Asia Tajikistan An amnesty law signed by President Rahmon to celebrate 35 years of independence will cover 18.038 convicted people, with full release for 11.305 people, reduced terms for 6.733; of 507 women, 248 will be released, of 134 minors, 99 will be freed
Africa Madagascar The Safidy Observatory, in its report on the observation of the annual revision of the electoral rolls, noted an 11,7% increase in the number of registered persons compared to the electoral rolls resulting from the 2023 revision, 42% of whom were women
Oceania Fiji The government has granted Vodafone Fiji a non-commercial 5G licence to operate; Vodafone Fiji will undertake testing with end users in the 5G pilot network before a full commercial licence is issued later this year
America Haiti The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime revealed that gangs in Haiti have made the country's national highways one of their three main sources of income, extorting $6.000 to $8.000 a day from commuter and commercial drivers
Europe Liechtenstein A total of 266 transitional loans were granted during the pandemic and almost three quarters of these have already been repaid; it was mainly the catering sector that suffered from the closure of businesses during the coronavirus pandemic
America Canada Annual inflation rate fell to 2,9% last month, within Bank of Canada target range; price growth deceleration was sharper than expected by forecasters
Asia Laos Social media has recently ignited a heated debate on disciplinary practices in schools, particularly those run by the state and located in rural Laos, for practices that are often considered outdated and inappropriate
America Jamaica The Ministry of Agriculture has announced a J$20 million (€118000) relief fund to support fishermen who have been affected by rising sea waves along the Jamaican coast
Europe Iceland The president of the Grindavík Workers' Union criticised the reopening of Grindavík, citing inadequate infrastructure and safety problems and calling for legislative changes to improve conditions for residents by focusing on equity and financial security
Africa Seychelles The trade department of the Ministry of Finance, National Planning and Trade, in collaboration with the European Union, recently organised a workshop on the identification and screening of potential geographical indications
Asia Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia said Israel's actions in the Palestinian Territories are 'legally indefensible' at the second day of the International Court of Justice hearing
Europe Switzerland The Graubünden cantonal police have launched an investigation on suspicion of discrimination and incitement to hatred following the decision of equipment rental shops in Davos to stop renting to Jewish people
Africa Egypt Suez Canal revenues are down 40-50% this year to date due to attacks on shipping by Yemen's Houthi rebels
Africa Zimbabwe 62 people sentenced to the death penalty in the country will see their sentences commuted to life imprisonment as a result of the abolition of capital punishment, decided by the Harare government, which gave its assent to a parliamentary initiative