connectivity, it will provide real-time aviation weather information across the country
America Haiti Newly published electoral decree has drawn strong reactions at home and abroad: internationally welcomed as a necessary step to restart democratic processed after four years without elections, locally criticized as the adoption process looks idealistic