Asia Sri Lanka Digital marketplace LilyLanka has been launched to connect small and medium enterprises with customers; the platform includes products, online sales and delivery services and aims to digitalize local trade, expand market access and support SMEs recovery
Asia Sri Lanka Severe weather conditions have caused rising floodwaters and continuous landslides that are disrupting daily life across multiple districts; train services on all routes will be suspended today due to the prevailing adverse weather conditions
Asia Saudi Arabia Residents aged 60 years and above reached 1,7 million, or 4,8% of the total population according to the 2025 Elderly Statistics Bulletin, and Saudis represent 69%; the survey revealed a very high level of life satisfaction among the elderly, around 91%
Africa Sao Tome and Principe New equipment allows the Registry and Notary Office to ensure automatic voter registration and interoperability with the National Electoral Commission's database; it also marks the beginning of the campaign for free ID cards to citizens over 17
America Paraguay Adding public holidays on December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026, has been proposed to boost domestic tourism and local economies, after long weekends this year have generated US$155 million and hotel occupancy above 95%
Oceania Samoa 100 grams of methamphetamine concealed originating from American Samoa was intercepted by the Ministry of Customs and Revenue (MCR) at the Matautu Wharf on Thursday. A local man and a Filipino woman have been chargeds
Africa Sudan Authorities in the Northern State took control of a rebellion led by “Awlad Gammari,” following armed clashes near the land port in Dongola that caused casualties before the army managed to arrest dozens of the group’s members and confiscate vehicles
Africa Kenya Rising pollution, increasing population and climate threats are putting pressure on life in Lake Victoria Basin, experiencing a wave of death of fish stock; report shows that industrial waste and untreated sewage continue to contaminate the waters
Europe Lithuania The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday approved a three-year freeze of public broadcaster LRT’s budget and backed long-term changes that will reduce its share of income tax and excise tax revenues beginning in 2029
Europe Russia Bezymianny volcano in Kamchatka has emitted strong pyroclastic flows since 25 November, with ash reaching an altitude of 32.000 ft, or 7.000 meters, causing the diversion of flight routes across the region and setting an alert for the population
Europe Malta National AI Strategy towards 2030 has been realigned: the question shaping Malta's AI frame is no longer whether AI will boost economy and transform society, but whether citizens will manage to shape that transformation or be shaped by it
Asia Syria A new wave of 'cultural resistance' is developing in form of private cinema clubs; as gathering can still be seen as a provocation, staying for a debate at the end of a movie is becoming more frequent in closed cafés, terraces, rooms with borrowed chairs
Europe Greece The torch for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics was lit in an indoor and scaled-down ceremony in ancient Olympia; the traditional ceremony at the stadium where the Games were born in ancient Greece was redesigned due to heavy rain warnings
America Trinidad and Tobago Grief, praise and calls for national recognition have followed the death of filmmaker and tv producer Danielle Dieffenthaller after a long battle with renal failure; she was hailed a visionary for her work in film, tv, entertainment and documentaries