World Report

In Tunisia human rights abuses have prompted a review of EU funding. In Australia it has been another exhausting week for firefighters battling wildfires in the state of Tasmania and in France wine producers are raising concerns about tariffs, climate change and lower consumption amoung young people.

In Togo, 14 people, including an Irish citizen, accused of taking part in demonstrations against the Togolese regime are sentenced to ten years in prison. In the UK a plan to phase out diesel/ petrol vehicles by 2030 has raised alarm in the automotive industry, and Nigeria's government increases telecommunications tariffs on calls and data to 50%.

The killing of an eight-year-old girl in Turkey last year became a national scandal, but her family members' trial, who were responsible, has disappointed many. India is refusing to comply with Bangladesh's request to extradite former Prime Minister Sheik Hasina. The German city of Chemnitz is celebrating as it becomes European Capital of Culture.

Indigenous communities in Honduras are coping with intense storms and hurricanes due to deforestation and climate change. In Denmark discussions are to take place with Donald Trump over the future of the Arctic region, and in Italy a priest in Bari could face manslaughter charges over the death of a newborn baby left at his church in early January.

Relations between Ukraine and Slovakia have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks, in a dispute over supplies of Russian gas to Central Europe. Along the Mexico-US border - migrant shelters are preparing for mass deportations ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump and in Australia a federal inquiry is examining the closure of live music venues.

Canada will soon have a new Prime Minister after the resignation of Justin Trudeau. A number of Nordic countries have begun creating domestic contingency plans in case of war, and in Italy authorities in Rome have drawn up plans to charge a fee for visiting the Trevi Fountain.

Donald Trump's idea of buying Greenland has stirred up questions on geopolitics, sovereignty, & the island’s future. In Argentina, President Javier Milei has brought radical change: slashing state spending by a third, and removing vital subsidies for energy costs, transport and groceries. In Mexico, researchers are trying to save rare salamanders.

Deadly turf wars and drive-by shootings linked to the drugs trade are spreading in France. In India an 81-year-old bridge is in the news because the Indian government has roped in the same British firm for maintenance which had designed it, and in Australia 94,000 Irish born people will be hoping for sunshine and clear skies for the festive season.

A recent attack on a military base in Chad, which resulted in the deaths of 40 soldiers, has been blamed on Boko Haram. In Estonia the government is moving to restrict non-citizens from voting in local elections. In Tenerife holidaymakers are being encouraged to look beyond the beaches… to visit the volcanic landscapes and UNESCO heritage sites.

As the 13 year old civil war in Syria flares up again, what role is Turkey playing and what are the interests of the country's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan? In Canada there is concern over the threat by Donald Trump to impose tariffs from goods crossing the border. In France birth rates have fallen to levels last seen at the end of WWII.

Over 1.2 million displaced Lebanese began to return home after a ceasfire was announced between Israel and Hezbollah. In Mexico the country's new president Claudia Sheinbaum faces a battle to contain cartel violence, and in Thailand, animal welfare groups want greater protections for the Asian elephant.

The air pollution crisis has escalated across South Asia, with both India and Pakistan grappling with alarming levels of smog. In Norway a strict minimum wage is to be enforced to limit social media use. In the Czech Republic one of the world’s oldest airlines made its final flight, bringing to a close just over 100 years of aviation history.

Climate change is believed to be changing the way wildfires in California are spreading. In Ukraine there are concerns over the election of Donald Trump as US President and in Italy scientists believe over 2,000 people who died when the ancient city of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D may have been misidentified.

Thousands of domestic workers from Senegal employed in Lebanon remain trapped in the war torn country. In the Maldives there is evidence that coral bleaching can be reversed. In Canada three cigarette giants are facing a historic settlement of 32-billion dollars, and in Singapore people caught taking drugs may be forced to undergo mandatory rehab.

Over 6-million people in Ukraine are using an Air Raid Warning app. In Italy researchers claim to have made a breakthrough that confirms the authenticity of the shroud of Turin. In Australia politicians have called for a reexamination of the disappearance of 60 women. In Germany a World War II bunker has been repurposed as an eco friendly hotel.

Despite a bombing by Israel, the government run hospital in Nabatieh is still operating, with staff and their families having moved in. In France a study is taking place of the Catacombs to establish how many are buried there. In Cameroon mystery surrounds the whereabouts of President Paul Biya, and in Ibiza, lizards are becoming endangered.

In the Czech Republic time is running out for women to apply for compensation after being coerced into sterilisation. Uzbekistan is now an emerging tourism destination after suffering reputational damage due to child labour. The Australian government plans to cap enrolments of overseas students & in Romania, the famous blue Danube is in trouble.

As fighting continues in Ukraine the population is struggling to access basic needs. In Italy a painting found by a junk collector is an original Picasso. In Canada a doctors organisation has apologised to the indigenous peoples. In the US Kamala Harris praises women's clubs as generations of black female college graduates smash the glass ceiling.

In Lebanon people live in fear of their lives after a series of attacks by Israel in response to rocket attacks by Hezbollah. Both Copenhagen and Stockholm was in the past week - hit by attacks on Israeli embassies. In Tunisia presidential elections take place this weekend, and in Ukraine a major tech conference went ahead despite the ongoing war.

The first elections in a decade are underway in Kashmir. In Nigeria severe flooding has destroyed homes and livelihoods in Borno state. In the UK plans to remove cars from Oxford Street have caused a political rift, and in Kazakhstan efforts are underway to revive the Aral Sea which has been partially destroyed by aggressive agricultural practice

The casualty list continues to rise in Lebanon following Israeli strikes on Beirut. In Czechia towns and villages asses the damage following the devastating Storm Borris floods, while in France some familiar Irish groups are among 450,000 attending a unique political festival.

Thousands people across Turkey have protested over the murder of eight-year-old Narin Güran. In Canada former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been sentenced to 11 years for sexually assaulting four women in Toronto, and in Australia employees have for the first time, been given the right to ignore their bosses outside of working hours.

The rape and killing of a woman in Calcutta and an official report on how men in the Kerala film industry demand sexual favours from women has led to protests demanding justice. The President of the Canary Islands is seeking the help of EU parliament in dealing with incoming migrants. In Tunisia controversy surrounds the arrest of Sonia Dahmani.

Swedish and Danish police are uniting in a bid to crack down on gangs, with membership to certain motorbike groups also banned. Political crisis in Tunisia as journalists, civil society figures and activists are arrested, and Canada’s temporary foreign workers policy under the microscope as UN calls it a breeding ground for contemporary slavery.

An outbreak of Mpox in central Africa is spiralling out of control, with Congo the worst hit country. In Brazil investigations continue into a plane crash in which 62 people died, and we look at the deadliest migration route in the world - from a rescue boat on the Central Mediterranean.