Africa eSwatini 11 000 jobs have been added in 2023-25; though it may appear as a positive development for Eswatini’s economy, economists fear that Eswatini’s labour market is expanding in low-productivity jobs rather than sectors building long-term economic security
Asia Palestine Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stated that nearly 59.000 Palestinians have been injured in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war, reporting a very high number of amputees, especially among children
Africa Sierra Leone Dr Edward Nahim, Sierra Leone's leading mental health professional and veteran psychiatrist, has passed away; he worked as a consultant psychiatrist for over 40 years at the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital in Freetown
Asia India Prime Minister Modi's government is considering doubling the annual compensation for female landowners to 12.000 rupees ($144), a move ahead of the national elections that will be presented as empowering women in rural areas
Africa Eritrea The Ministry of Education in Southern Region organised a training programme on financial and material management for education offices, with directors of school offices, heads of administration and finance, warehouse workers and internal auditors
Asia Laos UNICEF Laos celebrated its 50th anniversary; in 1973 the peace agreement between the Royal Government of Laos and the communist Pathet Lao marked the end of the Laotian civil war and laid the foundation for UNICEF's entry into Laos
Asia Yemen Qatar Red Crescent Society aims at improving lives of 4.683 vulnerable and displaced people training heads of 669 households; the project, in cooperation with Yemeni counterpart, will take place in Shabwah, Hadramaut, Al-Mahrah, Hajjah and Sanaa
Europe Russia Russian opponent Alexey Navalny claims he was immediately sent to solitary confinement for seven days as soon as the mandatory quarantine period ended in the remote 'Polar Wolf' prison above the Arctic Circle, where he was transferred in December
America Honduras Próspera ZEDE, the Honduras special economic zone, has officially recognized Bitcoin as a unit of account: this move effectively acknowledges the legitimacy of the cryptocurrency in diverse commercial, tax, and financial transactions
America El Salvador President Nayib Bukele took his presidential reelection campaign beyond El Salvador's borders to capitalise on his rising profile across Latin America, and he affirmed that he doesn’t aspire to indefinite reelection
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The Electoral Commission wrote off 82 candidates for fraud in December elections for national, provincial and municipal assemblies, the results of which have not yet been published; it did not concern the presidential vote, that took place on the same day
Oceania Samoa The outgoing Australian High Commissioner to Samoa, Emily Luck, emphasised that Australia is always ready to support Samoa in any solution to combat everyday ongoing problems such as children selling on the streets
Asia China iPhone sales in China fell more than 30% year-on-year in the first week of January, while competitors such as Xiaomi and Huawei 'remained much stronger' with flat sales, according to a note from analysts at Jefferies
Oceania Australia Nazi salutes and the display or sale of symbols associated with designated 'terrorist' groups have been criminalised with the enactment of legislation drafted last summer, government's response to the increase in hate incidents in recent months