The aftermath of Rayan’s death
The story of Rayan moved millions of people who followed the unsuccessful rescue mission of the Moroccan child who fell in an abandoned well. The aftermath and surrounding stories were however much less reported.…
European Commission sues Sweden for failing to adopt a gun control directive
Sweden is late in implementing a European Union gun control directive and risks a financial penalty.…
When global companies celebrate a national day politically controversial in another market
Some local branches of global companies celebrated a Pakistani national day, the Kashmir Solidarity Day, that India sees as disrespectful to its sovereignty. Several brands published apologies.…
Why Argentina President offered to be a gateway to LATAM for Russia days after an agreement with the IMF
The president of Argentina proposed to be a gateway to Latin America for Russia in a move to reduce its dependence on the IMF and the United States. Yet, Argentina had just found an agreement with the IMF and asked for American political support.…
In Norway, fears of a pink salmon invasion in 2023
The population of pink salmon, or humpback salmon, in Norway dramatically increased in past years so that there may be 10 times as many fish in two years, threatening the existence of the local Atlantic salmon.…
In India, a dispute between students wearing hijab or a saffron scarf
Some hijab-wearing students want to be able to attend classes in junior colleges in the state of Karnataka but other students show their disagreement by wearing saffron scarves.…
Proposed Mexican energy reforms power domestic debate and make the U.S. concerned
The president of Mexico wants a constitutional reform on electricity but the private sector and the United States are concerned.…
Slovenia restructures consumer loans made in Swiss francs up until 17 years ago
Slovenia restructured consumer loans contracted in Swiss francs up until 17 years ago. Slovenes contracted loans in the Swiss currency but they became more difficult to reimburse since the francogeddon in 2015.…
Stockholm Region has a budget surplus. It wants to offer a cash bonus and extra days off for its employees
Stockholm region had a budget surplus thanks to increased tax revenue and subsidies from the government. It wants to offer cash to its employees in return for the work done during the pandemic. Healthcare employees would also receive 4 extra days off.…
Air pollution decreased in Beijing ahead of the Olympics
Ahead of Beijing Winter Olympics, China's capital recorded its cleanest air in almost 10 years.…
Latvia introduced a nationwide deposit system for bottles to improve waste management
Latvian residents will pay an extra 10 cents for their bottles and will get a voucher or a refund when they hand over their beverage containers to the deposit system.…
Belgium plans an overhaul of the hospital system with a flat fee approach
Belgium Health Minister presented his reform of the healthcare sector to make it more efficient. One of the goals will be to provide a flat fee for each medical intervention the state will pay for.…
51 convicted to death for the murders of Swedish and American UN experts in DRC in 2017
A court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo sentenced 51 people to death for the murders of two United Nations experts in the Kasaï province in 2017.…
Australian national day and protests to change the date
Australia national day is contentious as some consider it Invasion Day. A majority of Australians seems willing to keep it as is.…
Corruption in South Africa: more than half of public spending related to Covid-19 shows irregularities
An anti-corruption audit in South Africa shows that 62% of public contracts related to the Covid-19 pandemic analyzed so far have irregularities.…
Bolsonaro holds off a pay raise for police officers, for now
The president of Brazil signed the federal budget for 2022 and didn't increase the salary of police officers for now. But the budget still provisions for the expense. His intent raised protests from other public sector employees.…
Cuba is short of baby formula and coffee
Cuba is facing a running out of milk powder as it has difficulties importing milk. The population also struggles to find coffee.…
International tourism not much better-off in 2021 despite a 19% revenue growth
Revenue from international tourism grew by 19% in 2021. But the industry doesn't expect a return to pre-pandemic volume before 2024.…
Thailand removes marijuana from the list of narcotics and clears up legal confusion
Thailand removed marijuana from the list of narcotics, solving confusion on therapeutic use and making a clear step towards decriminalization of cannabis.…
The Parliament of Latvia supports the concept of banning fur farming
The Parliament of Latvia is open to banning fur farming as 63% of the population disapproves of this industry.…
Ireland will have a once-off public holiday for the COVID-19 before the pandemic is over
Ireland will have a one-off public holiday for remembering deaths and recognizing workers during the Covid-19 pandemic before it's over.…
Backpackers and international students to the rescue of Australia’s workforce
Australia's government waived visa application fees for international backpackers and students.…
Peru is planning a state of emergency in Lima
To tackle crime in Lima, officials are planning to declare a state of emergency in Peru's capital city.…
A new theory on who betrayed Anne Frank doesn’t convince everybody
Extensive research leads to a new suspect in Anne Frank's betrayal but some experts remain cautious about the conclusions because concrete evidence lacks to prove the theory.…
Millions of bottles of wine with a special sticker to avoid destruction in Russia
Last July, Russia passed a law impacting the labeling of alcohol on bottles of wine. Millions of bottles could have been destroyed in 2022, but authorities will allow a special sticker to be put on bottles produced before the legislation passed.…
Petition to bar the son of former Philippine dictator from presidential run dismissed
The Philippines election commission dismissed a petition trying to bar Marcos Jr from running for the next presidential elections.…
Kosovo refused to open polling centers for Serbia’s referendum
Kosovo's Prime Minister argued ethnic Serbs should vote by mail or in Serbia's representative office. The EU and the US urged Kosovo to allow Serbs to exercise their right to vote.…
Nigeria removes a country ban on Twitter after 7 months of suspension
Nigeria lifted a ban on Twitter that lasted 224 days because the company removed a tweet from the president.…
Tree planting in Negev desert creates discord in Israel’s coalition
In Israel, Arab Bedouins protest against a tree-planting program in the Negev desert. It may impact Prime Minister's thin majority.…
France and Spain arrest traffickers using helicopters to transport drugs
Spain and France arrested traffickers who used helicopters to transport drugs from Morocco.…
Poland announces removing VAT on food and gas despite EU laws, but not on fuel
In order to mitigate effects of inflation in Poland, the government announced actions that include a 0% VAT on food items, but not on all energy products.…
Russian demands to NATO also concern Sweden and Finland
Amid tensions around Ukraine, Russia has been demanding that no new countries join NATO but it also concerns Sweden and Finland as close partners to the security alliance.…
West African countries further sanction and isolate Mali
ECOWAS members decided to close their borders and cut diplomatic ties after a new schedule for elections in Mali was deemed unacceptable.…
Record number of refugee applications in Costa Rica from Nicaraguans
Costa Rica receives an increasing number of refugee requests from Nicaragua. Repression in the country accentuated since the social unrest in 2018.…
In Colombia, first two legal euthanasia for patients with non-terminal illnesses
Two Colombians died by euthanasia without suffering terminal illnesses for the first time. They overcame tidious legal processes.…
The European Court of Human Rights ruled inadmissible the complaint about gay-marriage cake’s baker refusal
The ECHR decision closes the case of the bakery refusing to make a cake supporting gay-marriage because of its "Christian beliefs".…
Bulgaria PM confirms objective to adopt the euro currency in 2024, unlike Romania
The newly-elected prime minister of Bulgaria confirmed he is "fully committed" to joining the eurozone on 2024.…
Thailand stops export of pork for 3 months to limit price increase
Thailand decided to ban pork export for 3 months to reduce pressure on rising prices as production decreased.…
Korean presidential candidate proposed public healthcare for hair loss treatment
The candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed to provide healthcare for hair loss medical treatment.…
Taiwan will invest US$200m to support Lithuania’s industry
Taiwan announced it would invest US$200 million in a development fund for Lithuania.…