Asia Turkey Ankara is preparing for NATO Summit scheduled for 7–8 July 2026, the second hosted by Turkey with the one in Istanbul in 2004; this year's non-NATO guest list comprises East-Asian and Pacific powers, the absence of the central Asian block stands out
Asia Malaysia The application for a temporary amendment of the festive licence, open from 5 January to 5 February 2024, is limited to economy express bus services and buses less than 10 years old, the Land Public Transport Agency stated
Europe Slovenia The country will participate in the proceedings starting next month, in which the UN General Assembly will request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legality of Israel's actions in the occupied Palestinian territories
Europe Denmark To increase the number of international health workers, as doctors or nurses, the country has begun negotiations to make it easier for international health workers to work in Denmark
Europe Lithuania The European Commission has allocated almost €10 million to strengthen the refugee reception system in Lithuania, to improve infrastructure and to implement more projects
Africa Botswana Global diamond giant De Beers will go ahead with a planned investment of $1 billion to prolong the life of its flagship mine, Jwaneng in Botswana, even though demand for diamonds has registered a decline in the past year
Africa eSwatini According to the African Development Bank, in its Eswatini Economic Outlook, economic optimism prevails in the country, while the debt burden is shrinking and the debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to reach 38% in 2024
Africa Central African Republic 25.000 tonnes of Russian free wheat arrived in Cameroon to be milled into wheat flour; the flour that will then be sent to the Central African Republic
Oceania Vanuatu Cruise ship Celebrity Edge docked in two ports in Vanuatu earlier this week, an entry welcomed by the Department of Tourism
Asia Philippines A huge crowd of faithful Catholics, mostly barefoot, marched on Tuesday 9 January in an annual procession in Manila praying for peace in the Middle East, where tens of thousands of Filipinos work
Asia Yemen Yemen's al Masirah TV broadcast drone footage of a large demonstration called in the capital Sanaa by the ruling Houthis to protest against air and missile attacks by the US, UK and other allies
Europe Estonia The first service dog of the Estonian Defence Forces, a 12-year-old German Shepherd named Bruno, retired after almost a decade of work
Asia Georgia The National Library of the Parliament of Georgia has a new director, Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, son of the first president of Georgia, Zviad Gamsakhurdia
Africa Zambia Churches in Zambia have been mandated to limit worship sessions to a maximum of two hours, in a directive that also prohibits the sale of perishable, ready-to-eat food inside churches, to contain cholera