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
Africa Sierra Leone Police are investigating the deaths of three girls aged 12, 13 and 17 who were subjected to female genital mutilation in the country's north-western province; despite calls from activists and human rights advocates, it is still legal in Sierra Leone
Asia Nepal The third Chief Minister's Cup men's volleyball national tournament is taking place in Kanchanpur, famous for producing national-level players in various sports; this is the first national event held here in 12 years
Europe Portugal Montijo airport saw the extension of the environmental declaration deadline rejected by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests ICNF and may no longer be an option to host Lisbon's new airport
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
Asia Syria Syria and Iraq warned of dangerous consequences following US attacks targeting facilities of Iranian-backed militants in Iraq and Syria
Oceania Vanuatu The government did not comply with any of the orders issued two months ago by Supreme Court Judge Viran Molisa Trief regarding the expelled Aquana Resort owners; the court had ruled that the expulsion of the Brugger family from Vanuatu was illegal
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 Libya The Governor of the Libyan Central Bank, President of the Libyan Audit Bureau and the Chairman of the National Oil Corporation all stressed the need to increase oil production rates
Europe Switzerland Online streaming services offered in Switzerland, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, have bumped up their subscription fees in recent years, in some cases massively, data published by Moneyland.ch - an online price comparison - reveals
Africa Madagascar The Africa Mercy, Mercy Ships' newly refurbished hospital ship, has arrived in Madagascar and will stay in the country from February to December 2024; it last visited the country in 2015
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
Oceania Palau Palau's livestock sector experienced significant growth in 2023, in terms of both the number of animals and revenue generated, according to the annual report of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment
Asia Iran Three satellites were successfully launched for the first time using the carrier rocket developed by the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics and will be used to test communication and geopositioning technologies