Oceania Marshall Islands The Marshallese Christmas is celebrated with Jepta, or 'group', dancing and signing competitions, Wojke - a handmade container filled with small gifts and Biit Dancing - an energetic, modern church dancing, often loud and with amplified music
Europe Finland The Director General of Finland’s Social Insurance Institution Kela has taken extended medical leave until the end of May 2026 after being diagnosed with a serious illness while on a work trip to Brussels
Africa Niger Niger will host 10th edition of African Exhibition of Invention and Innovative Enterprise SAIIT in 2026; the designation was voted at the 65th board session of the OAPI African Intellectual Property Organization, on entrepreneurship and innovative economy
America Haiti Newly published electoral decree has drawn strong reactions at home and abroad: internationally welcomed as a necessary step to restart democratic processed after four years without elections, locally criticized as the adoption process looks idealistic
Europe Albania Judges could raise their retirement age to 75 to help reduce the backlog of court cases; the proposal has been discussed by the parliament commission working on a series of technical amendments to justice reform laws, in the absence of opposition
Oceania Australia At least 15 people have been killed and 27 are in hospitals after a shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, the country’s worst in 30 years; attackers targeting Jewish Australians were “driven” by extreme ideology, but “weren’t part of a wider cell”
Europe Sweden The Administrative Court has stopped all planned licensed wolf hunting in 2026 in all five counties where hunting was supposed to begin on January 2; hunters associations oppose the decision and Minister for Rural Affairs doubts about its application
America Peru The presence of US military personnel has been authorized by Peru's authorities throughout 2026 for joint training exercises involving heavy weaponry, raising concerns amid a tense electoral year and growing social polarization
Europe France Following the vaccination of a herd of Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle in Haute-Garonne against lump-shaped dermatosis, the Minister of Agriculture defended her strategy in a crisis meeting and called for a "sanitary barrier" to be erected against the disease
Asia Taiwan The Museumbrary opened in Taichung, a 5.000-square-meter library-museum hybrid funded by a US$15 million municipal grant and private donations; targeting a 15% drop in youth readership, it expects 500.000 visitors in the first year with free admission
Europe Switzerland Swiss public transport is undergoing a historic reorganisation: timetables changes, four-track extension on the Basel-Olten line will be operative, in Zurich the tram network is changing; new night trains between Bern and Winterthur will run at weekends
Europe San Marino Strategic Survey on Training and Employment Needs is a key tool for outlining San Marino's development strategies by providing an updated picture of the needs of the productive sector: Ministry of Labor urges businesses to participate
America Cuba Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, grandson of Cuban general Raul Castro, has become a frequent visitor to Panama, using private planes for his travels; it has been confirmed that he has visited the country many times in recent years, at least ten in 2025
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Over 97 farmers and other stakeholder representatives operating in the Richmond area in Agricultural Region 1, participated in a stakeholder consultation on irrigation infrastructure development