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
Africa Chad President of the Republic Marshal Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has been awarded the African Peace Prize 2026; highly symbolic, it was decided by world diplomacy in Geneva at a dedicated meeting on the campus of the University for Peace at the UN headquarters
America Suriname An international operation against illegal gold mining in the Amazon is led by Brazil with Suriname, French Guiana, and Guyana; illegal mining is a cause of deforestation, pollution, and yearly losses of over US$570 million in the Guiana Shield region
Africa Rwanda Actress Rosine Bazongere is walking 160 kilometres from Kigali to Nyagatare to mobilize support for girls who can't afford menstrual hygiene products: no sanitary pads means missing classes for days each month, gradually eroding confidence and performance
Africa Liberia Controversial figure Prophet Key was given six months in jail for abusive and offensive language; the court also ordered him to publish formal apology to women and court for five consecutive days and commit never to use invectives against Liberia's values
Europe Slovakia 189 employees are set to lose their jobs as production at a packaging manufacturer winds down in the next 18 months: another blow to Martin's region, once a stronghold of heavy engineering and paper production now seeing steady erosion of industrial jobs
Oceania Tonga Three-day Tonga Police Annual Conference 2026 has brought together commissioned officers from across the country to enhance leadership capability, strengthen organisational performance, and strategically plan for the evolving demands of modern policing
Europe Switzerland Not a single Tesla model was among the ten best-selling new electric cars in Switzerland last month; the field is led by European manufacturers, with Škoda models Elroq and Enyaq lead the ranking followed by the Volvo EX30 and the BMW X1
Europe Sweden Swedish freestyle skier Elis Lundholm became the first transgender athlete to participate in the Winter Olympics
Africa Benin 21-year-old Nathan Tchibozo, Benin's first-ever Winter Olympic athlete, competed in the Men's Giant Slalom at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Italy, finishing 48th out of 71 starters with a combined time of 2:43.65 on Saturday 14 February
America Guatemala Guatemala has announced it has begun phasing out its 30-years cooperation agreement that deploys 412 Cuban medical personnel, citing a technical review to strengthen national staff, amid growing US pressure on countries to reassess ties with Cuba
Europe Albania 20 people have been arrested in the port city of Durres as prosecution said they played a role in shipping hazardous waste produced by an Albanian steel mill to Thailand; the operation is being continued for the arrests of 13 other suspects
America Costa Rica A pilot preschool program has been launched, allowing 3 year-olds to enroll in selected centers starting this month to expand early education access, improve cognitive development and ease childcare costs amid efforts to modernize the national system
Europe Bulgaria On 14 February Bulgaria celebrates Trifon Zarezan, the annual festival honoring vine growers and winemakers; the Executive Agency on Vine and Wine announced that the country's wineries produced 66 million litres of wine in 2025, despite weather challenges