Asia China Unilateral zero-tariff treatment is now applied to all African countries except Eswatini, which maintains ties with Taiwan; duty-free policy for 33African countries was introduced in 2024, now covers 53 countries and will be in place until 30 April 2028
Africa Guinea-Bissau The National Union of Teachers and Employees of Schools of Higher Education has asked the government to carry out inspections in all the units that make up the School of Higher Education in Guinea-Bissau
Africa Madagascar The Africa Mercy, Mercy Ships' newly refurbished hospital ship, has arrived in Madagascar and will stay in the country from February to December 2024; it last visited the country in 2015
Europe Slovenia A consultative referendum will be held this year to decide whether to build a second nuclear power unit to replace the current one at the Krško nuclear power plant once its lifespan ends in 2043
Asia Iran Three satellites were successfully launched for the first time using the carrier rocket developed by the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics and will be used to test communication and geopositioning technologies
Asia Laos Bodybuilding and e-sports will feature in the Laos National Games in 2025, after they were officially included in a decision that comes on the heels of Laos hosting the 18th ASEAN Bodybuilding Championships later this year
Europe Poland Controls at the border with Slovakia were extended until 2 March to try to stop illegal migrants entering through Slovakian territory, a transit point for migrants trying to reach Western Europe mostly from the Middle East and Afghanistan
Europe Liechtenstein Jägermeister bottles and corks was recently exhibited at Gasthaus Adler in Bendern
Europe Russia Two Russian courts have handed down the first two convictions following the passing of the new law restricting activism for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, rather vaguely classifying activities related to their defence as extremist
Europe Switzerland Online streaming services offered in Switzerland, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, have bumped up their subscription fees in recent years, in some cases massively, data published by Moneyland.ch - an online price comparison - reveals
Oceania Palau Palau's livestock sector experienced significant growth in 2023, in terms of both the number of animals and revenue generated, according to the annual report of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment
Asia Mongolia Vatican Radio - Vatican News now also speaks the language of Mongolia, visited by Pope Francis last September: the idiom is the 52nd in addition to the others already present, both written and spoken, thanks to a collaboration with the local Church
Asia Malaysia The sentence of former PM Najib Razak to 12 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power was halved; by the end of 2023, corruption charges had been filed against both Najib and other members of his party, the United Malaysian National Organisation
Asia Lebanon Britain would be organising a plan to de-escalate tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border; the plan would involve Britain training Lebanese army forces to do more security work in the border region