Africa Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa signed into law constitutional changes that extend his time in office to 2030; new legislation, approved by Parliament last month, also introduces a provision allowing presidents to be elected by lawmakers instead of direct public vote
Europe Vatican City Meeting Italian seminarians, Pope Francis recently reminded that the Church is an 'open building site, constantly on the move, overcoming the temptation to preserve itself and its own interests'
Asia Singapore Singapore hotels and airlines report a surge of up to 30% in regional demand in anticipation of the arrival of American pop star Taylor Swift, who will stop in Singapore for six sold-out shows
Africa South Sudan A third group of teachers and school leaders will be sent to China for training under the second phase of the China-supported Education Technical Cooperation Project
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines As of 1 March 2024, the National Insurance Services will increase the amount of the minimum weekly pension; over 2.200 pensioners, 24% of the total, will benefit from higher payments
Europe Poland The EU executive will unlock a total €137 billion in recovery and cohesion funds for Poland, which had been frozen due to concerns about the rule of law
Europe Albania Painting in Darkness', a documentary on Lulzim Beqiri, a painter imprisoned during the communist regime because his art did not conform to the ideology of the ruling party, was screened for the first time in Tirana
Asia Vietnam The launch of Mr World Vietnam 2024 competition is planned for the first time in the form of a live TV programme; each episode presents a challenge corresponding to a typical competition criterion, such as physical challenge, modelling ability and talent
Europe Serbia Dozens of schools, kindergartens and student dormitories have acquired video surveillance with facial recognition and detection capabilities; although its is not legally regulated it also covers streets, markets, municipal buildings and public enterprises
Asia Palestine Calligrapher and photojournalist Bilal Khaled left a 'message to the world' through a large mural he painted on a building in Rafah, entitled 'Buried Dreams'; since 7 October, over 12.400 Palestinian children are estimated to have been killed in strikes
Asia United Arab Emirates Mini home farms have a huge impact on psychological well-being and family unity, health and organic farming experts said, urging Emirati residents to grow one in their own home
America Chile Chile's Court has ordered the reopening of the investigation into the death of poet Pablo Neruda; the court aims to determine if Neruda, originally thought to have died of prostate cancer, was actually poisoned by a secret agent of the dictatorship
America Belize The European Union has removed Belize, The Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands from the EU blacklist of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes
Europe Romania The ninth edition of the Odesa International Literature Festival has started in Bucharest; since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the event has been organised in cities in the Black Sea region in order not to cancel the event