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
Europe Italy 22-year-old Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner won the final of the Australian Open, one of the four most important tournaments on the circuit, becoming the first Italian tennis player in history to do so
America Canada Carbon emissions from Canada's oil sands are severely underreported, a new study in the journal Science suggests; aircraft-based measures found that the total C emissions from the Athabasca region exceeded reported values by 1.900 to 6.300%
Europe Latvia The State Border Guard received 57 Polaris quadricycles as a gift from the US that will be used for monitoring the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarus state borders, as well as to increase the mobility of border guards on the external state border
Asia Iraq Iraq will soon begin talks with the US to conclude the mission of the US-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq, both governments said
Africa eSwatini Dessislava Choumelova, EU ambassador to the country, announced and signed financial agreements with the government amounting to €27 million to support young people and women in vulnerable situations
Africa Gambia As the country prepares to host the 15th Organization of Islamic Cooperation Summit on 4 and 5 May 2024, the OIC Local Security Organising Committee presented the National Security Plan
Europe Belarus Digital sick notes could be introduced in Belarus in 2024-2025, to strengthen citizens' social rights, reduce employer errors and help employers and the Social Protection Fund calculate and pay sickness benefits
Africa Chad New water tanks were installed in the Gaga camp in eastern Chad, home to some 40.000 Sudanese refugees; in the Irdimi camp, Sudanese refugees demonstrated in front of the UNHCR office to demand adequate access to aid
Oceania Papua New Guinea Following recent incidents of looting, the Papua New Guinea Defence Forces join with the Royal Papua New Guinea Police to restore order and successfully recover some of the looted items
America Bahamas The bill to establish a cannabis industry in the Bahamas will be introduced in the House of Representatives next month, according to Attorney General Ryan Pinder
America Colombia Colombia declared a state of disaster and public calamity due to wildfires, seeking international assistance to combat active fires and potential ones exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon
Europe Kosovo Total foreign remittances to Kosovo increased to €1,34 billion in 2023 from €1,22 billion the previous year, +10%, according to data from the Central Bank
Asia Kyrgyzstan Seven newly sworn Peace Corps Response Volunteers will begin a one-year assignment as ecotourism marketing specialists in Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh and Chui, working with partners of the Kyrgyz Community Tourism Association