Africa Cameroon In an unprecedented disruption to academic calendar, the Ministry ordered the immediate rescheduling of all remaining papers for the ongoing 2026 examination session after a severe security breach compromised confidential materials across digital networks
Oceania Papua New Guinea The country officially joined the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, a crucial UN convention that aims to limit nuclear weapons testing globally
Asia Taiwan The Taiwan Lantern Festival 2024 in Tainan, a large outdoor exhibition of lanterns and light installations to celebrate the Lantern Festival observed on 24 February, was partially opened on Saturday evening
Europe United Kingdom Michelle O'Neill has been appointed PM of Northern Ireland; she is Vice-President of Sinn Féin, the left-wing nationalist party historically in favour of reunification with Ireland, and it is the first time that one of its members becomes Prime Minister
Europe North Macedonia Five people from the country's leading cancer clinic, including two former directors, are suspected of having illicitly purchased expensive cancer drugs, some of which potentially ended up on the black market
Europe Romania Timișoara, one of the largest cities in western Romania, will have a new 10.000-seat stadium, for a €23 million project financed from the local budget; the stadium should be built in 28 months, once work begins
Asia North Korea Since the start of the pandemic, fences and security infrastructure along both coasts have been significantly expanded, in a likely attempt to make it more difficult for residents to escape by sea
America Jamaica Restorative Justice, a Department of the Ministry of Justice, is encouraging Jamaicans of good repute with a passion for nation-building to register to become RJ facilitators, who seek to resolve conflicts by bringing parties to an agreement
Asia Kuwait The Kuwaiti municipality intends to ban handshakes in mourning rooms in cemeteries on health grounds, according to a Kuwaiti newspaper report
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
Africa Ivory Coast A government-sponsored agricultural initiative aims on the one hand to supply school canteens, and on the other hand contributes to improving the lives of villagers by empowering women
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 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 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