Asia Myanmar Peace talks with several smaller ethnic armed organizations have been promoted by Myanmar’s military government as evidence of ongoing national reconciliation; Critics argue the discussions exclude many of the country’s most powerful resistance groups
Africa Egypt Egypt officially joined the Brics, a group of countries with emerging economies, namely 'emerging national economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa'; President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi welcomed 'the confidence of the Brics member states'
Africa Sudan A delegation of the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces met with Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, head of the Rapid Support Forces, in Addis Ababa to discuss a potential ceasefire
Europe Latvia With three days to go until signature collection closes, 14,65% of the necessary votes have been collected for a referendum on repealing amendments to the law introducing a partnership institute in Latvia
Asia Cyprus Eighteen public works projects valued at €112 million will get underway across the island this year, according to data from the Department of Public Works
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Residents across several northern villages of St Vincent who have been affected by the water supply disruption are upset and angry by the uneven distribution of water
Asia Indonesia The government is aiming at increasing the budget for fertilizer subsidies by Rp14 trillion (around US$903 million) this year to handle the shortage of fertilizers
Asia Iraq $697 million have been allocated for Baghdad first metro project, following a delay of several years; the funds cover design studies and project management
Europe Ireland More than 20 primary schools who reported to be in financial difficulty due to rising costs sought contingency funding from the Department of Education last year; just one school was successful in securing additional funding
Europe Malta Pledges for property sales in Malta increased by 9% in 2023 reaching €4,6 billion according to the Malta Development Association, which called 2023 'the second best year ever' for the domestic property market
Africa Somalia Somalia declared null and void the agreement just signed between Somaliland and Ethiopia to grant the latter access to ports
America Brazil The "Mover" program has been launched, providing $US4 billion in incentives and introducing new guidelines for the automotive sector, emphasising sustainability requirements and tax benefits for environmentally friendly practices
Europe Ukraine Russia reportedly launched 500 missiles and drones at Ukraine in three days; two of the biggest cities have been hit in a wave of heavy air strikes and at least five civilians have been killed
Africa Kenya A recent survey found that pollution and poor air quality could worsen the condition of menstruating women; around 65% of women in the country cannot afford the basic necessities to manage their menstrual cycle