The production of opium increased sharply in Myanmar, rising to a nine-year high, according to the UN. It touched nearly 795 metric tonnes in 2022, nearly double the production in…
Peru: President calls for ‘truce’ after clashes
Peru’s President Dina Boluarte has called for a “national truce” after protests rocked the country since her predecessor Pedro Castillo was ousted on 7 December. Following her speech, thousands of…
DR Congo: Rwanda’s shooting of plane an ‘act of war’
DR Congo has declared Rwanda’s shooting of one of its fighter jets an “act of war”, amid mounting tensions. Rwanda’s government said it took “defensive measures” against a plane that…
Burkina Faso: Authorities confirm demand for French troop withdrawal
Burkina Faso has confirmed that it wants 400 French troops stationed there to leave within a month. Government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo said the country, which is battling jihadist extremism, wanted…
USA: Crypto lender Genesis files for bankruptcy
Cryptocurrency lender Genesis has filed for bankruptcy. The firm had recently been charged by US regulators Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with illegally selling crypto. It is part of the…
Sweden: Spotify cuts jobs in latest round of tech layoffs
Swedish music-streaming giant Spotify says it will cut 6% of its about 10,000 employees, citing a need to improve efficiency. “In hindsight, I was too ambitious in investing ahead of…
India: Eight-year-old diamond heiress who became a nun
Eight-year-old Devanshi Sanghvi could have grown up to run a multi-million dollar diamond business. But the daughter of a wealthy Indian diamond merchant is now living a spartan life –…
Brazil: Authorities airlift starving Yanomami tribal people from jungle
Brazil has airlifted 16 starving Yanomami tribal people to receive urgent treatment after the government declared a medical emergency. The indigenous people live in a reserve in Brazil’s northern state…
North Korea: Authorities issue ‘extreme cold’ weather alert
North Korean authorities have warned of extreme weather conditions in the country as a cold wave sweeps the Korean peninsula. Temperatures are likely to dip below -30C in the northern…
USA: Seven dead in another California mass shooting
The US state of California is reeling from its third mass shooting in eight days after a man shot dead seven former co-workers south of San Francisco. The attacks took…