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
Europe Russia Moscow said it was ready to consider the African initiative to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's African department, Vsevolod Tkachenko, told Tass news agency in an interview
Asia Laos The 'Couples Counselling' project, supported by UNFPA and funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, offers to help couples with a reproductive health counselling service
Europe France The government announced the much requested temporary suspension of the programme it had launched in January to incentivise the use of electric cars, which allowed citizens to rent an electric car by spending between €100 and €150 per month
Asia India Thousands of farmers are protesting against Modi's government and the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party with riots in several cities, repressed with tear gas and water cannons; access points have been closed with barbed wire, spikes and concrete blocks
America Saint Lucia Banana production in Saint Lucia is higher than what the market demands, Minister of Agriculture Alfred Prospere announced; last year, however, the country could not meet the desired market demand of 15.000 crates per week for banana exports
Africa Cameroon The President of the Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya, has turned 91; since the death of Queen Elizabeth of England, he is the oldest leader of a state in the world and he has been president of the country for 42 years
Africa Rwanda The Rwandan Ministry of Health has urged citizens to take precautionary measures, such as regular hand washing, to prevent the spread of the highly infectious 'red-eye disease'
Africa Libya Abdoulaye Bathily, UN Envoy to Libya, emphasised the possible role of the African Union in achieving national reconciliation based on lessons learnt from similar experiences in member states, according to the UN Support Mission in Libya
America Jamaica Total fertility rate has decreased from 4,5 births per woman between 1973 and 1975 to 1,9 in 2021, contributing to a decrease in population estimate, as shown by Reproductive Health Survey Jamaica 2021 officially released by National Family Planning Board
Asia Malaysia Malaysia ranks eighth on the list of best places to retire according to International Living's Annual Global Retirement Index 2024, and is the only Asian country to make it into the top 10
Africa Sudan Some areas of Sudan are connected to the internet again after a blackout that lasted over a week, reports monitoring site Netblocks
Europe Slovenia At the end of February, the country will expand neonatal screening tests to detect more than 45 different diseases, up from the current 20; the new programme is expected to be launched on Rare Disease Day, which falls on 29 February
Africa Zambia Schools in Zambia reopened for the first time this year, after several five-week delays after the Christmas holidays following an ongoing cholera epidemic in the country